benchmarking for the Ligurian ports analyzed in the present paper.De Langen and Visser (2005) propose a comparison between Rotterdam and Lower Mississippi seaport clusters. The case of Lower Mississipi shows that collective action regimes are less developed in the cluster, compared with the seaport cluster of Rotterdam. The lack of leading firms is considered to be one of the main reason for the lack of technological innovation. However, although relevant, private firms are not the sole determinant of cluster performance. In fact, public bodies are considered to be key in coordinating investment and in solving problems of free riding. Rodrigue (2003) points out the importance of public sector efficiency to enhance local development induced by the activity of New York and New Jersey ports.