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Rethinking the industrial district: 35 years later

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  • Sforzi, Fabio

    (University of Parma)

Abstract

The year 2014 marked a double anniversary: the 35th and 25th anniversaries of the publication of two seminal papers of Giacomo Becattini on the industrial district. The first paper (Becattini, 1979) conceptualizes the industrial district as a «unit of investigation», while the second (Becattini, 1989) conceptualizes the industrial district as a «model of production». Between the two papers there is a mutual dependence. The industrial district as a «model of production» deprived of the industrial district as a «unit of investigation» loses its originality as a way of interpreting economic change and becomes merely «one type of a cluster». This paper deals with the relationship between district and cluster, then also between the industrial district as a singular theoretical construct and the many industrial districts described by empirical investigations, and concludes with some remarks on the topicality of the industrial district.

Suggested Citation

  • Sforzi, Fabio, 2015. "Rethinking the industrial district: 35 years later," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 32, pages 11-29.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:invreg:0290
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Sforzi, Fabio & Boix, Rafael, 2015. "What about Industrial District(s) in Regional Science?," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 32, pages 61-73.
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    7. Bellandi, Marco & De Propris , Lisa, 2015. "Three Generations of Industrial districts," INVESTIGACIONES REGIONALES - Journal of REGIONAL RESEARCH, Asociación Española de Ciencia Regional, issue 32, pages 75-87.
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    10. Ann Markusen, 1996. "Sticky Places in Slippery Space: A Typology of Industrial Districts," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(3), pages 293-313, July.
    11. Giacomo Becattini & Marco Bellandi & Lisa De Propis (ed.), 2009. "A Handbook of Industrial Districts," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12736.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Bellandi & Lisa De Propris, 2017. "New forms of industrial districts," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 44(4), pages 411-427, December.
    2. Sue Konzelmann & Frank Wilkinson, 2017. "Co-operation and competition in production and exchange: the “district” form of industrial organization and development," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 44(4), pages 393-410, December.
    3. A. Arrighetti & F. Landini, 2018. "Eterogeneità delle imprese e stagnazione del capitalismo italiano," Economics Department Working Papers 2018-EP01, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    4. Jaime de Pablo Valenciano & Juan Uribe-Toril & Juan Milán-García & José Luis Ruiz-Real & José Antonio Torres Arriaza, 2019. "Auxiliary Companies of the Horticultural Sector as a Competitiveness Element: The Case of Almeria (Spain)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Ngui Min Fui Tom, 2019. "Strategy to Build a Transshipment Port as a Catalyst to Achieving Critical Mass for Sabah’s Economic Growth," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(7), pages 141-166, July.
    6. Sue Konzelmann & Frank Wilkinson, 2016. "Co-operation in Production, the Organization of Industry & Productive Systems: A Critical Survey of the 'District' Form of Industrial Organisation & Development," Working Papers wp481, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    industrial district; cluster; regional economics; regional studies; economic history;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B20 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - General
    • N90 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • R10 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - General

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