Beyond Marshallian Agglomeration Economies: The Roles of the Local Trade Association in a Meiji Japan Weaving District (1868-1912)

Tomoko Hashino () and Takafumi Kurosawa ()
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Tomoko Hashino: Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University/ Department of History, George Washington University
Takafumi Kurosawa: Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University

No 1113, Discussion Papers from Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University

Abstract: Recent studies have shown that economic development based on industrial districts or clusters is common not only in the Western nations but also among many developing countries, as Marshall might have anticipated. Similarly, in the development process of modern Japan, many industrial districts developed in various industries. Interestingly, they were much more organized and institutionalized than Marshall described. This article demonstrates that local trade associations had an important role in enhancing Marshallian externalities by facilitating joint actions for the supply of public goods, such as the creation of glocal district brands h and provision of technological and market information. In this article, we consider the case of Kiryu, which was one of the oldest and best-known silk weaving districts in modern Japan.

Keywords: industrial district; industrial cluster; weaving industry; local trade association; joint action; modern Japan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39pages
Date: 2011-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-geo, nep-his and nep-hme
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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