ABSTRACT
About ten years ago, when Piore & Sabel (1985) published their “Second Industrial Divide”, they initiated a discussion about the new meaning of flexible specialization for the future of industrial development. Referring to the industrial districts in the Third Italy or in Baden-Württemberg, they also highlighted the new meaning of a flexible and innovative regional base of global competitiveness. Industrial districts and synergies, agglomeration advantages and regional networks: these are the most prominent topics of the new discussion about regional developments, which promises the possibility of a sustainable development for all regions, for both high tech regions and traditional.
