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Are Non-Special Dimensions of Proximity in Local Clusters Related? An Analysis of 99 European Clusters

The destructive effects of industries on the environment are the most crucial reason for the need for firms’ proximity to developing innovative activities such as corporate sustainability. However, most prior efforts have focused on the role of different types of proximity in cluster performances, not the relationship among them. Therefore, this study intends to go one step back, discuss the inter-relationships between different types of proximity, and propose them in a conceptual model as the antecedents of corporate sustainability. These factors are known as the non-specific dimensions of proximity within local clusters: cognitive, organisational, institutional, and social, which received less attention as a theoretical model. To this end, this study invited all members of the European Cluster Cooperation Platform (ECCP) to participate. Among some 1080 European cluster organisations, 113 organisations participated, of which 99 of them were usable for this research. Contrary to existing conceptual theories, the results revealed no strong evidence for significant interrelations among all dimensions of non-specific proximity. Moreover, organisational proximity does not strongly relate to cognitive and social proximities, and there is no meaningful relationship between institutional and social proximities.