Analyzing the Mechanisms of Local Knowledge Spillovers and Their Dynamics from the Perspective of Evolutionary Economic Geography (Case Study Khuzestan Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Equipment Cluster)

In the evolutionary economic geography and innovation studies, local knowledge spillovers have been conceptualized as a regional phenomena, but the mechanisms through which knowledge is transferred between firms in the region have received less attention.This study aims to investigate the dynamics and structural features of multiple networks of knowledge spillovers in the studied industrial cluster. A descriptive Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach has been used to illustrate and examine the structure of interactions in three separate but complementary knowledge networks within Khuzestan Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Equipment Cluster. Due to the lack of data on firms innovation activities and knowledge interactions within the region, the necessary data was collected through interview and questionnaire and then using the SNA, the structural features of interactions in the three knowledge networks in the region have been studied. The results show that the firms geographical and social proximity in the region has led to the formation of various knowledge interactions between the firms. Further, among the monitoring, labor mobility, and cooperation mechanisms, the network of collaborative interactions has the highest density at the cluster level. Accordingly, the collaboration network has the greatest potential to function as a knowledge spillover channel due to its higher density and the small number of isolated firms.