ABSTRACT

The notion that Italy's comparative advantage is somewhat unconventional receives support from the direct analysis of the Italian pattern of international specialisation. The peculiarity of the Italian trade pattern is reinforced by analysing how similar it is to that of other countries. Italian industrial structure is characterised by the small dimension of its firms and by the clustering of certain industrial activities in specific locations. Studies on industrial districts have for a long time been characterised by their qualitative or case-study nature. The chapter explores quantitative studies presenting a comprehensive picture of Italian industrial districts. In 1996, the 199 Italian industrial districts accounted for 43.3% of total Italian manufacturing exports. Then, the higher profitability of industrial district firms can be due to lower labour costs and/or to higher efficiency. Industrial districts generate an important portion of Italian exports especially within the traditional macro-sector.