“…In this context Schmiedeberg (2010, p. 404) concludes by warning against the use of single evaluation methods which she argues can only “provide a very limited view on the cluster policy programme.” This is echoed in Aranguren et al’s (2014) arguments for mixed methods and is reflected in various studies experimenting with innovative approaches. These include the application of systems thinking (Smith & Brown, 2009), participatory evaluation (Aragón, Aranguren, Diez, Iturrioz, & Wilson, 2014), fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (Lu & Chang, 2016), social network analysis (Giuliani & Pietrobelli, 2016) and novel forms of social capital measurement (Etxabe, 2018). Most studies in this emerging literature are fundamentally concerned with understanding the relational dynamics fostered by cluster policies and exploring their impacts.…”