Struttura e localizzazione dei gruppi di imprese in Emilia Romagna

This paper aims at investigating the presence and the main features of business groups in Emilia Romagna. The research is based on a sample comprising about 48 thousand firms and about 540 thousand employees from Emilia Romagna, the latter representing more than 42 per cent of the total regional employment. First, we find that the presence of corporate grouping in Emilia Romagna is comparable to that documented at national level. Moreover, and surprisingly enough, we show that the extension of the group organizational form is significant also in industrial districts, suggesting that ownership linkages among firms do play a role and should not be neglected in the analysis of these production systems. Although the analysis requires some further investigation, these results support the view that also in Emilia-Romagna the actual size of firms is larger and the number of owners is lower than official statistics reveal. This result has important economic policy implications, as the industrial policy of Emilia-Romagna has traditionally been oriented to supporting small and very small firms

Struttura e localizzazione dei gruppi di imprese in Emilia Romagna

This paper aims at investigating the presence and the main features of business groups in Emilia Romagna. The research is based on a sample comprising about 48 thousand firms and about 540 thousand employees from Emilia Romagna, the latter representing more than 42 per cent of the total regional employment. First, we find that the presence of corporate grouping in Emilia Romagna is comparable to that documented at national level. Moreover, and surprisingly enough, we show that the extension of the group organizational form is significant also in industrial districts, suggesting that ownership linkages among firms do play a role and should not be neglected in the analysis of these production systems. Although the analysis requires some further investigation, these results support the view that also in Emilia Romagna the actual size of firms is larger and the number of owners is lower than official statistics reveal. This result has important economic policy implications, as the industrial policy of Emilia Romagna has traditionally been oriented to supporting small and very small firms

From the industrial district to the district group: An insight into the evolution of capitalism in italy1

Brioschi F., Brioschi M. S. and Cainelli G. (2002) From the industrial district to the district group: an insight into the evolution of local capitalism in Italy, Reg. Studies 36, 1037-1053. The aim of this paper is two-fold: to analyse the extent of corporate grouping in the main industrial districts of Emilia Romagna and the reasons for their formation and development; and to show how their evolution in recent years requires rethinking the very concept of industrial district in favour of a unit of analysis capable of grasping the role taken by ownership linkages among firms. In this respect, we suggest a taxonomy of business groups that brings out the key role played by 'district groups'. The choice of Emilia Romagna as our field of investigation is motivated by the fact that in a number of ways the region's industrial system represents a paradigmatic model of local capitalism, combining the large-scale presence of industrial districts with a marked entrepreneurial spirit, strong social cohesion and an exceptionally efficient system of local institutions and intermediate organizations. In this sense, even though we start from the empirical study of a case (albeit a significant one like that of Emilia Romagna), our paper has the more general purpose of depicting the forms and ways through which a special form of local capitalism characterized by the massive presence of industrial districts has evolved, while at the same time signalling the need to reconsider the theoretical concepts and methods of empirical inquiry used to analyse and interpret the new forms taken on by local capitalism in Italy.Industrial districts, Business groups, District group, Emilia Romagna, Local capitalism,

Common Trajectories of Regional Competitiveness in the Knowledge Economy: A European Investigation

This paper analyses a number of European regions that in the last decade, through a considerable change in their economic base, experienced a remarkable growth path and a significant increase in their competitiveness. The analysis was carried out with the aim of recognizing the main determinants (or factors) of territorial development behind each regional renewal process and capturing (in a necessarily stylized manner) a number of common trajectories of regional competitiveness. Interestingly, all regional ‘success stories’ are strongly dependent on the presence of a tri-polar regional innovation system ‘gluing’ firms, institutions and academia.regional innovation system, factors of territorial development, trajectories of regional competitiveness, regional development

Common Frameworks for Regional Competitiveness: Insights from a Number of Local Knowledge Economies

Common Frameworks for Regional Competitiveness: Insights from a Number of Local Knowledge Economies - In this paper we analyse the innovative capacity of the most productive and most industrialised Italian regions by comparing them with a set of European regions that in the past two decades followed an industrial restructuring path towards knowledgebased sectors, doing so via the formation of a Regional Innovation System. Even though the European benchmarking regions now specialise in high-tech sectors and are characterised by high innovative activity, they share an industrial past based on heavy and traditional industries. In this respect, the two groups of regions are not so different in nature, and comparing them yields strategic insights for the Italian regional transformation process and suggests interesting local policy implications. Keywords: Knowledge economies, regional development, regional innovation systems. Parole chiave: economie della conoscenza, sviluppo regionale, sistemi regionali d’innovazione JEL classification: R11, R58.

Common Frameworks for Regional Competitiveness: Insights from a Number of Local Knowledge Economies

In a reference framework towards the knowledge economy concept and in relation to the notion of Regional Innovation System (RIS), we consider a set of European regions that in the last two decades experienced a process of economic and industrial renewal, with a two-fold aim. Focusing on the time dynamics of the territories’ renewal, we first classify the different regional development paths followed by the very regions under investigation in their process towards a knowledge economy. Secondly, we compare the above territories with a sample of Italian regions (those with the highest employment level in manufacturing activities and the largest income per-capita). Even though the European benchmarking regions are specialized in high-tech sectors, they share an industrial past based on heavy and traditional industries. In this respect, the two groups are not so different in nature, and their comparison reveals some interesting local policy implications and strategic insights for the regional transformation process.regional competitiveness, knowledge economies, regional development, regional innovation systems.