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On the evolution of the Castel Goffredo hosiery cluster: A life cycle perspective

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  • Giulio Carli
  • Andrea Morrison

Abstract

The life cycle approach has become popular in studies on industrial clusters. However, some concerns have been raised over the inherent determinism of this approach and its tendencies to focus exclusively on cluster internal dynamics while neglecting the role of external factors and socio-economic contingencies. This paper addresses these criticisms by investigating the long term development of Castel Goffredo, a traditional textile cluster in Italy. In our analysis we identify and characterise the main stages of the life cycle and its antecedents. We singled out the main triggering factors behind each of these stages and show that a variety of factors, both external and internal to the cluster, contributed to its development. Our findings confirm that an adaptive cycle approach, which focuses also on contingencies and external factors, appear to be appropriate for investigating the long term evolution of clusters.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulio Carli & Andrea Morrison, 2018. "On the evolution of the Castel Goffredo hosiery cluster: A life cycle perspective," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 1811, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Mar 2018.
    • Handle: RePEc:egu:wpaper:1811
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    File URL: http://econ.geo.uu.nl/peeg/peeg1811.pdf
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cluster life cycle; industrial cluster; hosiery industry; evolutionary economic geography; complexity; industrial districts;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R1 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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