In the nineteenth century, the production of small arms underwent significant technological change. Faced with new needs, both qualitative and quantitative, governments began to pursue the modernization of production processes through mechanization and vertical integration. These technological...

In this paper we compare the magnitude of local productivity advantages associated to two different spatial concentration patterns in Italy, i.e. urban areas (UA) and industrial districts (ID). UA typically display a huge concentration of population and host a wide range of economic activities,...