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The digitalization of cultural heritage is crucial for revamping the creative and cultural sectors during a period of stagnation. This work is about the revitalization of the Kyoto kimono cluster t...

Place leadership (PL) influences the capability of places hit by disruptive challenges to react and reroute to new paths of development. Recent contributions consider the positive role of PL, while...

The innovation-Marshallian industrial district (iMID) effect defines the existence of dynamic efficiency in the Marshallian industrial district (MID) in the form of a positive innovative di...

This article compares trends in the industrial development of the monocities of the Russian Arctic to those in the development of Germany’s Ruhr industrial district. It has been shown that in terms...

The literature on clusters is based on the seminal writings of Marshall, followed by Becattini’s rediscovery of the concept of the ‘industrial district’ and the analyses promoted during the 1980s by Porter, who highlighted the importance of geographically interconnected firms and institutions specialized in a particular field and clustered in a limited space. Although the cluster model is often described as being static and locally self-contained, various empirical studies and our analysis have pointed out the increasing involvement of cluster firms in the process of change, renewal and internationalization. In this context, several modalities may be studied within the cluster life cycle – which proceeds from the process of multinational enterprise (MNE) entry to the development of global value chains and to the emergence of homegrown MNEs – in addition to possible alliances between cluster firms and external MNEs. The recent entry of MNEs in clusters, as well as the phenomenon of homegrown MNEs, ...

The study explores the key contributory factors in the success of immigrant entrepreneurs in disseminating technical knowledge in host economies. Based on a study of the Lyon Barcelona textile printing firm in Premia de Mar, we show how the introduction of screen printing in 1933 eventually stimulated the creation of a cluster specialised in the manufacture of printing moulds. The knowhow provided by the new technique was transferred from the factory itself and disseminated to new small businesses that were set up in and around the town of Premia. Thanks to the vision of an immigrant entrepreneur, who saw the potential of the new business inside the pre-existing industrial framework in Catalonia, and his close collaboration with local managers, this cross-border business initiative had a decisive impact on the host economy.

Industrial networks have evolved from aggregations of a number of suppliers around a few final producers, towards more balanced organisations of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that with...

This paper examines the role that gift giving plays in supplier–buyer relations, specifically, the role of gift giving and the creation of inter-organisational trust. Repeated inter-organisational exchanges in a mature industrial district are analysed using Mauss’ theoretical framework of gift giving, receiving and counter giving. Actors in embedded network relationships frequently exchange gifts and favours as part of commercial exchanges. This gift giving is a fundamental part of the exchange relationship. Gift giving is found to be instrumental in creating and maintaining relationships, defining group and individual identity and resolving conflicts, thus contributing to the creation of trust between partners. Mauss’ theory of gift giving elaborates how this practise creates the conditions for reciprocity and induces trust. The originality of our findings lies in the fact that despite the dominant ideology of the purely altruistic gift, field research demonstrates that gifts do play a role in modern economic exchanges and that this ancient deeply rooted social custom should not be simply relegated to families, close friends and Christmas, but contributes to explaining the first step of trust and trust creation in repeated exchanges.

In this article, the temporal and spatial distribution of industrial heritage protection was presented, using the Tiexi old industrial district of Shenyang as a typical case. An explanatory framework was constructed to explain the selected process of industrial heritage. The findings indicate that the highly selective process and the temporal spatial transformation of industrial heritage have been driven by economic, cultural and institutional factors. Tiexi old industrial district is not a single case, but reflects the history and general problems of conserving industrial heritage in China. The case of Tiexi contributes to understanding Chinese industrial heritage in three aspects. First, as to temporal character, there is an excessive concentration ignoring modern and contemporary industrial heritage. Second, from the perspective of space, the fragmented protection mode makes industrial heritage an ‘enclave’ like lonely islands, thus affecting the overall image of industrial culture. And third, ...

New York City’s Theater District doubles as an industrial district and these two seemingly disparate designations inform and rely on each other. That’s the premise of Timothy R. White’s Blue Collar...

Drawing on a multilevel framework of Marshallian external economies, we present a perspective on the foundations of enterprise policies across different levels of government. In so doing, we add complexity to the traditional approach to industrial districts, which often disregards the role of supra-local policies. The argument is based on the idea that the main task of policy-makers is not just to provide generic public goods for communities of people defined by administrative boundaries, but also to support the provision of public goods that strengthen the competitiveness and innovative capacity of social and productive systems functioning at various territorial scales, from that of compact centres of industry to the nation-state and beyond. We apply this multilevel framework to the interpretation of the Italian enterprise policies.

The Qingshan district of Wuhan City is a typical Chinese industrial area. An increase in heavy metal pollution in the region's soil, due to industrialization and urbanization, has become a serious environmental problem. Surface soil samples from 155 sites were collected and analyzed. The median concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in soil were 2.3, 46.2, 24.3, 28.2, and 86.8 mg/kg, respectively. Principal component analysis coupled with hierarchical cluster analysis showed that (1) in residential and industrial areas, Pb, Cu, and Zn concentrations were mainly affected by industrial emissions and traffic emissions, whereas in agricultural areas Cu and Zn were less affected by industrial emission and traffic emission, whereas Pb was affected by agricultural activities; and (2) Cd originated from a combination of sources, including industrial activities, traffic emission, and hypergene geochemical characteristics. The integrated pollution index varied f...

This paper examines the valuation of mining heritage and tourism potential for regional development in Ida-Viru County, NE Estonia. The study is based on data from six focus groups and a survey (n = 255) involving local residents and people from outside the county, Estonians and those of other ethnicities. Estonia is the only country in the world that uses oil shale for more than 90% of its electricity, and its industrial district is among the largest in the Baltic countries. Oil shale mining in Ida-Viru County began in 1916 and, over time, resulted in tremendous ecological, economic, social and cultural changes. A majority of these changes took place during the Soviet era, causing ambivalent attitudes towards oil shale mining heritage. Landscapes altered by oil shale mining, chemical works and energy production passed largely unnoticed until the twenty-first century: appreciation of uniqueness and public awareness come slowly. The findings of this study note that people recognise industrial herit...

Much of the research on industrialization in less developed countries like China focus on top-down globalization processes associated with foreign direct investment from transnational corporations. This paper attempts to augment that literature with greater attention for bottom-up processes, which are also important in China. This case study of the Shiling leather industrial district was chosen because of the importance of bottom-up initiated local processes that began independently of global forces, yet evolved to become tied into larger processes of globalization: a process we term “logalization”. Our conceptual framework is illustrated using our general model of how this kind of industrial district links into the world market; it includes the importance of “regional structure” comprising not just the industrial district itself but also wholesale markets as well as trade fairs that connect industrial production into the global economy. We examine how the Shiling industrial district was initiated by loca...

The Balearic Islands today form the largest tourism cluster in the Mediterranean, an extensive industrial district whose origins date back more than a century. This article explores the key period during which the hotels and travel firms built up their relations of cooperation and competition which explain the subsequent dynamism of the island's tourist trade and its remarkable expansion in the second half of the twentieth century.

Relationships based on notions of trust represent a central aspect of the communitarian model of industrial districts. Examination of trust has generated a substantial literature; nevertheless, there have been relatively few studies that have empirically considered the sources of trust that operate in local ties and connections. The paper aims to redress this imbalance by investigating relationships in the Arve Valley industrial district near Geneva. It considers sources of trust by engaging the theoretical framework of Mollering's (Mollering, G. 2006a. Trust: Reason, Routine, Reflexivity. Oxford: Elsevier) model of trust which is predicated on the concepts of reason, routine and reflexivity. In conjunction with this, the field research uses in-depth semi-directive interviews with small-firm managers in the Arve industrial district. The paper's findings contribute to trust and industrial district literature by examining the complex interplay between the three antecedents of reason, routine and reflexivity...

Mayer H. Entrepreneurship in a hub-and-spoke industrial district: firm survey evidence from Seattle's technology industry, Regional Studies. The paper investigates entrepreneurial dynamics in a hub-and-spoke industrial district. Using data on the genealogy of high-technology firms in Seattle, Washington State, the study examines the ways in which entrepreneurial firms relate to their parent firms and the role of agglomeration economies. The results illustrate that entrepreneurship is an important vehicle for the diversification of such a district. When compared, hub-related spinoffs such as those founded by former Microsoft employees do not differ much from other start-ups. The differences between Microsoft spinoffs and start-ups are very limited; both diversify the regional economy by entering new markets when compared with their parents.

Social networks are the networks based on relationships between social entities. Since social interactions are directly associated with externalities, these relationships are assumed to create opportunities for the network members by providing especially knowledge flows. In this context, the main objective of this study is to show the role of knowledge externalities in social networks. By following this aim, some theoretical derivations are delivered and survey results in a small-world network are explained. Consequently, after a brief introduction, the first section of this study consists of a theoretical model derived by including knowledge externalities in social networks. In the second section, a survey applied in Izmir Metalwork Industrial District is explained. Finally, in the third section, survey results are presented and then conclusions and discussions for further research are revealed. Contributions of this study to the related literature are three-fold. Firstly, knowledge externalities...

Tomlinson P. R. and Jackson I. Cooperative ties and the impact of external factors upon innovation in an industrial district: some insights from the North Staffordshire table and giftware sector, Regional Studies. Drawing upon a sample of 118 firms, this paper explores the impact of cooperative ties and the role of institutions upon innovation in the UK ceramic table and giftware sector. It is found that locational economies are important for aiding innovation, with firms in the North Staffordshire industrial district holding an inherent advantage vis-a-vis non-district firms. However, while close vertical ties enhance innovation, recent concerns have arisen that horizontal collaboration between district and Asian firms is having a detrimental impact upon innovative capacity within the district. Finally, institutions also appear to play an important role in facilitating the innovation process. Tomlinson P. R. and Jackson I. 产业区内的协作关联与外因对创新的影响：以北斯塔福德郡盛具与礼品行业为例，区域研究。本文在分析118家公司样本的基础上，探讨了协作关联以及机构作用对于英国陶瓷盛具和礼...

A noted Singapore-based cultural geographer and specialist on Asia analyzes the emergence and functioning of a unique artistic cluster in Hong Kong's Fotan light industrial district. The objective of the research is to understand how artistic work in the cluster, despite some challenges, has thus far proven sustainable in cultural, social, and economic terms. The findings of this case study permit further clarification of several dimensions of an emerging theory of cultural/creative clusters, which should be considered as distinct from business and industrial clusters. Selective comparisons between the Fotan cluster and the Moganshan Lu cluster in Shanghai demonstrate that cultural/creative clusters do not face uniform challenges in striking a balance between economic and cultural sustainability.

Using the number of trademarks registered as an indicator, this article explores the functioning of the economies of product differentiation that characterise industrial districts. In order to assess the role of districts in the creation of trademarks, the analysis focuses on knitwear production, a highly competitive industry and a pioneer in brand creation in Spain, and examines the development of the country's two main knitwear districts during the twentieth century. The article presents empirical evidence from trademark and business records to show that more trademarks were created in these two districts than in other areas. The imitation and rivalry characteristic of industrial districts favoured the proliferation of trademarks and encouraged firms to diversify their products through the creation of new brands. It also suggests that the success of the brands was uneven and depended on the industrial structure in each district and the kind of product specialisation. In conclusion, not only were the ind...

The paper describes how the role of network facilitator played by a third party institution may substantially contribute to the development of trust among SMEs involved in a strategic alliance. In our work, empirical evidence is presented by a longitudinal analysis of a case history. The case study focuses on eight international-oriented SMEs located in an industrial district in Northern Italy that built up a formal network called ‘I-Style Partners’. Two rounds of in-depth interviews were carried out with firm leaders and facilitator's managers involved in the strategic alliance over a three-year period. This paper contribute to theory generation suggesting a three-stage process model in which a network facilitator may enhance interorganizational trust by constituting in turn a substitute of alliance members’ perceptions of ability, integrity and benevolence.

This article attempts to advance the research on industrial districts and regional development through a study of the restructuring of the clothing industry in Wenzhou Municipality, a regional driv...

This paper tests the evolution of the relationship between localization and proximity and their effect on firm performance for a sample of 10,490 Spanish textile firms in the period 2001–2006. Using coefficients of specialization two levels of geographical disaggregation are distinguished: (i) the provincial cluster and (ii) the industrial district. The results obtained show a positive and significant impact of the specialization level on productivity, both for industrial districts and provincial clusters (in this case only when the levels of specialization are high enough). In general, the effect is higher for industrial districts than for provincial clusters, although in both cases it decreases with time. Given that in most EU countries the textile industry has a tendency to be geographically concentrated in industrial districts, these results carry important implications for the textile industry.

In the aftermath of the recent global recession, the concept of regional resilience is becoming increasingly important in regional policy circles. This paper seeks to add to the debate by exploring resilience and recent policy initiatives in the context of the North Staffordshire ceramics district. A key issue here has been the economic governance of the district, which has had a significant impact upon its current trajectory. Drawing upon a series of interviews with local actors, we examine the district's ‘adaptive capacity’ to move onto a new trajectory. In particular, we note the importance of district firms developing wider networking opportunities, particularly external ties; insights here are garnered from the relatively successful links between Castellon and Sassoulo ceramics districts.

The transformation of industrial districts has become a hot debate since the increasing globalization of national and regional economies occurred in the 1980s. This paper empirically examines the changing social networks, technological learning and industrial organization in the regional transformation of the hosiery district in Shetou, Taiwan. It shows that primordial social ties render the production networks costless and the networks of learning efficient for price competition in the early stage. However, as new challenges linked to the globalization process approach, the leader small and medium sized enterprises in Taiwanese industrial districts are not necessarily compelled to shift production jobs abroad, but they reposition themselves in local production chains with incurring extra-local resources to cope with the threats from new competitors. On the one hand, these leader firms take strategies of local reaction to rely overwhelmingly on local supply chains to meet the challenge. On the other hand,...

The aim of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the effect of social networks on innovation through the analysis of territorial systems of firms. Although industrial districts enjoy a number of advantages, they also present some relevant limitations. We have labelled the difficulties that have been identified as the exploring concern. However, periphery actors, such as supporting organisations, playing the role of intermediary agents allow districts to escape from exploring restrictions, since they can monitor what is happening outside the district and, in consequence, the involvement of supporting organisations has a positive effect on innovation. The study reported in this paper is based on a sample of 154 manufacturing firms that belong to industrial districts in the Valencia Region (Spain). Findings support the positive association between local institution involvement and innovation of companies.

I read What makes clusters competitive? Cases from the global wine industry with much anticipation as my own research programme includes the study of wine clusters in Australia. Industrial district...

Although the concept of sense of place has a long history in the social sciences, relatively few studies have attempted a quantitative analysis of sense of place at the neighborhood level. This study reports on the empirical findings of a sense of place survey developed and tested in two contrasting neighborhoods in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: Southwest Mountain, an upper-middle-class suburban neighborhood and Northeast Industrial, a lower-income, working-class neighborhood located in the heart of the city's industrial district. The principal objective is to assess the relationship between sense of place and the socio-demographic characteristics of residents living in neighborhoods of very different socioeconomic status. This study also introduces a method for calculating a neighborhood sense of place score derived from a fully tested, validated survey instrument. It was found that sense of place was strongest in Southwest Mountain, and among seniors, long-term residents, unmarried people, and immigrants. ...

Industrial districts and clusters of small- and medium-sized enterprises specializing in manufacture are an important feature of the Italian economy (Becattini, G. & Coltorti, F. (2006) Areas of large enterprise and industrial districts in the development of post-war Italy. A preliminary survey, European Planning Studies, 14(8), pp. 1105–1138). The textile district of Prato is an exemplary case of the industrial district model (Becattini, G. (2001) The Caterpillar and the Butterfly. An Exemplary Case of Development in the Italy of the Industrial Districts (Felice Le Monnier: Firenze)), contributing 25% of the Italian exports of woollen products. The paper analyses the recent transformations of Prato facing the winds of globalization and in particular the dual challenge of global pressure from outside the district (due to competition from new industrialising countries) and from inside it (due to an ethnic economy formed by Chinese immigrants). The paper concludes with some recommendations for the revitaliz...

A U.S.-based geographer and specialist on China advances his research on industrial districts and regional development by presenting a 2008 study of shoe manufacturing in Wenzhou (a major center in the world's largest footwear producing and exporting country). More specifically, the author examines how the model of economic development pioneered in Wenzhou (the Wenzhou model) has been transformed in an effort to meet the challenges posed by the global economy. He argues that the scaling up of Wenzhou's footwear industry, through the expansion of sales networks and factories across China and abroad, indicates that other adaptable city regions can overcome similar obstacles. The author challenges both the New Regionalism literature focused on local institutions and assets, as well as perspectives that overemphasize the benefits of globalization and global production networks. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O100, O140, O180. 2 figures, 3 tables, 60 references.

Situated in the industrial district of Ostiense, the Garbatella neighbourhood was primarily designed to house railway and dock workers built by the Istituto per le Case Popolari (ICP), a national building society founded in 1903 dedicated to public low‐cost housing. The Garbatella distinguished itself from other ICP neighbourhoods in Rome by its remote location and its experimental Garden City‐influenced design, adapted for a Roman context. The first period of construction from 1920 to 1923 saw the Garbatella develop along the lines of Ebenezer Howard’s model of the Garden City. While those who planned the neighbourhood continued to aspire to Howard’s ideals, the Garbatella’s rapid expansion (by 1930 it boasted the highest population density in the city) meant that it failed to live up to these aspirations. Despite increased population levels and the construction of larger multi‐functional ‘super‐blocks’, the architecture and planning of the Garbatella contributed to the fostering of a sense of community ...

The present study aimed to raise awareness of the need for and availability of support for rural small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in Limpopo Province, South Africa. A survey of 600 SMMEs from all six Limpopo municipal districts was conducted to determine the profile of these businesses, to assess what support systems they needed and which ones they used, and to make recommendations for stakeholder support. A response rate of 89 per cent was obtained. Of the sampled SMMEs, 84 per cent were owner-managed, 70 per cent had one to three staff members, and 71 per cent had been in existence for at least 6 years. Nearly 80 per cent of the respondents perceived finance to be inaccessible. The study suggests there is a need for regular surveys and audits of the SMME industry, in order to ensure better support.

Wei Y. H. D., Lu Y. and Chen W. Globalizing regional development in Sunan, China: does Suzhou Industrial Park fit a neo-Marshallian district model?, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the transformation of Suzhou, known previously for its Sunan model of development into a globalizing foreign direct investment (FDI) and high-technology centre. It is argued that the key to the transformation has been the efforts of states in utilizing global capital, mainly through the development of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). However, the nature of Suzhou Industrial Park is largely that of a satellite district, and its future is likely a satellite neo-Marshallian district. A third pathway of development is promoted by integrating globalizing regional development with domesticating globalization, and by moving beyond the divide of globalization and localization. Wei Y. H. D., Lu Y. et Chen W. La mondialisation de l'amenagement du territoire a Sunan en Chine: le parc industriel de Suzhou, est-ce qu'il correspond au...

This article describes the ways in which cotton goods were commercialised during the nineteenth century and the first third of the twentieth. Several national cases are analysed: Britain as the Workshop of the World; France, Germany, Switzerland and the US as core economies; Italy and Spain as countries on the European periphery; and Japan as a successful export latecomer. The main question that we address is why some cotton industries vertically integrated their production and selling processes, but others did not. We present a model that combines industrial district size and product differentiation to explain why vertical integration was present in most cases and why there was vertical specialisation of production and selling in Lancashire, Lowell and Japan.

The radical changes that are affecting world economy have highlighted new structures and ways of competing for firms and networks of firms. A possible and robust way to increase a firm’s competitiveness and cope with globalisation challenges is to implement and act as firm clusters. The term cluster traditionally refers to an industrial model that bases its advantage on local proximity of the members. However, members of a cluster can be sometimes located worldwide, but linked through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Therefore, in this kind of context, the term e-cluster is used. This research aims to study the process that leads to the creation of an e-cluster. Two case studies of companies designing and implementing an e-clustering process are analysed through an action research approach. The e-clustering creation process includes three main steps: context analysis, the e-clustering operation, and assessment of results. The paper also analyses what the enablers are that foster the e-cl...

Where is the future of traditional industrial districts in global markets where competition is fiercer every day? This paper presents the case of the furniture district of Forli, Italy, as a means to explain the development process, the constraints and the growth prospects that involve this industrial district and, perhaps, a wider variety of districts and SME-based clusters. We hypothesise that development is more likely to be generated when three main drivers, taken from the main bodies of literature on districts and clusters, are taken together: ‘collective efficiency’, ‘policy inducement’ and ‘social embeddedness’. The case study of Forli helps to identify the trajectory of one among many Italian industrial districts and its solutions to deal with the new competition. Yet, our approach highlights some of the main difficulties that this district is facing nowadays and the related challenges for future development. The general lesson derived from this analysis is that traditional ways of regarding clust...

This interview with Huang Gai is about a creative business park named ‘Creative Shanghai Riverside’ built on an old General Electric (GE) factory along the western bank of the Huang Pu river, the most important drinking-water source and shipping artery of Shanghai. The reason we call it an ecstaquarter is that we see it as an existing imaginary place that foregrounds the sensual and philosophical side of the founder and designer — Deng Kunyan, where you could undress yourself and cast your body in the role of mediator through which to explore.Deng Kunyan, a self-made architect from Taiwan who has devoted the best twenty years of his architectural career in Shanghai, and is well known for his conversion of an abandoned 1930s warehouse along the banks of Suzhou Creek, another important shipping route in Shanghai. The success of that project sparked an artistic renewal of the surrounding industrial district, saving old factories from demolition, and winning him the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award ...

During the 1990s, a further development of the industrial district model was observed in some developed countries and industrial sectors. Due to the intense process of globalization, footwear district firms have gradually relocated some manufacturing activities through an international extension of their business networks. In this manner, the traditional pattern of integrated shoemaking is being replaced by a global supply chain stretching across different countries and cultures. Even though Spain has always been positioned at the top of the rank of footwear exporters, little attention has been paid to how Spanish footwear districts are handling the global competition and strategies implemented in order to achieve superior efficiency rates. This paper attempts to describe the international outsourcing activities (one of the most expanded strategies) in four footwear industrial districts. To reach our objective, data about imports of components and outward processing trade in provinces of the districts con...

Chetty S. and Agndal H. Role of inter-organizational networks and interpersonal networks in an industrial district, Regional Studies. This paper uses the network perspective to examine the role of interpersonal (relationships between individuals) and inter-organizational (relationships between organizations) networks in an industrial district. The embedded case method is used for this qualitative study of the Auckland boat-building district. The findings provide evidence of different types of networks, as well as how interpersonal networks can be transformed into inter-organizational networks, and vice versa, thus strengthening the district. Despite their initial reluctance to collaborate, organizations learnt to maintain a balance between ‘competition’ and ‘cooperation’. Chetty S. et Agndal H. Le role des reseaux d'organisation et de communication dans un district industriel, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche a examiner le role des reseaux de communication (rapports humains) et d'organisation (rappor...

A team of China- and U.S.-based geographers develops the theoretical concept of "learning field" to advance the study of technological innovation through networking under conditions of ongoing globalization. The concept is applied in a survey of ca. 100 firms in the Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, located in a relatively underdeveloped region of China. The findings emphasize the different patterns and challenges confronting companies of differing size, property rights, and R&D capacities, as well as the variable extent to which technological learning is based on local versus global linkages and networking. Key elements involved in successful technological upgrading (in addition to networking) are identified, including market structure, competitive strategies, and capital. Also examined are the roles played by geographic, relational, and institutional factors in providing opportunities for learning and cooperation among firms in an industrial district. Journal of Economic Literature,...

In this paper we offer an approach to learning about the unique features of industrial districts as a socio-economic phenomenon that is based on differences. Instead of searching for one generic theory that may explain the unique construction of an industrial district or one universal way of getting under the skin of its subjects we propose ‘interstanding’ as a road to insight. The title alludes to different relationships: between theoretical frameworks and empirical approaches, between writing and reflecting on the one hand, creating conversations, talking and listening on the other, between teacher and student, between the academic and business communities. In the paper this ‘interstanding’ perspective of knowledging is demonstrated in the context of an annual international doctoral course on SMEs in economic and regional development. The participating doctoral students are organized into research teams, each furnished with a specific theoretical perspective on localized economic development, and subseq...

The paper presents the findings of a study on the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter at its zenith from 1880 to 1920. Drawing on a unique database covering four decades and secondary data, it has been possible to map out the organization of production, the degree of firms' specializations, and extent of production and social networking within the Quarter. Such evidence seems to suggest that the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter was a Marshallian industrial district at the turn of the nineteenth century.

The aim of this study is to analyse the main determinants of the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the relationship between ICT and the patterns of innovation in an Italian industrial district. The analysis is carried out on a database of 118 textile enterprises located in Biella, a well‐known industrial district specialized in medium to high quality woollen yarns and textiles, that have been interviewed following a structured questionnaire. On the whole, the rate of adoption and use of ICT in Biella is rather low and this confirms the results of other studies on industrial districts that are specialized in traditional sectors. Nevertheless, our analysis also shows that considering ICT as a general technology may be misleading. Instead, it is useful to disentangle the different ICT; in particular, there are significant differences between IT involving production, administration and logistic processes and the communication technologies (CT). Moreover, on a smaller sam...

The traditional district literature tends to assume that: (1) the competitiveness of firms depends on external sources of knowledge; (2) all firms in a district benefit from knowledge externalities; (3) relying on external knowledge relationships necessarily means these are confined to the district area. Our case study of the Barletta footwear district in the South of Italy suggests otherwise. Based on social network analysis, we demonstrate that the local knowledge network is quite weak and unevenly distributed among the local firms. A strong local network position of a firm tended to increase their innovative performance, and so did their connectivity to extra‐local firms. So, it mattered being connected either locally or non‐locally: being co‐located was surely not enough. Having a high absorptive capacity seemed to raise only indirectly, through non‐local relationships, the innovative performance of firms.

Industrial districts are experiencing intensifications in those economic conditions that have historically favoured them. Some of them have entered a process of decline, which might seem the cause or the effect of recession, relocation or reconversions into different models. The present paper aims at contributing to the debate on the evolutionary patterns of industrial districts, offering an explorative look at the phenomenon of industrial districts’ decline. This topic has been widely overlooked in literature and demands further empirical evidence and conceptual insights. To this purpose, the paper builds on the longitudinal case study of the industrial district of Como, illustrating and analysing its decline process from 1980 to 2003. The focus of the study is on the determinants of an industrial district's decline and the consequences on the structures of the district itself. The findings are then abstracted to a model for the understanding and explanation of the decline of industrial districts. The co...

The expansion of globalization has led to the relocation of many industrial activities. In particular, this process has affected industrial districts in the traditional industries. However, different districts vary in their capacity to retain activities. The robustness of industrial districts and, in consequence, their capacity to retain core activities at home and thus avoid painful relocations can be analysed by means of the relational capital developed at the district level. The relational structure within the district affects and determines the capacity of innovation of the district firms. This paper analyses the extent to which innovation depends on the amount of relational capital developed at the district level. We have addressed this proposition using internal human mobility, shared vision and trusting co-operation as indicators of the amount and quality of relational capital. In order to support theoretical propositions we have conducted empirical research comparing different industrial districts...

Research has proved how the industrial district model can deliver sustained economic growth and sustains firms' competitiveness. Studies have also shown how spatial proximity helps in the process of knowledge generation and diffusion. Indeed, the literature on industrial districts since the earliest studies has stressed how districts are “loci” where sustained innovation activity is undertaken. However, this innovative dimension of districts' activities has not yet been fully explored. Sufficient theoretical background and empirical evidence as to whether the peculiar socio‐economic characteristics of the industrial district model influence firms' innovation performance and the way innovation activity is carried out is lacking. The aim of this paper is thus to explore the determinants of innovation activities in firms located inside and outside industrial districts in the Italian region of Lombardy, investigating whether the district provides a favourable environment for the development of innovations and...

This paper seeks to enhance the understanding of the role of the industrial districts in the internationalization process of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The study focuses essentially upon the following issue: Can the location inside industrial districts influence the export performance and export intensity of the Spanish SMEs? To address this question, this study draws upon a sample of 285 manufacturing firms located in the Valencian community (a Spanish region) surveyed during the period January 2000 to March 2000. It is shown that industrial district location, marketing differentiation, institutional networks, clients' networks, competitors' networks and global orientation of sector and company have a clear influence on firms export performance and export intensity. The results are basically consistent with the limited previous research.

The theoretical concepts of industrial district and regional innovation system though closely related, capture different aspects of regional economic development. Given the “nestedness” of a system in other systems, one regional innovation system can support several districts. However, in some cases, districts may be considered as local innovation systems with independent innovation patterns. In fact, the socio-economic characters of industrial districts can be so specific that the region's size and institutional framework may be inadequate in fully describing their innovation processes. In the case of the Italian region of Lombardy, this “autonomous” local innovation system model proliferates.