NETWORK OF COOPERATION AND INNOVATION: A STUDY CASE OF A LOCAL PRODUCTIVE ARRANGEMENT DOI:10.5773/rai.v1i1.674

Abstract

Collective strategies of cooperation among people and organizations constitute a major form of effective participation of social actors in the production of innovations and consequently, the competitiveness and economic growth of firms, regions and nations. The increasing importance of innovation clusters, alliances and inter-organizational networks highlights the relevance of this study, which seeks a better understanding of the process of local network creation and its contribution to innovation activities. The research approach emphasizes interactions and exchanges of knowledge and information among public and private agents in local networks. The empirical context for the analysis is a case study of the local production arrangement (APL), or cluster, of knitwear producers in Imbituva, Paraná, Brazil. The findings indicate that innovations in the APL have been inexpressive with a limited impact on the organizations. The study found a positive correlation between intensity of interactions, propensity to innovate and business performance. In addition, it was found that the older companies presented a more intense pattern of interactions. Network analysis reveals that innovation and local interaction aspects are poorly developed which suggests the importance of initiatives to foster innovativeness and learning by increasing interactions among companies and institutions in the APL.