Recently economic development approaches depending on the cluster concept have become an important and popular subject which is discussed frequently by scholars and economy politicians. Industry clusters which are presented as success model both in developing and developed countries have generally defined as: economic agglomerations characterized by spatial proximity, sectoral specialization, developed institutional structure and corporative identity; with firms sharing the same infrastructure, experiences and clients; where network relations increase the competitive advantages. Jewellery clusters have been a part of the discussions in the related literature with many different cases from different geographies due to the specialized artisanal production organization of the sector which is highly suitable for clustering. Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar) can be defined as one of the worlds oldest and largest jewelry agglomeration, being the centre of craft and trade activity for more than five centuries and deserves to do a research on. In this context, this article puts forward the structure and the dynamics of the Kapalıçarşı Jewellery Cluster by a comparative evaluation with success cases of jewellery clusters which take place in the literature, such as, Los Angeles Jewellery Cluster, Bangkok Jewellery Cluster, Italian Jewellery Clusters (Arezzo, Valenza, Vicenza), Birmingham Jewellery Cluster (Birmingham Jewelry Quarter), Johannesburg Jewellery Cluster, Indian Jewellery Clusters. This approach helps to understand the characteristics, dynamics, differences of the jewellery clusters in general and Kapalıçarşı Jewellery Cluster in particular.
Key words: Clusters, Jewellery Cluster, Kapalıçarşı, World Cases Article Language: EnglishTurkish
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