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Purpose Within the theoretical framework of global value chains (GVCs), much importance has been given to industrial districts (IDs) and their role as localized manufacturing systems. The regionalization of GVC has opened new questions on the location of manufacturing activities and the potential consequences at the ID level. The reshoring phenomenon challenges internationalization processes, changing the configuration in trade dynamics for IDs. This paper aims to investigate which are the main internationalization patterns followed by district small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under the perspective of the regionalization of GVCs. This will help both practitioners and policymakers to better understand internationalization trajectories aimed at sustaining the economic development of district firms and territories. Design/methodology/approach The analysis has been conducted using a survey carried out on 210 ID SMEs in the furniture, mechanics and fashion industries located in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, in northeastern Italy. Moreover, data released from the Italian Customs Agency have been merged to detect the trends of interviewed firms’ internationalization between 2005 and 2019. Findings The results highlight how the geography of internationalization has changed over time, in particular following the regionalization of the GVCs. There are also differences among the industry specializations of IDs. This could be attributable to the strategy pursued by each firm to control the competition both in the domestic market and abroad, also in relation to GVC lead firms’ location strategies. Originality/value This paper applies new data on the analysis of ID SMEs related to international transactions over a long period of time. In doing this, this paper adds new insights to the GVC literature and future policies to be implemented to foster the participation of district firms in the global scenario.

This paper discusses the impact of formal cooperation on the performance of Italian firms operating inside and outside industrial districts (IDs). The analysis is focused on a policy tool (Contratti di Rete or network agreements) introduced in Italy to promote the use of non-equity alliances among smaller firms. We claim that the impact of both inward- and outward-looking partnerships is moderated by the local environment in which member firms are embedded. The results show that the benefits from the policy measure are more evident for outward-looking agreements that do not involve ID firms. Inside IDs, firms do not seem to be capable of reaping significant gains from the use of formal cooperation. From a policy perspective, our findings suggest that decision-makers should tailor their interventions to the features of the local economic environment, promoting strategies aimed at maximizing the outcomes of formal cooperation while accounting for geographical differences.

Clusters are places that facilitate knowledge sharing and dissemination among firms and institutions working in functionally-related fields. Structural changes that take place within clusters over ...

This paper analyzes the link between industrial districts and entrepreneurship, building a bridge between the literature on entrepreneurship and the literature on industrial districts. Draw...

RESUMEN En este trabajo identificamos y localizamos los sistemas productivos locales (spl) que existen en la actualidad en Portugal. Para ello utilizamos la metodología propuesta por Lainé (2000), ajustada y revisada con las aportaciones posteriores que realizaron Giner, Santa María y Fuster (2006) para el análisis del caso valenciano y con la incorporación de nuevos criterios de detección de aglomeraciones industriales que han sido utilizados en otros trabajos. Se adopta como unidad territorial de análisis para la localización de spl el concelho, y como clasificación estadística para el análisis cuantitativo, la Clasificación Portuguesa de Actividades Económicas, Revisión 3 (cae Rev. 3), específicamente información relativa a 2012. Se concluye en la detección de 25 spl en Portugal, dos de ellos poliespecializados, concentrados mayoritariamente en la mitad norte del país y próximos a la costa atlántica. Estos representarían, aproximadamente, el 15% de la industria portuguesa en términos de empleo generado y número de establecimientos. ABSTRACT In this paper we attempt to identify and locate the local production systems (lps) that exist today in Portugal. We use the methodology proposed by Lainé (2000), adjusted and revised with subsequent contributions made by Giner, Santa María and Fuster (2006) for the analysis of the Valencian case and with the incorporation of new detection criteria of industrial agglomerations that have been used in other studies. The concelho is adopted as the basic unit for the lps location analysis, and the Portuguese Classification of Economic Activities, Revision 3 (cae Rev. 3), taking the information relative to 2012, as statistical classification for quantitative analysis. We conclude in detecting 25 lps in Portugal, some of them specialized in more than one activity, concentrated mainly in the northern half of the country, in particular near the Atlantic coast, which represent approximately 15% of the Portuguese industry in terms of employment and number of establishments.

El crecimiento de la productividad en la manufacturaespañola ha sido bajo desde 1996. El texto explica dos al-ternativas para el incremento de la productividadbasadas en los distritos industriales (economías externas) ylos sistemas locales de gran empresa (economías internasy externas). Los mapas de ambos tipos muestran patronesgeográficos y sectoriales muy determinados. Sin embargo,la cuantificación de los patrones de tecnología en lamanufactura muestra una baja intensidad deconocimiento en ambos tipos de sistemas locales. From 1996, productivity growth in the Spanishmanufacturing was slow. This text explains two waysregarding productivity growth based on industrial districts(external economies) and large firm local systems (externaland internal economies). The maps of both types of localsystems show specific geographical and sectorial pat-terns. However, a quantification of the technological pat-tern in manufacturing shows that both types of systems arebased in low knowledge patterns. Thus, it is proposed anindustrial policy strategy based on fostering the most suita-ble kinds of innovation in each system.

The aim of the present work is to investigate innovative processes within a geographical cluster, and thus contribute to the debate on the effects of industrial clusters on innovation capacity. In particular, we would like to ascertain whether the advantages of industrial districts in promoting innovation, as already revealed by literature (diffusion of knowledge, social capital and trust, efficient networking), are also keys to success in the Tuscan shipbuilding industry of pleasure and sporting boats. First, we verify the existence of clusters of shipbuilding in Tuscany, using a specific methodology. Next, in the identified clusters, we analyse three innovative networks financed in a policy to support innovation, and examine whether the typical features of a cluster for promoting innovation are at work, using a questionnaire administered to 71 actors. Finally, we develop a performance analysis of the cluster firms and ascertain whether their different behaviours also lead to different performances. The analysis results show that our case records effects of industrial clustering on innovation capacity, such as the important role given to trust and social capital, the significant worth put in interfirm relations and in each partner's specific competencies, or even the distinctive performance of firms belonging to a cluster.

This paper goes back to the topic of collective efficiency (CE) in local productive systems and paths of territorial development. In general terms, such CE needs the integration of markets mechanisms with systemic conditions that have nature of public goods. The discussion of an extended framework of specific public-like goods helps unearthing related important commons’ features, as the involvement of communities of local agents may be implied in their provision, use, and regulation. The paper aims at giving a solid foundation to the study of such features, and to show how the same foundation helps shedding light on various topics related to CE, commons, and territory.

Durant els estudis de la carrera i el màster, s’han assolit els coneixements necessaris per a poder desenvolupar diferents activitats relacionades amb l’elaboració de projectes d’enginyeria. Juntament amb la recerca d’informació sobre la normativa vigent que permet garantir les condicions d’obligat compliment i les recomanables, s’ha realitzat el desenvolupament del present projecte. Aquest, s’ha redactat a partir de l’estudi de diferents aspectes tècnics per tal d’aconseguir una solució òptima i respectuosa amb el medi ambient. El polígon industrial existent a Cornellà del Terri, al llarg dels últims anys, ha experimentat un gran creixement en l’àmbit industrial. El present projecte apareix doncs, de la motivació de plantejar un projecte d’urbanització d’un terreny per a la creació d’una nova part del ja existent polígon industrial, amb l’objectiu de cobrir totes les necessitats que s’han generat fruit de l’augment de l’activitat industrial a la zona During the studies of the degree and the master's degree, the necessary knowledge for be able to carry out different activities related to the elaboration of projects engineering. Along with the search for information on the current regulations that allow to guarantee the conditions of obligatory fulfillment and the recommended ones, has been realized the development of this project. This has been written from the study of different technical aspects in order to achieve an optimal and environmentally friendly solution. The existing industrial estate in Cornellà del Terri, over the last few years, has experienced a great growth in the industrial field. The present project therefore appears from the motivation of propose a land development project for the creation of a new part of the existing one industrial estate, with the aim of covering all the needs that have been generated as a result of the increase in industrial activity in the area

En las décadas La crisis financiera y económica de 2008 y la actual crisis sanitaria y económica relacionada con el Covid-19 han convertido a la resiliencia en un concepto cada vez más presente en análisis económicos y en propuestas de política económica. En este trabajo el objetivo es aplicar el concepto de resiliencia al análisis de la evolución del sector industrial y de servicios avanzados de la Comunidad Valenciana durante la crisis económica iniciada en 2008. El análisis se realiza atendiendo a la localización de estos sectores en los sistemas locales de trabajo que componen la región distinguiendo aquellos que han sido identificados como distritos industriales. De esta forma, se pretende introducir el concepto de resiliencia, entendida ésta como la capacidad de un sistema para hacer frente a las consecuencias de un shock externo. Al mismo tiempo, se plantea si la resiliencia puede ser una nueva y adecuada referencia como objetivo de política industrial. De esta forma, la estimación de la resiliencia permitiría evaluar la eficacia de las medidas diseñadas para mejorar la resistencia antes la aparición de shocks negativos. Se plantea el análisis de los distritos industriales dado que la región valenciana se ha caracterizado por la importancia de estas áreas que cuentan, en su mayoría, con una larga tradición manufacturera. Además, el distrito industrial se configura como un concepto dinámico lo que permite el estudio de la resiliencia durante la última crisis económica iniciada en 2008. Así, se pretende analizar la resiliencia mostrada por los sistemas locales de trabajo valencianos (diferenciando aquellos que son distritos industriales) durante los años de la crisis económica. En este sentido, se plantea la hipótesis de que las ventajas asociadas a las economías de aglomeración y las interrelaciones empresariales en un distrito industrial deberían permitir resistir mejor a los efectos negativos de una crisis o recesión económica; especialmente, en términos de producción (el empleo tarda más en recuperarse). Las conclusiones de este análisis permitirían señalar la idoneidad de la resiliencia como objetivo de política industrial. De esta forma, podrían plantearse medidas cuyo objetivo sea mejorar los niveles de resiliencia de las estructuras productivas antes futuros shocks externos. In the most recent Since the financial and economic crisis of 2008 and the current health and economic crisis, concept of resilience has been increasingly included in economic analysis and economic policy proposals. Following this trend, the aim of this work is to apply the concept of resilience to the analysis of the evolution of industrial and advanced services sectors in the Valencian Region during the Great Recession. The analysis is based on the classification of local labour markets as industrial districts. Resilience is defined here as the ability of a system to cope with the consequences of an external shock. At the same time, resilience as a new and accurate reference for the industrial policy is also proposed. Therefore, the estimation of resilience could be useful to evaluate the effectiveness of measures designed to improve resistance to adverse shocks. Industrial districts are analysed here because their relevance for the Valencian Region as areas with a long industrial and manufacturing tradition. In addition, the concept of industrial district is based on its dynamism; so, it allows the study of resilience during the last economic crisis, starting in 2008. Thus, the aim is to analyse the resilience shown by local labour systems of the Valencian Region distinguishing those that are industrial districts. In this context, benefits associated with agglomeration economies and entrepreneurial relationships should improve the resistance of industrial districts to cope with the negative effects of external shocks. Particularly, in terms of production level recovery as employment takes longer to recover. The findings of this study could be useful to point to resilience as a main industrial policy objective. Thus, policy measures could be designed with the aim of increasing resilience of productive sectors in the event of future shocks.

This article investigates the spatial evolution of the Italian motorcycle industry during the period 1893–1993. We find strong support for the heritage theory of Klepper, even after controlling for agglomeration economies. However, we find also a positive effect of being located in the Motor Valley cluster in Emilia Romagna on the survival rate of motorcycle firms. Interestingly, this beneficial effect is stronger in the Emilia Romagna cluster than elsewhere. This might indicate the importance of a favorable local institutional environment, as propagated by the Emilian district literature.

Building on the literature on agglomeration economies, this study examines how urbanization, industry-diversification, district economics and incubating initiatives are associated to the creation of innovative start-ups in Italy. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 6018 innovative start-ups distributed across 104 Italian NUTS 3 regions. Our findings show that incubating initiative and industrial districts play a major role for new venture creation and provide support to the positive role of urbanization economies and industry specialization over diversification. Finally, we discuss future research directions grounded on the empirical evidence provided by our study.

The ‘life cycle’ approach has become popular in studies on industrial clusters. However, some concerns have been raised over the inherent determinism of this approach and its tendencies to focus exclusively on cluster internal dynamics while neglecting the role of external factors and socio-economic contingencies. This paper addresses these criticisms by investigating the long-term development of Castel Goffredo, a traditional textile cluster in Italy. In our analysis, we identify and characterize the main stages of the life cycle and its antecedents. We single out the main triggering factors behind each of these stages and show that a variety of factors, both external and internal to the cluster, contributed to its development. Our findings confirm that an ‘adaptive’ cycle approach, which focuses also on contingencies and external factors, appear to be appropriate for investigating the long-term evolution of clusters.

L’articolo esplora gli effetti della presenza multinazionale nei distretti industriali veneti, con particolare riferimento ai profili professionali degli occupati. E stata condotta un’analisi controfattuale per confrontare la composizione occupazionale delle imprese distrettuali a controllo italiano (Uni) con quella delle affiliate italiane delle imprese multinazionali estere (Imne) localizzate nei 28 distretti veneti all’anno 2014. Lo studio si avvale di una nuova base dati che comprende: (i) le partecipazioni di affiliate estere in Italia (Reprint-Ice); (ii) i bilanci delle imprese distrettuali, sia Uni che Imne (Aida-Bureau van Dijk); (iii) le informazioni sulla composizione occupazionale delle imprese (Sistema Informativo Lavoro Veneto - Silv). Dall’analisi controfattuale emerge che le imprese affiliate di multinazionali estere tendono ad assumere piu personale qualificato e pagare salari piu alti, coerentemente con la necessita di attirare lavoratori esperti per recuperare lo svantaggio delle asimmetrie informative.

This paper presents a first approximation to the district effect from the variable of economic rent, which has been called as a district - income effect. This approach to the district phenomenon is carried out from the Neomarshallian local development perspective in order to emphasize the centrality of the industrial district as a source of its own interpretations of economic change and its active subject. At an empirical level, an approximation is made to the contraction of the existence or not of the district - income effect in the Spanish industrial districts for the year 2013; These data are analyzed through the comparison of total income, per capita and per worker expressed by the industrial districts in relation to the rest of the typologies of local productive systems. En el presente trabajo se expone una primera aproximación al efecto distrito desde la variable de la renta económica, lo que se ha denominado efecto distrito – renta. Esta aproximación al fenómeno distritural se realiza desde la perspectiva del desarrollo local neomarshalliano para enfatizar la centralidad del distrito industrial como fuente de interpretaciones propias sobre el cambio económico y sujeto activo del mismo. A nivel empírico se realiza una aproximación a la contrastación de la existencia o no de efecto distrito – renta en los distritos industriales españoles para el año 2013; estos datos son analizados a través de la comparativa de la renta total, per cápita y por ocupado expresada por los distritos industriales en relación al resto de tipologías de sistemas productivos locales.

Industrial districts are characterized by the presence of low and extensive building volumes and by predominantly sealed, impermeable surfaces, which contribute to several environmental problems and to the deterioration of outdoor human thermal comfort conditions, especially during summer hot days. To tackle these issues, this study proposes an approach for the regeneration of industrial districts based on the application of cool materials. Reflective and evaporative pavements were selected as suitable solutions to reduce summer overheating, while ensuring the functionality required by the industrial production, and contributing to stormwater management. The effectiveness of the approach was tested in a portion of the industrial district of Padua (Italy). In summer conditions, the replacement of conventional pavements with cool materials results in a reduction of the ground surface temperatures up to 14.0 °C and a consequent decrease of the air temperature at pedestrian level between 0.6 and 1.2 °C. The effects of human thermal comfort conditions highly depend on the selected cool material and on the morphology of the urban canyon. Finally, the reduction of external surface and air temperatures also contributes in cooling indoor spaces (average decrease from 1.0 to 2.5 °C), with impacts on the energy efficiency of the industrial buildings.

The significance and popularity of the cluster and industrial district concepts claim for a deeper reflection. The analysis of one of the European Commission’s (EC) policy documents shows inconsistencies that do not impede the formulation of normative statements. That way we answer the question of why and how cluster ideas have substituted industrial district principles and the consequences derived from that phenomenon.

The paper discusses the plural notion of metropolitan territories in Italy by focusing on industrial districts (IDs), which are not included in the national urban agenda. IDs represent today not only important productive systems inserted in global value chains, but also peculiar urban conurbations formed by processes of territorial coalescence, thus requiring adequate representation and attention. In the Sassuolo ceramics district, some changes and challenges have recently stimulated new reflections among local institutions and have finally led to the proposal of the ‘city-district’ idea, which has actually encountered many difficulties and resistances. The paper critically reflects on the feasibility, necessity and possible configuration of this new governance system, firstly by showing that some relevant issues for the competitiveness and sustainability of the ID have already reached a supra-local scale, thus demanding common strategies and policies of territorial improvement and regeneration; secondly, by giving suggestions for its effective implementation.

Economic change is concentrated in small territorial units —cities or counties— before spreading to the immediate space. This article aims to point out the relationship between space and economic development, from the concept of territory of progress. We understand that «territories of progress» are those spaces which assimilate organizational patterns, technological trends and trade patterns of the most advanced regions in a particular historical moment. The case study is Andalusia, a region of southwestern Europe, between 1886 and 1959. First, we locate the economic activity in local business systems. Subsequently, we identified those business systems became territories of progress, using indicators of network theory. The research, based on information from the Commercial Registers, concludes that in Andalusia, during the period studied, there were few areas of progress, which conditioned the economic performance of the region. La modernización económica se extiende por el espacio a partir de focos irradiadores. Como los historiadores han demostrado, no se industrializan las naciones, ni las regiones por completo, sino unidades territoriales más pequeñas, como las comarcas. Este artículo pretende señalar la relación entre el espacio y el desarrollo económico, tomando como referencia el concepto de territorio de progreso, que hace alusión a aquellos espacios que asimilan pautas tecnológicas, organizativas y comerciales propias de las regiones más avanzadas. Se toma como objeto de estudio el caso de Andalucía entre 1886 y 1959 para, en primer lugar, localizar la actividad económica en sistemas empresariales locales; y, posteriormente, identificar aquellos sistemas empresariales que se convirtieron en territorios de progreso. La investigación, basada en la información de los registros mercantiles, concluye que en Andalucía, durante el periodo estudiado, existieron pocos territorios de progreso, lo que condicionó la trayectoria económica de la región.

Objective: The relationship between Industrial Districts (IDs) and immigration has been studied so far through cases of ethnic economies developed within IDs by immigrant entrepreneurs. In this study we argue that there is a more general and complex interaction between the two phenomena that can give rise to the development of ethnic economies, either to the emergence of migratory enclaves (concentration of people migrated with the same nationality) depending on the degree of formality of the ID and local conditions of immigrant groups. Through the case study of ID ceramic Castellón we suggest that the interaction between the formal job offer characteristic of the ceramic sector and the existence of a support network initiated by the Adventist church, allowed the population of Romanian origin to have initial conditions comparatively favorable in relation to other immigrant groups, representing 12% of the total population of the province in 2012. Design / Methodology: This is a descriptive and exploratory work based on the participant observation carried out between the months of February to July 2016. The activities of the ethnographic observation have been complemented by statistical documentation and interviews open to representatives of Churches, associations charities, local authorities, the Romanian consulate in Castellón, companies targeting the Romanian population (mobile telephony and transport services), businessmen and experts in the ceramic sector of Castellón. Contributions and Results: Taking as an example the ceramic ID of Castellón, we show how this ID contributes to the creation of the conditions that favor an exceptional Romanian migratory enclave, both due to its demographic importance and the absence of conflict or significant tensions. We propose that the formal employment offer of the ID, although minority in relation to the total employment typically occupied by emigrants, had a positive effect on the decisions of sedentarization of this population. Originality / Value: This is a study that combines different disciplines such as economics and anthropology to offer a far-known vision of the effects of ceramic ID in immigration. Finally, a preliminary general model of interaction between ID and immigration is proposed., Objeto: La relación entre los Distritos Industriales (DIs) y la inmigración ha sido estudiada hasta ahora a través de casos de las economías étnicas desarrolladas dentro de los DIs por parte de empresarios inmigrantes. En este estudio sostenemos que existe una interacción más general y compleja entre los dos fenómenos que puede dar lugar bien al desarrollo de economía étnicas, bien a la emergencia de enclaves migratorios (concentración de personas emigradas de una misma nacionalidad) dependiendo del grado de formalidad del DI y de las condiciones locales de los grupos inmigrados. A través del estudio de caso del DI cerámico de Castellón sugerimos que la interacción entre la oferta de empleo formal característica del sector cerámico y la existencia de una red de apoyo iniciada por la iglesia adventista, permitió a la población de origen rumano disponer de condiciones iniciales comparativamente favorables en relación a otroscolectivos emigrantes, llegando a representar el 12% de la población total de la provincia en 2012. Diseño/Metodología: Se trata de un trabajo exploratorio y descriptivo basado en la observación participante realizada entre los meses de febrero a julio de 2016. Las actividades propias de la observación etnográfica se han complementado con documentación estadística y entrevistas abiertas a representantes de Iglesias, asociaciones caritativas, autoridades locales, el consulado rumano en Castelló, empresas orientadas a la población rumana (telefonía móvil y servicios de transporte), empresarios y expertos en el sector cerámico de Castellón. Aportaciones y Resultados: Tomando como ejemplo el DI cerámico de Castellón, mostramos como este DI contribuye a la creación de las condiciones que propician un enclave migratorio rumano excepcional tanto por su importancia demográfica como por la ausencia de conflicto o tensiones significativas. Proponemos que la oferta de empleo formal del DI aunque minoritaria en relación al total de empleos típicamente ocupados por emigrantes, tuvo un efecto positivo en las decisiones de sedentarización de esta población. Originalidad/Valor: Se trata de un estudio que combina disciplinas diferentes como la economía y la antropología para ofrecer una visión hasta ahora poco conocida de los efectos del DI cerámico en la inmigración. Por último, se propone un primer modelo general de interacción entre DI e inmigración.

This paper analyses the impact of middlemen such as putting-out traders (Verleger) and impannatori as promoters of institutional change. The approach is based on the assumption that the economic framework and institutional setting were crucial for the rise and fall of industrial districts. Transformation regularly led to a reduction of transaction costs by replacing the existing institutions with more efficient ones. However, sometimes the interests of socio- economic groups such as guilds placed barriers in the way of institutional change, impeding effective transformation. A further challenge of the paper is the comparison of 18th- and 20th-century developments., Este artículo analiza el impacto de los intermediarios como comerciantes en el putting-out (Verleger) y de los impannatori como promotores del cambio institucional. Esta aproximación está basada en la asunción de que los marcos económico e institucional fueron cruciales para el crecimiento y el declive de los distritos industriales. El cambio condujo a menudo a la reducción de los costes de transacción a través del reemplazo de las instituciones existentes por otras más eficientes. Sin embargo, en ocasiones los intereses de ciertos grupos, como los gremios, dificultaban el cambio institucional, lo que impidió la transformación efectiva. Un objetivo adicional de este artículo es la comparación de los desarrollos presentes en los siglos xviii y xx.

So far, the relationship between Industrial Districts (IDs ; clusters of interconnected local industries ) and migrant enclaves ( areas with a high concentration of international migrants from a single nationality) has been studied mostly by focusing on the emergence of ‘ ethnic enclave economies ’ within the district and/or by highlighting racist conflicts that achieved notoriety in the media. In this study, we contend that there is a more general and complex interact ion between the two phenomena. This interaction is mediated by the local context, national regulations , and the organization of the international market, among other factors. By focusing on the case of the ceramic ID of Castelló de la Plana (Spain), we sho w how this ID with a high rate of job formality, combined with other job opportunities and a unique ‘ institutional completeness ’ , set up the conditions for a non - conflictive Romanian migrant enclave that reached 14% of the town ’ s total population in 2012. Finally, and also con sidering another case study of ID and migrant enclave (Prato, and its Chinese enclave ) , we suggest a model of interaction that should be interpreted t aking into account the general dynamics of the international organization of value and the requirements of flexibility and reduction of costs that frame IDs.

Environmental pollution occurring in industrial districts represents a serious issue not only for local communities but also for those industrial productions which draw from the territory the source of their competitiveness. Due to its ability to take into account the needs of different stakeholders, the collective impact approach has the potential to address these problems whereas single actors may not have the resources. The implications of the paper are addressed to institutions for industrial policies which individuate potential courses of action for developing and strengthening clustering-based approaches, as well as implementing viable policies in support of the sustainable competitive model.

El projecte escollit és el de desenvolupar el pla urbanístic d’un polígon industrial per als terrenys actualment d’ús agrari, situats a la província de Girona i delimitats per les carreteres AP-7, C-65 i el Carrer del Marroc. Per a això, s’ha definit el disseny dels vials, així com la instal•lació de la xarxa d’enllumenat públic i la xarxa de sanejament d’aigües pluvials, tot de manera apropiada per a l’ús industrial que predominarà a la zona. L’objectiu del projecte és el de definir la urbanització de l’esmentat terreny per tal de permetre la seva posterior edificació i l’activitat industrial del polígon. Per fer-ho, s’ha tingut en compte la importància de crear un bon disseny urbanístic que garanteixi tant la comoditat dels usuaris com la mobilitat de vehicles i de vianants. Es tracta de mantenir un entorn net i segur amb els serveis i les infraestructures necessàries per a la posterior edificació del polígon. A més de la normativa vigent que li correspon al terreny en funció del tipus de sòl i de l’ús que se li vol donar a l’àrea, es fa ús d’eines de suport informatitzades per al disseny de la xarxa d’enllumenat públic

Firms, governance and development in industrial districts. Regional Studies. This paper explores the link between local governance structures and the ability of local firms to influence the strategic direction (and future development) of their industrial district. In doing so, it utilizes unique survey data from two British industrial districts to examine, first, the extent to which local firms shape local industrial development strategies and, second, the institutional conduits through which their influence is exercised. The empirical results suggest a role for (local) business associations, the building of reciprocal networks among firms, social capital and more heterarchical governance structures to enhance firm engagement in local initiatives and industrial development.

Drawing upon the evolutionary geography literature, we analyse how the North Staffordshire ceramics industrial district has begun to reverse a phase of ‘long decline’ (1979–2008). Our analysis is based upon a series of interviews with 25 Senior Managers from within the district. We document how the district has purposively begun to exploit its traditional strengths, with firms adopting new strategies, technologies and attitudes to governance (and collaboration) in response to exogenous challenges, thus raising the prospect of an ‘industrial renaissance’. The case demonstrates decline in old industrial regions is not inevitable and through ‘adaptation’, new trajectories are possible.

Globalization and the recent recession crisis are significantly challenging Italian industrial districts (IDs), driving deep transformations in their internationalization, innovation and organization strategies. With our empirical focus on a single industry (gold jewellery) and a specific country (Italy), the evidence in this paper sheds light on the differences in how three industrial districts within the gold jewellery sector (Valenza Po, Arezzo and Vicenza) compete in the global arena. Our comparative analysis reveals striking differences among these districts with regard to their economic performance, as well as their upstream and downstream internationalization strategies, in response to two industry shocks Ð increasing global competition in the early 2000s and the world economic recession of 2008-09. In addition, we find that these districts changed their internal strategies over time in order to tackle the two crises. How these industrial districts are integrated within global value chains is an important explanatory factor to be considered, in addition to internal factors such as structural characteristics and specific business opportunities

The paper discusses the role of logistics for industrial districts, highlighting the current status and defining a logistics model supporting the relationships between providers and users of logistic services within the local context of an industrial district. A comparison with industrial parks, with reference to Romanian ones, allows identifying the potential of adaptation for industrial district logistic models to industrial parks.

This paper investigates the bank-firm relationship. The empirical evidencehas found, through robust results, a positive link, but ambiguity on the causalityof the nexus remains. Literature has solved this problem through techniquesthat involve the use of instrumental estimators. This study focuses on a representativesample of small and medium firms. The additional contribution of thisstudy is represented by an attempt to capture more information on the Italiancase and on local district systems, by using the dynamic panel data model GMMestimators proposed by Arellano and Bond (1991), which are able to address theproblems of causality and simultaneity better than other techniques. Albeit withcaution, the analysis seems to confirm a positive link between external bank financingand economic growth; furthermore, the Granger test would confirm thedirectionality of the link.

This contribution presents the revision of the maps of Marshallian industrial districts and manufacturing local production systems of large firms in Spain, following the new ISTAT 2006 methodology. The article presents the methodology for the identification of local labour markets, industrial districts, manufacturing local production systems of large firms, as well as the complete results of their application to Spain.

In recent years a major evolution in several industrial districts in Italy has been the emergence of new hierarchical structures that led to the rise of lead firms. These are firms that - contrary to canonical district firms which tend to remain small - pursue size growth, invest in marketing, distribution and R&D, reorganize their subcontracting networks, and become international by establishing commercial subsidiaries and prodcution facilities abroad. However, despite their increasing importance, lead firms' histories remain largely unexplored. This paper contributes to fill this gap by examining the case of one of such lead firms: Wam, a company set up in 1968 in the mechanical engineering district of Modena, which at the beginning of the 21st century had become the world leader in the production of bulk material handling and dust filtration machinery. This paper in particular focuses on the strategy of growth and internationalization that this company has pursued and its effects in both the host nations and in its Italian ID of origin.

In recent years, several papers have been focussing on various aspects of tourism destinations. The destination is a central issue within tourism studies, embodying in one single concept all the specific and problematic features of tourism, such as its systemic nature in which "space" plays a fundamental role. In this paper we argue that tourism economics shapes itself as an independent discipline within applied economics through the analysis of destinations. Firstly, destinations are neither microeconomic agents nor macroeconomic aggregates, but territorial systems which supply at least one tourism product (a bundle of goods and services) able to satisfy the complex needs of tourism demand. Secondly, the economic analysis of destinations can identify two specific theorems, the love of variety theorem and the coordination theorem which allow to interpret the tourism destination as a particular type of economic district, which shares some of the features of the industrial district and some others of the cultural district. Classification-JEL: L1, L83, R3, R5

Mariotti S., Mutinelli M. and Piscitello L. The internationalization of production by Italian industrial districts' firms: structural and behavioural determinants, Regional Studies. The paper argues that structural and behavioural determinants combine to influence internationalization of production through foreign direct investment (FDI) by industrial districts' firms. As far as the former, leadership effects, represented by the presence of large firms within the district, and Porterian effects, denoted by the intensity of domestic rivalry, positively influence the likelihood that district firms will start internationalize through FDI. Moreover, spillovers induced by the presence of foreign-owned multinational corporations positively impact on the district's degree of internationalization, provided it has already autonomously developed the ability to grow internationally. As far as behavioural features, previous export relationships increase the district firms' likelihood of undertaking FDI, while innovat...

This paper analyzes regional determinants of the start-up ratio in the Japanese manufacturing sector. A major contribution of this study is the comparison between high-tech and low-tech industries. The empirical results using a sample of 253 industrial districts suggest that business density, weight of the manufacturing sector, and the average business size significantly influence the start-up ratio in both high-tech and low-tech industries. Distinct differences between these industries were found with regard to the effects of human capital, research institutes, and the weight of high-tech industries.

In the last decades many industrialised countries have experienced an international fragmentation of the production chain. Since the second half of the nineties the Italian firms are experiencing a growing process of relocation of production activities abroad. This process mainly regards firms operating in the so called "made in Italy" sectors. The purpose of our work is to analyze the international delocalisation process in "made in Italy" sectors. First, we investigate the factors that account for the decision to move abroad the production. Second, we attempt to measure the phenomenon and to describe its evolution and the geographical patterns. Third, we discuss the effects of the international fragmentation of production on firms and on local production systems.

[EN] This article focuses on understanding why multinational enterprises co-locate in industrial districts, stressing, unfolding and describing the potential of the local or regional-level agglomerations of people and firms which permits multinational enterprises to obtain additional sources of competitive advantage when properly fit. In order to fulfil this goal, the paper presents an attempt to link the literature of industrial districts and economic geography with that on international business. Three theoretical frameworks are tested in an empirical case. The paper has implications for the two lines of literature and opens up a key debate for the future., [ES] Este artículo se centra en comprender por qué las empresas multinacionales se co-localiza en los distritos industriales, destacando, desplegando y describiendo el potencial de las aglomeraciones, locales o de nivel regional, de personas y empresas, que permiten a las empresas multinacionales obtener fuentes adicionales de ventaja competitiva cuando se adaptan adecuadamente. Para cumplir este objetivo, el trabajo presenta un intento de vincular la literatura de los distritos industriales y la geografía económica con la de international business. Tres marcos teóricos se ponen a prueba en un caso empírico. El documento tiene implicaciones para las dos líneas de la literatura y se abre un debate clave para el futuro., We are financially thankful to ECO2010-17318 Innoclusters and in debt with Professor Fiorenza Belussi’s discussions and debates while Dr. Hervas visit at Padova University in 2015.

El sector vitivinícola ocupa una destacada posición en el conjunto de la industria agroalimentaria española. La importancia demostrada por esta actividad se traslada también al mercado internacional donde España ostenta una posición de liderazgo tanto en términos de producción, como de ventas al exterior. Buena parte de las empresas elaboradoras de vino de nuestro país se ubican en distritos industriales, o lo que es lo mismo, en entornos geográficos caracterizados por la elevada concentración de pequeñas y medianas empresas cuya organización productiva responde a un esquema basado en la especialización flexible. En anteriores trabajos, se ha podido constatar cómo las empresas elaboradoras de vino ubicadas en este tipo de enclaves industriales presentan una mayor eficiencia respecto de competidores localizados en otro tipo de entornos. El objetivo de este artículo es profundizar en la investigación de los rasgos específicos de los distritos industriales que podrían explicar este plus de eficiencia de sus empresas. Para la identificación y cuantificación de estos factores determinantes de la eficiencia productiva se utiliza una metodología basada en modelos de ajuste paramétrico. Se lleva a cabo una aplicación empírica sobre una muestra de empresas españolas productoras de vino para los años 2000 y 2010, extraída de la base de datos SABI., The wine sector holds a prominent place within the whole Spanish food and agriculture industry. The importance given to this activity has also been transferred to the international market where Spain holds a position of leadership, both in terms of production as in overseas sales. A large number of the wine-producing firms in our country are located in industrial districts, which is to say in geographical areas characterised by a high concentration of small and medium-sized companies whose productive organisation corresponds to a model based on flexible specialisation. In previous papers, it has been possible to verify how wine-producing industries located in industrial areas show greater efficiency in relation to rivals located in other types of environments. The aim of this article is to further research on the specific features of industrial districts which could explain their firms’ increase in efficiency. For the identification and quantification of these determining factors affecting productive efficiency, a methodology based on parametric adjustments models is to be used. An empirical application is to be carried out on a sample of Spanish wine producers for the years 2000 and 2010, extracted from the SABI database.

Using local labor systems (LLSs) data, we assess the effect of the local productive structure on employment growth in Italy during the period 1981–2008. Italy represents an interesting case study because of the high degree of spatial heterogeneity in local labor market performances and of the presence of strongly specialized LLSs (industrial districts). Building on semi-parametric geoadditive models, our empirical investigation allows us to identify important nonlinearities in the relationship between local industry structure and local employment growth to assess the relative performance of industrial districts and to control for unobserved spatial heterogeneity.

La literatura sobre ID/C se basa en los escritos seminales de Marshall, seguida del redescubrimiento de Giacomo Becattini el concepto de un «distrito industrial». Pero el concepto de un «cluster» fue también promovido durante la década de 1980 por Porter, y destacó la importancia de las empresas e instituciones geográficamente agrupados e interconectados, especializados en un campo particular. A pesar de que el modelo de ID/C ha sido a menudo descrito como localmente auto-contenido, varias investigaciones empíricas y nuestro análisis han señalado su creciente participación en el proceso de internacionalización. La reciente entrada y salida de empresas multinacionales (MNEs) y el fenómeno de la deslocalización no cuestionaron el modelo de ID/C per se, pero contribuyeron a mostrar hasta qué punto está interrelacionada la evolución de las economías locales y las empresas multinacionales. The literature regarding ID/C is based on seminal writings of Marshall, followed by Giacomo Becattini’s rediscovering of the concept of an «industrial district». But the concept of a «cluster» was also promoted during the 1980s by Porter, and highlighted the importance of geographically clustered and interconnected firms and institutions specialised in a particular field. Despite the model of ID/C has been often described as locally self-contained, various empirical researches and our analysis have pointed out its increasing involvement in the process of internationalization. The recent entry and exit of MNEs, and the phenomena of off-shoring did not question the model of ID/C per se, but it contributed to showing how interwoven the evolution of local economies and MNEs is.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to the debate about how, in advanced countries, industrial districts specialised in traditional manufacturing industries evolve as a consequence of new challenges linked to the globalisation process. Using a multiple case study design, the study examines the evolution of two fashion-led Italian districts: the Montebelluna sportswear system and the Vibrata-Tordino-Vomano clothing district. Our findings reveal that cluster firms’ ability to shift from manufacturing to other activities providing higher returns along the global value chain is key to understanding the effect of globalisation and relocation processes on the cluster’s long-term competitiveness. As illustrated in this study, weak learning districts are the most threatened while innovative districts are able to enact a selective process of relocation, substituting outplaced activities with more valuable ones and attracting inward investments.

This research analyses the role of public policy and the state in science and technology industries in Asia. The research is based on field studies undertaken at the Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park (HSIP) in Taiwan. The state has been seen as crucial to the phenomenal economic success of capitalism and the business systems in Asian countries such as Korea and Taiwan (Wade (1990) Governing the Market, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA). On the other hand, entrepreneurship has been seen to flourish in countries where the state's role has been minor (in Hong Kong for example), and as concluded in the paper, the state has played a major role in nurturing entrepreneurship in Taiwan. The contributions of this paper are twofold: first, to better understand Taiwan's success and lessons for R&D management, and secondly, to raise the potential role of public policy for entrepreneurship and its close relationship with Asian business systems (Phan (2004) 'Entrepreneurship theory: possibilities and future directions', Journal of Business Venturing, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp.617–620).

When production is carried out by many geographically clustered small firms specialised in particular production phases that subcontract one another, what are the prospects of B2B electronic commerce? Prato, Italy, is home to thousands of textile firms as well as the locus of an early and innovative experiment of a local electronic network in the mid-1980s. This experience suggests that, since they fear to be imitated by their geographical proximates, geographically clustered firms may lag behind in the the exploitation of information and communication technologies. An analysis of the web sites of Pratese firms confirms this intuition. A similar investigation is carried out on web sites of fabrics producers worldwide. Contrary to Europe, in Asian countries geographically clustered firms exhibit little fear of information leakages. Differences in the organization of production may explain this puzzle.