The occurrence and strength of clusters in Ukraine and Poland

Abstract

Clusters are agglomerations of elements remaining in relationships of different kind between one another. The core type of connection between companies in a cluster is rivalry. This is due to the fact that they have to compete in order to gain access to finite resources that are used to thrive on the market. Another type of relations between entities that form clusters is cooperation. As Europe is trying to figure out a way to strengthen its competitive position against its main global competitors, clusters have recently been dubbed as means for Europe and European regions to become more competitive. The main aim of this paper is to depict the current state of clusters in Ukraine and Poland and to underline the most prominent similarities and differences with reference to their occurrence and strength.