ABSTRACT
This chapter contains an analysis of the structure and dynamics of the Ticino Canton labour market and, more generally, of the Insubrian economic system using an original population ecology derived class of models. The interactions between different types of workers in this border region are firstly modelled, then simulated, and finally compared with historical data series. The object of the analysis is further enlarged to take into account the role played by local firms. The concept of sustainability, with its three components: social, environmental and economic, is used to identify the conditions for long-run competitiveness and growth of a local system within an “active space” approach.
