The Influence of Regional Resilience Elements on the Performance of Clustered Firms

Abstract

Regional economic resilience is a term used to describe the ability of economic systems to withstand, recover from, and adapt to different economic and technological shocks. The literature argues that clustered firms perform better than isolated firms in regional economic systems. This study aims to analyze the influence of regional resilience elements on the performance of firms in a cluster. Therefore, we surveyed 194 wineries in the Wine Cluster of the Serra Gaúcha (WCSG) in Brazil. We confirmed a positive and significant linear relationship among economic specialization, international relations, technological heterogeneity, and public policies. The case of the WCSG highlights the adaptation process as a source of economic resilience. After facing several shocks in its territory, the cluster was able to organize itself, recombining different knowledge sources to explore new economic paths. This study contributes to the theoretical and managerial fields by discussing resilience along the cluster’s trajectory.