Localised capabilities as an intermediating factor in the transition from an old to a new development path: The case of post-socialist industrial towns

Abstract

There are debates in the research literature about the mechanisms responsible for the formation of local development trajectories. What is emphasised, as particularly scarce, are longitudinal studies which show how historical, social and institutional structures are reproduced and/or transformed into new paths of development in the case of industrial towns. This paper aims to capture the role of various social, cultural and institutional features that constitute localised capabilities, in the process of transition from an old to a new developmental path for older industrial towns. The authors use case studies of three medium-sized industrial centres in Poland: Dzierżoniów, Starachowice and Mielec, to illustrate how localised capabilities are shaped by the interplay of earlier economic activity and the characteristics of local firms, on the one hand, and the evolving social, cultural and institutional attributes of the particular town and its region on the other. As a result, industrial towns may differ significantly in their ability to absorb exogenous impulses, as well as their capacity to transform and recombine them into a new development pathway that is more resilient than the old one.

The role of manufacturing in the development of rural regions: Evidence from a highly industrialised Moravian region

“…According to the results of the interviews, local rural manufacturing firms do not benefit significantly from localisation economies resulting from the geographical proximity of firms in the same industry. Empirical evidence from the highly industrialised Zlín Region thus supports previous assumptions of relatively weak local or regional embeddedness of manufacturing firms in the Czech Republic and other Central European industries, while exceptions exist (see Gwosdz et al, 2020, for an analysis of industrial towns in Poland). Apart from the effects of historically de-regionalised production, rural manufacturing firms in the Zlín region exhibit the relatively low intensity of local sourcing due to their integration into many different global production networks.…”

“…While rural manufacturing firms in the Zlín Region either supply technologically simple components or focus on highly specific custom-tailored products, their prospects of upgrading towards higher value-added products are usually constrained by their small size, limited localised capabilities (see the discussion by Gwosdz et al, 2020) and resources, rather than by power asymmetries in their respective global production networks.…”

Local Communities’ Energy Literacy as a Way to Rural Resilience—An Insight from Inner Peripheries

“…As such, LAGs appear to have the attributes of an ideal educator on local energy problems, and thus are creators of rural resilience. Undoubtedly, the foundation for a successful rural energy transition is the trans-sectoral cooperation of local actors centred around the needs and expectations of local communities and the creation of a strong sense of belonging and proactive attitudes [72,73]. It is worth emphasising here that activities such as development of NGOs, activation of residents, and building social interaction and mutual trust are essential components for implementing the concept of rural resilience [32,51,74]; these also have the potential to have a role in further increasing the social capital in rural areas.…”

‘What is industrial culture anyway?’ Theoretical framing of the concept in economic geography

“…The region's endowments are framed as rules, practices, routines, habits, traditions, and conventions encompassing not only cultural values but also religion, morals, and political traditions and go beyond firm characteristics (Maskell & Malmberg, 1999). Gwosdz et al (2020) demonstrate how this concept can mediate new development paths in older industrial towns.…”