Cluster de serviços: contribuições conceituais com base em evidências do pólo médico do Recife [Service clusters: conceptsbased on the Recife Medical hub]

Analysis of the service sector from the standpoint of clusters is not common in the literature. Such an analysis is a challenge in and of itself, since the service sector covers a broad range of activities, with different market dynamics and trajectories, making generalization difficult. This article seeks to contribute to this analysis, examining the definition of cluster based on the experience of the so-called Recife Medical Hub, a group of companies located in close physical proximity. We wanted to determine whether the elements on which the concept of cluster is based could also be applied to the service sector. To this end, we sought to reconcile different theoretical references: the literature on industrial districts, on economic transactions and innovation economy, all focused on the industrial sector, with the specifics of health care, the subject of this study.