Réflexions en thème de district, clusters, réseaux : le problème de la gouvernance

While the Italian industrial districts are facing the strong challenge of a growing competition coming from China and other developing countries, the economic and social literature is showing a renovated interest towards local agglomerations of firms. The paper focuses on the large and not yet stable theoretical framework concerning the concentrations of firms at a local level. Networks and clusters are the more used words to define these different forms highlighting internally different sub-categories. More important are however the relations within the local actors (firms, collective and public bodies, universities, ...) and able to generate different forms of governance.