This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the issue of “local liabilities”, drawing on close analysis of the case of Chinese migrants and the Italian industrial district of Prato in order to elucidate the problems, or liabilities, that derive from the separation between natives and...

In this comprehensive original reference work, the editors have brought together an unrivalled group of distinguished scholars and practitioners to comment on the historical and contemporary role of industrial districts (IDs).

In recent decades Italy has seen large-scale inflows of immigrants from the less developed countries, including China. The paper focuses on Chinese immigrants in Italy’s fashion districts. Starting from the industrial district literature, and in particular the specific features of the district...

It is often believed that industrial districts result from an entirely spontaneous process of economic development. On the basis of in-depth study of several Italian industrial districts, in this paper it is argued that the competitiveness and the dynamism of industrial districts' firms are...

Industrial districts and clusters of small- and medium-sized enterprises specializing in manufacture are an important feature of the Italian economy (Becattini, G. & Coltorti, F. (2006) Areas of large enterprise and industrial districts in the development of post-war Italy. A preliminary survey,...

On the basis of economic and population census data and of foreign trade statistics, in this paper we analyse the changes that occurred in the 1990s in the different local production systems that make up the mosaic of the Italian economy. The results of the study show that personal and household...