This paper develops a foreign expansion index (FEI) of the firm which integrates various dimensions of commitment to internationalization, i.e. exports, foreign penetration operations and FDI. This study focuses on Italy, constructing FEIs for each of some 4,000 firms for three periods...

With the introduction of information and communication technology, a brisker pace in market integration and the adoption of a fixed exchange rate, some changes seem to have occurred in the determinants of Italian industrial districts firms' competitive advantages. In this paper we use the...