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Italian industrial districts: crisis or evolution?

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  • Elio Iannuzzi
  • Massimiliano Berardi

Abstract

Since the 1980s, many Italian industrial districts have pointed out a loss of competitiveness, a slow down of growth and even a lack of resources, which were not entirely due to mere negative market business cycles. The research paper, after a brief introduction concerning the main features of Italian industrial districts, identifies the main reasons of crisis in: corporate governance on one hand, entrepreneurs are too production-oriented with a short run perspective and undervalue the essential activities of R&D, strategic planning, financing, marketing, etc.; on the other, most of Italian districts do not have a collective governance, able to plan, drive and organise the whole system; limited relationships with external systems; low technology and limited innovativeness of the industry sector; inadequate investments in R&D and scarcity of financial sources. Finally, it tries to suggest some measures to overcome the crisis and successfully deal with global competition.

Suggested Citation

  • Elio Iannuzzi & Massimiliano Berardi, 2012. "Italian industrial districts: crisis or evolution?," World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 8(1), pages 23-36.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:wremsd:v:8:y:2012:i:1:p:23-36
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Michele Sabatino, 2016. "Competitiveness and Resilience of the productive districts in Sicily. The behavior of the Sicilian production areas during the economic crisis," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 10(3), September.
    2. Valentina De Marchi & Riccardo Voltani, 2014. "Aziende distrettuali e non distrettuali a confronto: le performance nel settore orafo italiano," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2014(1), pages 163-186.
    3. Silvia Cantele & Silvia Vernizzi & Francesca Ricciardi, 2016. "The emerging wave of agility-oriented business networks in Italy: a new strategy for facing global competition," World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 12(2/3), pages 270-284.

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