Traditional Industrial Districts in the Face of Globalization: The Case of the Marche Footwear District

Eleonora Cutrini (), Giacinto Micucci and Pasqualino Montanaro

L'industria, 2013, issue 1, 123-158

Abstract: This paper studies the case of the Marche footwear districts. Statistical evidence and interviewswith entrepreneurs suggest that the traditional inter-firm relationships within these districtshave significantly changed during the past decade. Some leading firms have been buildingup more exclusive relations with their suppliers, including those abroad, along «buyer-driven»value chains. Moreover, firms have been adopting different strategies, following two main paths:the first is a «focusing-on-quality» strategy, based on upgrading the quality of the goods andinvesting in brands, r&d and specific distribution channels; the second is a «focusing-on-costs»strategy, which aims at minimizing the production costs of a medium-quality range of goods,including outsourcing abroad. This study shows that firms which focused on quality did betterthan others, both in the years before the crisis of 2008-09 and during the recession.

Keywords: Industrial Districts; Footwear Industry; Global Value Chains; Outsourcing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Working Paper: Traditional industrial districts in the face of globalization: the case of the Marche footwear district (2013)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mul:j0hje1:doi:10.1430/73439:y:2013:i:1:p:123-158

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