How are community-based industrial districts that rely on local networks evolving in a globalized world? New research examines the apparent paradox of this local/global tension.

In the late 19th century, the English economist Alfred Marshall defined the concept of industrial districts (IDs) in his seminal work Principles of Economics. The term was coined to describe areas where firms established industries and their auxiliary ecosystems, with local populations creating a concentrated network of specialist workers in small and medium businesses.  

A century later the concept still proved useful, and evolved thanks to the observation of several districts in Italy and Spain, to describe the solid relationship between business and community on which this model relied. 

CONTINUE READING

Article published in Esade Do Better