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Decline of the District, Renewal of Firms: An Evolutionary Approach to Footwear Production in the Pirmasens Area, Germany

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  • Eike W Schamp

    (Department of Economic and Social Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Dante-Strasse 9, D-60054, Frankfurt/Main, Germany)

Abstract

Among the variety of old industrial areas, districts involved in the production of light consumer goods are a special case. Taking the single still-surviving footwear-production district in Germany as an example, the author makes an attempt to reflect on the long-term decline of an industrial district and the resulting path dependency of regional development. An evolutionary approach is taken which starts from different institutional bases and reveals a complex mix of temporalities and spatialities in the development path of enterprises and the region. The major empirical findings contrast two dominant types of strategic response to decline: firms either stayed in the industry, but left the region; or stayed in the region, but left the industry. The author concludes by mapping implications for territorial development.

Suggested Citation

  • Eike W Schamp, 2005. "Decline of the District, Renewal of Firms: An Evolutionary Approach to Footwear Production in the Pirmasens Area, Germany," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(4), pages 617-634, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:37:y:2005:i:4:p:617-634
    DOI: 10.1068/a36275
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Molnár, Ernő & Lengyel, István Máté, 2016. "Understanding the Changing Geography of Labour-Intensive Industries from a GPN Perspective: Case Study of the Hungarian Leather and Footwear Sector," MPRA Paper 73944, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    4. Roger Hayter & Klaus Edenhoffer, 2016. "Evolutionary Geography of a Mature Resource Sector: Shakeouts and Shakeins in British Columbia's Forest Industries 1980 to 2008," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 497-519, December.
    5. Danny MacKinnon & Andrew Cumbers & Andy Pike & Kean Birch & Robert McMaster, 2009. "Evolution in Economic Geography: Institutions, Political Economy, and Adaptation," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 85(2), pages 129-150, April.
    6. Jiří Blažek & Viktor Květoň & Simon Baumgartinger-Seiringer & Michaela Trippl, 2019. "The dark side of regional industrial path development: towards a typology of trajectories of decline," PEGIS geo-disc-2019_08, Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Department of Socioeconomics, Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    7. Schieber, Lars & Mossig, Ivo, 2011. "Clusterentwicklung und -politik in der Verpackungsmaschinenbau-Industrie Mittelhessens," Beiträge zur Wirtschaftsgeographie und Regionalentwicklung 2-2011, Universität Bremen, Institut für Geographie.
    8. Basco, Rodrigo & Suwala, Lech, 2021. "Spatial familiness and family spatialities—searching for fertile ground between family business and regional studies," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, pages 7-32.
    9. Roberta Capello & Camilla Lenzi, 2018. "The dynamics of regional learning paradigms and trajectories," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(4), pages 727-748, September.
    10. Ron Martin & Peter Sunley, 2011. "Conceptualizing Cluster Evolution: Beyond the Life Cycle Model?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(10), pages 1299-1318, November.
    11. Marion Eich-Born & Robert Hassink, 2005. "On the Battle between Shipbuilding Regions in Germany and South Korea," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(4), pages 635-656, April.
    12. Liu Zhi-gao & Dunford Michael, 2012. "Rejuvenating old industries in new contexts," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 56(1-2), pages 185-202, October.
    13. Leick, Birgit, 2013. "Balancing Firm and Network-based Resources to Gain Competitive Advantage: A Case Study of an Artisanal Musical Instruments Cluster in Germany," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 24(2), pages 77-95.
    14. Heike Mayer, Birgit Leick, 2018. "Entrepreneurship and ageing: Exploring an economic geography perspective," Diskussionsschriften credresearchpaper22, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft - CRED.
    15. Robert & Claudia Klaerding, 2012. "Theoretical advancement in economic geography by engaged pluralism," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1202, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Jan 2012.
    16. Jose A. Belso-Martinez, 2010. "Outsourcing Decisions, Product Innovation and the Spatial Dimension: Evidence from the Spanish Footwear Industry," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(14), pages 3057-3077, December.
    17. Robert Hassink, 2007. "The Strength of Weak Lock-Ins: The Renewal of the Westmünsterland Textile Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(5), pages 1147-1165, May.
    18. Mete Basar Baypinar, 2016. "Evolution of ICT and software industry: Crisis, resilience and the role of emerging clusters," ERSA conference papers ersa16p232, European Regional Science Association.
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