Knowledge diffusion within the Datang sock-manufacturing cluster in China

In this paper, a cognitive community-based analytic framework is established to investigate intra-cluster knowledge diffusion. The results from both a case study on a sock-manufacturing cluster in China and an agent-based simulation indicate that the initial pattern of knowledge distribution has a significant impact on the process of knowledge diffusion in a cluster. A cluster with a higher knowledge level but lower knowledge heterogeneity enjoys higher efficiency of knowledge diffusion