This article presents an agent-based model (ABM) of an Italian textile district where thousands of small firms specialize in particular phases of fabrics production. It is an empirical model because it reconstructs the communications between firms when they arrange production chains. In their...

Industrial districts palyed a very important role in the Italian economic development. This paper provides fresh evidence based on microdata (Veneto Worker Histories) and discusses the ambiguities in the district definition, its uncertain boundaries and the development into territorial...

This paper carries out an empirical investigation into the causal relationships connecting four types of social capital (i.e. bonding, bridging, linking, and corporate), and three forms of trust (horizontal, meso, and vertical), in a community of entrepreneurs located in the Italian industrial...

The present contribution focuses on two issues. The first one concerns the characteristics of industrial districts and the increasing weight of these districts in the Italian system of production. The second issue is about the competitiveness of the Italian industrial districts, if they...

Using Local Labor Systems (LLSs) data, we assess the effect of the local productive structure on the employment growth in Italy during the period 1981-2008. Italy represents an interesting case study because of the high degree of spatial heterogeneity in local labor market performances and of...

The present contribution focuses on two issues. The first one concerns the characteristics of industrial districts and the increasing weight of these districts in the Italian system of production. The second issue is about the competitiveness of the Italian industrial districts, if they...