Description
Industrial districts are areas in which industrial activity is concentrated. Ivana Paniccia uses a wide variety of data to study the evolution and competitiveness of Italian industrial districts. She finds that the performance of Italian industrial districts varies, but on average they are more successful than non-industrial districts. She also finds that there are points of rupture in the socio-economic equilibrium of industrial districts which can impair their future competitiveness.
`This splendid addition to the literature on the Italian industrial districts deserves reading by all those that are interested in the local geography of production and innovation. Ivana Paniccia provides a fascinating critique of the "canonical" industrial district concept which leads her to an empirically based typology of industrial districts, whose evolution and performance follow distinct paths.' - John Cantwell, University of Reading, UK Utilizing a wide array of data and rich empirical evidence drawn from a large sample of industrial districts (IDs), Ivana Paniccia presents a realistic, state-of-the-art analysis of their socio-economic structure and performance. This extensive yet detailed study adopts a wide perspective, integrating historical evidence and different streams of literature - from industrial to regional economics - into testable hypotheses. The multidisciplinary, quantitative approach adopted by the author, enables her to `de-structure' the `canonical' idea of the ID and evaluate the normative value. Supported by multivariate and econometric analyses, she identifies four general types of ID each with different development paths, performances, inter-organizational relations, and regulatory rules and institutions. The results demonstrate that IDs on average achieve better static or dynamic economic performance than non-ID areas. The analysis also highlights critical points of rupture in the socio-economic equilibrium of IDs which may impair their future competitiveness and social sustainability. The author offers a critical appraisal of the organizational literature on IDs, claiming for caution in their depiction as `cooperative systems' and goes on to present the first steps towards a `microfoundation' of a theory on IDs. Providing the methodology to monitor the performance and evolution of IDs, together with precise policy suggestions, this book will appeal to a broad range of scholars and researchers in a variety of disciplines including regional, industrial and institutional economics, organizational studies and industrial sociology.
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