Coopetition in regional clusters: Keep calm and expect unexpected changes

This study focuses on changes over time in inter-firm cooperation of an export-oriented regional cluster within a Latin American emerging economy. The study was conducted in the Chilean salmon industry. A longitudinal study, collecting primary data from managers, was conducted over ten years. Unexpectedly, findings revealed that as the cluster matured, firm's members tended towards more individual behaviour than strategic inter-firm cooperation though, they continued to cooperate in more basic cost-reducing strategies. This result extends the industry cluster literature and provides insights into the cooperative and competitive changes that take place over time.