The book is a compendium of knowledge on clusters in the context of their global position, particularly valuable for regional development and cluster researchers, students, advisors and policy makers responsible for cluster support policy, regional development policy and innovation policy. The scientific problem of the study concerns the relationship between the evolution of the concept of clusters and the state of knowledge on the conditions of their global position. The analysis of the existing theoretical approaches and the results of empirical studies made it possible to identify two dimensions of cluster position condions: institutional and related to cluster characteristics, as well as detailed factors within these dimensions.

The objective of presenting the evolution of industrial cluster concepts and systematising knowledge on the determinants of their global position was realised. The achievement of the main objective was made possible through the realisation of specific objectives, which included: presenting the idea of a cluster as an industrial economics’ concept, presenting the essence and types of clusters, identifying theoretical approaches to clusters and conceptualising their evolution, identifying and systematising conditions affecting the global position of clusters and ways of defining this position on the basis of the literature on the subject, and identifying future research directions on the global positioning of clusters.