Extending scholarship on industry clusters, this article reconsiders the relationship between development and marketing opportunities in base-of-the-pyramid market (BOPM) nations. Recent literature on industry clusters suggests a set of theoretical themes regarding cluster efficiencies, governance, adaptability, and performance. These themes are scrutinized using an extended case employing longitudinal, ethnographic data collected from an indigenous leather-working cluster in West Africa. The authors’ findings provide guidance in identifying local clusters with global market potential in BOPMs. They lead us to a dynamic market-driven transformational model of BOPM clusters. Consequently, the authors recommend several keys for leveraging investments in boundary-spanning firms in BOPM clusters. Finally, the article demonstrates the value of microlevel, longitudinal analyses in assessing cluster performance in BOPMs.
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