IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/entreg/v18y2006i4p279-304.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Industrial districts and internationalization: the case of the agri-food industry in Modena, Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Paola Bertolini
  • Enrico Giovannetti

Abstract

The paper explores the structural changes, in response to internationalization, in an important traditional activity (food chain, meat processing) in a typical ‘district area’. In the paper, attention is focused on the ‘Institutional structure of production’ (Coase, R. 1992) and the cluster is considered as a whole, as a complex economic player, capable of generating coherent action, regulated by institutional mechanisms, and founded on a set of ‘public assets’ which make up its ‘social capital’. The paper is based on many empirical studies and surveys aimed at exploring the structure of SMEs and the role of the local institutions: the changes observed over time and in response to internationalization underline the reinforcement of the activity's cluster configuration. These features emphasize the existence of a specific unit of analysis, indivisible from the individuals which constitute it. The discussion touches on the classical themes of the efficiency of the net-economy based on SMEs, and their prospects in a context of growing globalization. The paper does not aim to enter into the debate on the origins and mechanism of innovation. However, the case study does illustrate the strength of the hypothesis of a unit of analysis different from the firm for discussion of a number of topics: some empirical examples of innovation, of significance for the economic consolidation of the ID, highlight the importance of district relationships in the production and spread of innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Paola Bertolini & Enrico Giovannetti, 2006. "Industrial districts and internationalization: the case of the agri-food industry in Modena, Italy," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 279-304, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:entreg:v:18:y:2006:i:4:p:279-304
    DOI: 10.1080/08985620600613761
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/08985620600613761
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/08985620600613761?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Geoffrey M. Hodgson, 1999. "Evolution and Institutions," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1481.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sabatini, Fabio, 2009. "Does social capital create trust? Evidence from a community of entrepreneurs," AICCON Working Papers 58-2009, Associazione Italiana per la Cultura della Cooperazione e del Non Profit.
    2. Malesky, Edmund J. & Nguyen, Thang V. & Bach, Thang N. & Ho, Bao D., 2020. "The effect of market competition on bribery in emerging economies: An empirical analysis of Vietnamese firms," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    3. Amdam, Rolv Petter & Lunnan, Randi & Bjarnar, Ove & Halse, Lise Lillebrygfjeld, 2020. "Keeping up with the neighbors: The role of cluster identity in internationalization," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    4. Pierre-Jean Benghozi & Elisa Salvador, 2014. "Are traditional industrial partnerships so strategic for research spin-off development? Some evidence from the Italian case," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1-2), pages 47-79, April.
    5. Lo, Fang-Yi & Bui, Quang-Tuan & Huarng, Kun-Huang, 2023. "The pace of international expansion for digital multinational enterprises," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    6. Kuhne, Bianka & Lambrecht, Evelien & Vanhonacker, Filiep & Pieniak, Zuzanna & Gellynck, Xavier, 2014. "Factors Underlying Farmers’ Decisions to Participate in Networks," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 4(3), pages 1-16, February.
    7. Nguyen, Thang V. & Le, Ngoc T.B. & Bryant, Scott E., 2013. "Sub-national institutions, firm strategies, and firm performance: A multilevel study of private manufacturing firms in Vietnam," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 68-76.
    8. José Miguel Giner-Pérez & María Jesús Santa-María, 2021. "Spatial Agglomerations in the Spanish Food Industry: Does Sectorial Disaggregation Matter?," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 44(5), pages 515-559, September.
    9. Maté-Sánchez-Val, Mariluz & Harris, Richard, 2018. "The paradox of geographical proximity for innovators: A regional study of the Spanish agri-food sector," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 458-467.
    10. Ornella W. Maietta & Cristian Barra & Roberto Zotti, 2017. "Innovation and University-Firm R&D Collaboration in the European Food and Drink Industry," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(3), pages 749-780, September.
    11. Marcello Stanco & Concetta Nazzaro & Marco Lerro & Giuseppe Marotta, 2020. "Sustainable Collective Innovation in the Agri-Food Value Chain: The Case of the “Aureo” Wheat Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-14, July.
    12. Martineau, Charles & Pastoriza, David, 2016. "International involvement of established SMEs: A systematic review of antecedents, outcomes and moderators," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 458-470.
    13. Elisa Pirlea & Mihai Anghel-Badescu, 2022. "Difficulties and Opportunities in Online Promoting and Selling Agri-Food Products," Ovidius University Annals, Economic Sciences Series, Ovidius University of Constantza, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 0(1), pages 676-684, September.
    14. Michaela Trippl, 2011. "Low-Tech Innovation in a High-Tech Environment? The Food Industry in the Metropolitan Region of Vienna," ERSA conference papers ersa10p133, European Regional Science Association.
    15. Angela da Rocha & Beatriz Kury & Joana Monteiro, 2009. "The Role of Flagship Firms, External Actors and Support Institutions in the Emergence of Successful Export Activities in Brazil: Two Industrial Cluster Studies," Research Department Publications 3270, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    16. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2021. "Determinants of successful adoption of the Balanced Scorecard in Vietnamese small and medium-sized enterprises," OSF Preprints 5hx2r, Center for Open Science.
    17. Bakarić Ivana Rašić, 2017. "The impact of cluster networking on business performance of Croatian wood cluster members," Croatian Review of Economic, Business and Social Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 3(2), pages 39-61, December.
    18. Trippl, Michaela, 2010. "Low-tech innovation in a high-tech environment? The case of the food industry in the Vienna metropolitan region," SRE-Discussion Papers 2010/02, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    19. Maura McAdam & Rodney McAdam & Adele Dunn & Clare McCall, 2016. "Regional Horizontal Networks within the SME Agri-Food Sector: An Innovation and Social Network Perspective," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(8), pages 1316-1329, August.
    20. Andrea Venturelli & Fabio Caputo & Simone Pizzi, 2018. "L?impatto del contratto di rete nei processi di internazionalizzazione: alcune evidenze empiriche sulle PMI italiane," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(2), pages 61-83.
    21. Juan García-Álvarez de Perea & Carolina Ramírez-García & Aida Del Cubo-Molina, 2019. "Internationalization Business Models and Patterns of SMEs and MNEs: A Qualitative Multi-Case Study in the Agrifood Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-26, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mauricio G. Villena & Marcelo J. Villena, 2004. "Evolutionary Game Theory and Thorstein Veblen’s Evolutionary Economics: Is EGT Veblenian?," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(3), pages 585-610, September.
    2. David Moroz, 2005. "Production of Scientific Knowledge and Radical Uncertainty: The Limits of the Normative Approach in Innovation Economics," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 305-322, November.
    3. Miklós Antal & Ardjan Gazheli & Jeroen C.J.M. van den Bergh, 2012. "Behavioural Foundations of Sustainability Transitions. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 3," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46424.
    4. Gráinne Collins, 2003. "The Economic Case for Mergers: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(4), pages 987-998, December.
    5. Christian Barrère, 2007. "Towards an Economic and Substantivist Theory of Heritage [Vers une théorie économique substantiviste du patrimoine]," Post-Print hal-02615269, HAL.
    6. Sebastian Berger & Wolfram Elsner, 2007. "European Contributions to Evolutionary Institutional Economics: The Cases of ‘Cumulative Circular Causation’ (CCC) and ‘Open Systems Approach’ (OSA). Some Methodological and Policy Implications," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 529-537, June.
    7. Neil Hart, 2003. "Marshall’s Dilemma: Equilibrium versus Evolution," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(4), pages 1139-1160, December.
    8. Alice Sindzingre, 2021. "Fixation of Belief and Membership: A Contribution to the Understanding of the Detrimental Outcomes of Institutions," Post-Print halshs-03625238, HAL.
    9. N. Yu. Zamyatina & A. N. Pilyasov, 2017. "Concept of proximity: Foreign experience and prospects of application in Russia," Regional Research of Russia, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 197-207, July.
    10. Malcolm Rutherford, 2001. "Institutional Economics: Then and Now," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 173-194, Summer.
    11. Gonzalo Caballero, 2004. "Instituciones e historia económica: enfoques y teorías institucionales," Revista de Economía Institucional, Universidad Externado de Colombia - Facultad de Economía, vol. 6(10), pages 135-157, January-J.
    12. Elizabeth Webster, 2004. "Firms' decisions to innovate and innovation routines," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(8), pages 733-745.
    13. Alain Marciano, 2007. "Economists on Darwin's theory of social evolution and human behaviour," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 681-700.
    14. Herrmann-Pillath Carsten, 2014. "Naturalizing Institutions: Evolutionary Principles and Application on the Case of Money," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 234(2-3), pages 388-421, April.
    15. Lehtonen, Markku, 2004. "The environmental-social interface of sustainable development: capabilities, social capital, institutions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 199-214, June.
    16. Erik Stam, 2006. "A process model of locational change in entrpreneurial firms: an evolutionary perspective," Chapters, in: Andreas Pyka & Horst Hanusch (ed.), Applied Evolutionary Economics and the Knowledge-based Economy, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    17. Hausmann, Péter, 2007. "Thorstein Veblen és az evolúciós közgazdaságtan - egy új emberkép megalapozásának kísérlete. 150 éve született Thorstein Veblen [Thorstein Veblen and evolutionary economics - an experiment in estab," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(11), pages 1012-1024.
    18. Scrieciu, S. Şerban & Barker, Terry & Ackerman, Frank, 2013. "Pushing the boundaries of climate economics: critical issues to consider in climate policy analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 155-165.
    19. Roger Lloyd-Jones & M. J. Lewis, 2007. "'A new paradigm of British business history': A critique of Toms and Wilson," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(1), pages 98-105.
    20. Ulrich Witt, 2009. "Novelty and the bounds of unknowledge in economics," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(4), pages 361-375.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:entreg:v:18:y:2006:i:4:p:279-304. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/TEPN20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.