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).

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION -- PROLOGUE -- INTRODUCTION: LOCAL INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS -- 1 GENESIS: UNIVERSITIES, MILITARY SPENDING, AND ENTREPRENEURS -- 2 SILICON VALLEY: COMPETITION AND COMMUNITY -- 3 ROUTE 128: INDEPENDENCE AND HIERARCHY -- 4 BETTING ON A PRODUCT...

By 2000, over one-third of Silicon Valley’s high-skilled workers were foreign-born, and overwhelmingly from Asia. These US-educated engineers are transforming developmental opportunities for formerly peripheral regions as they build professional and business connections to their home...

Silicon Valley firms are coping with rising production costs and the constant demand for new products by relying on networks of suppliers from within the region and beyond.These long-term, trust-based partnerships blur the boundaries between the region's autonomous but interdependent firms. The...