Clusters – the geographic concentration of specialized firms that are working in similar or related activities and are interdependent – have played an important role in the industrial development of many countries, including in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. A large part of these successes can be explained by the ability of clusters to build on existing strengths of local communities, such as social capital and abundant labor, to overcome common constraints to economic expansion, such as weak financial markets and institutions. Realizing the potential for cluster-based development and the long history of clusters in the country, the Egyptian Government has made cluster-based industrialization a key pillar of Egypt’s sustainable development strategy to 2030. The timing for a cluster-based industrial development model for Egypt seems favorable as macroeconomic reforms in recent years have made Egypt’s economy more competitive and the country’s young labor force provides a comparative advantage for labor-intensive sectors. The objectives of this paper are to take stock of existing clusters in Egypt; to identify a set of promising “organic” clusters; and to make high-level recommendations for the further expansion of agribusiness and handicrafts clusters based on an innovative analysis of economic census data, a review of previous cluster studies in Egypt, and information obtained from expert interviews and a stakeholder workshop. Our findings suggest focusing cluster development efforts on Upper Egypt, which has a comparative advantage in several sectors, especially in labor-intensive sectors. However, the current cluster density in Upper Egypt is low, particularly in rural areas. Expanding the number and density of clusters there will likely require improvements in infrastructure, institutions, and services. The most promising clusters identified through the analysis include medical and aromatic plants, sugarcane, and tomatoes in the agribusiness sector; ready-made garments and carpets in the handicrafts sector, and furniture. These are all promising organic clusters based on their high market demand, export potential, labor intensity, and historical roots. We develop several recommendations for the agribusiness and the handicrafts sectors, especially highlighting the important facilitating role that local governments should play in cluster-based development by providing necessary basic public goods and services. In-depth case studies for specific, promising clusters should follow to help local governments and entrepreneurs to fully harness the unique opportunities that clusters can provide for local industrial development and job creation in Egypt.

Abstract: Egypt has a large number of handicrafts clusters, greater than any other industrial clusters in the country. Handicrafts clusters, also known as Creative or artisans' clusters, are geographic concentrations of households that produce a variety of handmade goods. Such goods include, inter alia, wood works, metal works, stones, and handmade textiles. They contribute to employment creation and poverty alleviation, especially in rural and deprived areas. The development of handicrafts clusters has been the focus of many institutions including World Bank, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), and Ministry of Trade & Industry; however, the overall impact of the sector in the country is inadequate. Therefore, the main purposes of this study are to: first, investigate the main barriers that hinder the development of Egyptian handicrafts clusters; second, determine this sector's key needs to thrive and grow, third, to suggest some reform policies that could be beneficial for the sector's development. In order to tackle the aforementioned objectives, fifteen semi-structured interviews have been conducted with artisans from different creative industrial clusters, as well as public officials who are in charge of developing handicrafts clusters in Egypt. The analysis illustrates several obstacles such as the absence of coordination between development organizations; the poor relevance of interventions to the sector needs; poor access to markets and business models; poor marketing skills and opportunities; low income and high vulnerability of artisans and weak regulations. The study highlights the need for an institutional body managing the sector and for accurate data about the field, and artisans' social protection among others. Therefore, a distinct way is paved for policymakers to set up sustainable solutions and mechanisms to remove these barriers to enhance the clusters' economic and social performance.

This book contains a collection of studies on the interactions between businesses in Africa and Global Value Chains (GVCs) in terms of social, environmental and economic sustainability. This is particularly pertinent given the asymmetrical power distribution between the global buyer and the African supplier, their governance relationships and the ongoing competitive pressures to reduce costs and increase flexibility to meet GVC demands. Rather than focusing on the sustainability of a single organization, GVCs address the sustainability of inter-firm value chains and global industries as a whole. With little differentiation between value chain creation and social / environmental degradation extending to people and raw material extraction (upstream) and disposal or recycling (downstream), sustainability issues need to be at the forefront of African business research interests. Nowadays, sustainability is considered a competitive advantage for a firm looking to join a GVC. Whether sustainability is approached from the viewpoint of an exporting firm motivated to join a GVC in its respective industry or whether a firm’s continuing contractual or collaborative relationship with a buyer depends on its compliance with sustainability standards, both approaches focus on the ability of firms in Africa to benefit from joining sustainable GVCs.

Industry clusters promote innovation in the Arab World, through collaboration among businesses, research institutions, and governments. Benefits include the creation and sharing of knowledge, professional networking, access to spill-over knowledge, and specialized talent pools.

Discussing global society entails discussing the predominant characteristics of knowledge-based activities in all walks of life. Its main characteristics are based on creativity, innovation, freedom, and networking. The emergence of such a society poses several challenges to all disciplines of social sciences. Within such a context, sociologists must have practical encounters to the theoretical, methodological, and empirical challenges imposed within contemporary global society. In this vein, studying creative cities from an interdisciplinary perspective helps provide critical readings of the phenomenon and the different levels of the concept in reality. The Handbook of Research on Creative Cities and Advanced Models for Knowledge-Based Urban Development provides global models and best practices of creative cities worldwide and illustrates different theoretical blueprints for the better understanding of contemporary global society. While defining key concepts of creative cities, global society, and creative class, the book also clarifies the main differences between hubs, parks, and precincts and their contributions to knowledge-based development. Covering topics that include knowledge economy, social inclusion, and urban mobility, this comprehensive reference is ideal for sociologists, urban planners/designers, political scientists, economists, anthropologists, historians, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and students.

Africa’s unique and diverse culture, embedded in age-long business practices, presents an interesting proposition for advancing indigenous knowledge and building sustainable structures. Casebook of Indigenous Business Practices in Africa is a collection of case studies across Northern, Eastern, Central, Western and Southern Africa.

The book describes current research into all aspects of craftwork in ancient Egypt.

The first comprehensive and up-to-date overview of what we know about the use of copper by the ancient Egyptians and Nubians, from the Predynastic through the Early Dynastic until the end of the Second Intermediate Period (c. 4000-1600 BC). The monograph presents a story, based on the analysis of available evidence, a synchronic and diachronic reconstruction of the development and changes of the chaîne opératoire of copper and copper alloy artefacts. The book argues that Egypt was not isolated from the rest of the ancient world and that popular notions of its "primitive" technology are not based on facts.