This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Costa-Campi, M. T. Articles by Viladecans-Marsal, E. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

The District Effect and the Competitiveness of Manufacturing Companies in Local Productive Systems

Department of Econometrics, Statisties and Spanish Economy, University of Barcelona, Avda Diagonal, 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain, mtcosta{at}riscd2.eco.ub.es

Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal

Department of Econometrics, Statisties and Spanish Economy, University of Barcelona, Avda Diagonal, 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain, eli{at}riscd2.eco.ub.es

The present study evaluates the existence of differences in competitiveness of Spanish industrial firms as a consequence of the district effect. A quantitative analysis has been performed in order to assess external competitiveness taking into account whether firms are located in industrial districts—in the sense proposed by Marshall-Becattini—or remain isolated. The methodological approach considers geographical and sectoral variables. It attempts to establish the existence of a relationship between sectoral specialisation and business efficiency— measured as the capacity to export—in local productive systems. Most of the variables come from a 1991 fiscal data-set and the territorial units of analysis are 332 municipalities with a population of over 15 000 inhabitants. From the results on the econometric model, it can be inferred that the geographical concentration of companies in the same activity positively influences their level of competitiveness.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?