This is the first book to present a systematic analysis of specialized clusters of small manufacturing enterprises in the main European economies. Combining knowledge from case-study literature with original analyses of statistical data enables the authors to present full accounts of the role of...

The study of varieties of capitalism is moving on from the analysis of static national types to embrace local and sectoral diversity and the study of systems in the process of major change. This volume addresses the issue by examining four localised sectors, comparing a German case with one in...

European cities are on the rise, and are taking advantage of the opportunities of the European integration and globalization processes. But they also face economic changes, social inequalities, poverty and a new set of constraints. Taking examples through the European Union, European Cities...

Over the last decade the neo-institutionalist literature on comparative capitalism has developed into an influential body of work. In this book, Colin Crouch assesses this literature, and proposes a major re-orientation of the field. Crouch critiques many aspects of this work and finds a way of...

It is increasingly accepted that 'institutions matter' for economic organization and outcomes. The last decade has seen significant expansion in research examining how institutional contexts affect the nature and behaviour of firms, the operation of markets, and economic outcomes. Yet...

This study of vocational education in advanced industrial countries contributes to two different areas of debate. The first is the study of the diversity of institutional forms taken by modern capitalism, and the difficulties currently surrounding the survival of that diversity. Rather than...

Now that the process of full implementation of European Monetary Union has begun, it is time to shift attention away from the process of introduction to the implications that the common currency will have for a wide range of institutions and policy areas. The wider political and social...

No longer only the domain of corporate public relations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has now become a serious concern for many firms and a major sphere of academic research. However, most strikingly, by encouraging corporations to play a role in economic governance, particularly at the...

The article is part of the special issue of the journal, including the proceedings of the conference "Albert Hirschman scienziato sociale" held in Rome at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei. The author discusses the "sociological" aspects of Hirschman's thought, stressing at the same time...

<em> The strategies of innovation. Survey on European patents of Italian firms</em> - In international rankings on innovation Italy’s position is particularly weak. Is this image realistic? A recent survey on Italian firms that applied for European patents (EPO) between 1995 and 2004 casts some doubts...