Disentangling the pattern of geographic concentration in Tunisian manufacturing industries

Abstract

Typescript prepared by Liisa Roponen at UNU-WIDER. UNU-WIDER gratefully acknowledges the financial contributions to the research programme from the governments of Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.The World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) was established by the United Nations University (UNU) as its first research and training centre and started work in Helsinki, Finland in 1985. The Institute undertakes applied research and policy analysis on structural changes affecting the developing and transitional economies, provides a forum for the advocacy of policies leading to robust, equitable and environmentally sustainable growth, and promotes capacity strengthening and training in the field of economic, and social policy-making. Work is carried out by staff researchers and visiting scholars in Helsinki and through networks of collaborating scholars and institutions around the world.

Political stability and economic growth in developing economies: lessons from Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt ten years after the Arab Spring

“…The Programme de Mise à Niveau de l'Industrie (PMNI, Industrial Upgrading Programme) adopted in 1995 in Tunisia provided support for industrial companies to reinforce their competitive capacity and prepare their effective integration into global value chains (Ait Ali and Msadfa, 2016;ITCEQ, 2017). Although textile and clothing is still dominating with almost 70% of the manufacturing products (Ayadi and Mattoussi, 2014), the country has expanded its sectoral focus to other areas where Tunisia has been building a comparative advantage such as agrifood, mechanical and electric industries, as well as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and renewable energy (ECCP, 2017). Prior to the Jasmin revolution, nine industrial clusters have been established to encourage the development and internationalization of activities in these sectors.…”

Tényekkel a migrációs tévhitek ellen • Gondolatok Szentes Tamás A nemzetközi migráció ügye a szélsőséges nézetek tükrében című előadása kapcsán

“…Congestion can also deter firms from locating in a specific cluster, as in the case of Tunisia's industrial sector. While a higher number of firms in the cluster increased competitiveness and had positive effects on firm performance, congestion resulted in approximately 4% fewer new entrants in the same cluster (Ayadi and Mattoussi, 2014). Firms in Nigeria's Nnewi cluster had to invest in roads, water and electricity on their own.…”

Industrial clusters: The case for Special Economic Zones in Africa

“…Many of the country-level results are consistent with the view that clustering is associated with capability building for firms in low income countries (Sutton 2012). In Tunisia, there is evidence of agglomeration economies arising from the transmission of innovative ideas between firms located in close proximity to one another (Ayadi and Mattoussi 2014). In Cambodia, there is also evidence of productivity spillovers, particularly for informal firms (Chhair and Newman 2014), suggesting that such knowledge spillovers may be more beneficial to informal firms who are likely to have more to learn from formal firms than the other way around (Overman and Venables 2005).…”