New Role for Port Authorities in the Adaptation of Clusters of the Challenges of Globalization

Just like what happened in most European countries, French ports have entered a transitional phase of their business model corresponding to the passage from "Toolport" to that of the "Landlord". This movement, enshrined in law by the port reform of 2008 should lead them to focus their missions on strategic coordination of activities involving a wide variety of actors. From business side, the port has become a meeting place between capital intensive globalized groups and small, often family companies, historically based in the port, which developed a network of relations enabling them to address niche markets, to offer customized logistics solutions and provide customers with a high reactivity ratios by the hazards of world trade (strikes, armed conflict, piracy, climatic events). This article examines how the two terms of this development could reach: firstly maintaining the cohesion of the port cluster as "adaptive system" from the hazards of globalization and also the new role of port authorities in the field of strategic coordination, regulation, governance and territorial environmental, piloting and adoption of innovations by firms. Finally a new hypothesis is studied: the more effective integration of local governments in the governance of French ports. Local governments have land management tools, an important resource for the development port and logistics activities.