ABSTRACT
Examples of such institutions are found in the industrial districts of the Third Italy and Baden-Württemberg. These institutions provide a forum for cooperation and facilitate trust by virtue of their participatory and democratic nature. For example, the Business Service Centres of Emilia-Romagna, which provide real services to participating SMEs at competitive fees, were initially set up by the regional government in connection with local trade associations with a view to providing financial, marketing and technology services that SMEs could not produce in-house.17
