Professional capabilities to promote a more inclusive territorial development in Costa Rica: analysis of spatial clusters

Abstract

The study applies geospatial analysis techniques for identifying locations that concentrate key professional capabilities to support a productive transformation towards sectors of greater technological sophistication in a developing country like Costa Rica. Five clusters are identified in the Greater Metropolitan Area, which brings together 76.8% of the professionals trained in scientific-technological areas more related to the productive sectors. Outside the central region, five clusters with more modest capacities were identified. A second analysis focused on talent with digital technologies skills reproduces the previous result with few variations. This distribution pattern hinders a more generalized change in the productive matrix, both due to its high geographic concentration in the center of the country, and the academic profile with the lowest level of qualification. That profile restricts opportunities for a more disruptive technological change required to shift production towards higher value productive activities.