Abstract
The superior international and overall performance of the Italian Industrial Districts (IDs) is by now acknowledged and has been shown by many different studies. Research at the theoretical level has focused on numerous socio-economic explanations, including the favourable industrial atmosphere within the ID and the ensuing lower transactions costs, its higher innovation record, its better human capital and widespread entrepreneurship in the area. In this paper we empirically address the issue of the IDs’ industrial atmosphere and their economic performance. We use data from the Italian Population and Industry Censi and from other sources to test the prevailing theories of the socio-economic determinants of the IDs’ industrial atmosphere and performance. We conclude that among the central explanatory elements are the local availability of good and widespread human capital, local financial services. Family-based business does not appear to enjoy a crucial advantage anymore. Smooth and frequent inter-firm linkages appear to play a role, but better statistical indices and data are still needed.
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Pietrobelli, C. (2000). Competitiveness and its Socio-Economic Foundations: Empirical Evidence on the Italian Industrial Districts. In: Bagella, M., Becchetti, L. (eds) The Competitive Advantage of Industrial Districts. Contributions to Economics. Physica, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57666-9_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57666-9_1
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