Role of Industrial District Externalities in Export and Value-added Performance: Evidence from the Population of Italian Firms

Abstract

Becchetti L., De Panizza A. and Oropallo F. (2007) Role of industrial district externalities in export and value-added performance: evidence from the population of Italian firms, Regional Studies 41, 601-621. The paper tries to shed light on the export and value-added performance of industrial districts by integrating information on the population of Italian firms (from the ASIA database of the Italian Statistical Institute) with balance sheet data for all limited-liability companies in selected manufacturing industries. The findings show that firms located in industrial districts (specialized or not in the leading manufacturing activity of the district) export more and have higher added value than firms located elsewhere, net of the impact of relevant controls. The robustness check undertaken on the agglomeration-performance nexus detects, as expected, a significant relationship between dichotomous district indicators and (global and industry-specific) continuous measures of agglomeration and specialization. Export and value-added performance results are confirmed when proxying location in industrial districts with these continuous variables and when considering the weight of subcontracting and outsourcing activities of productive units as additional controls. Becchetti L., De Panizza A. et Oropallo F. (2007) Le role des effets externes industriels dans les performances des exportations et de la valeur ajoutee: des preuves aupres des entreprises italiennes, Regional Studies 41, 601-621. Cet article cherche a eclaircir les performances des exportations et de la valeur ajoutee des districts industriels en integrant des donnees aupres du parc d'entreprises italiennes (la base de donnees ASIA de l'Institut italien de la statistique) a un bilan pour toute societe a responsabilite limitee dans certains secteurs industriels. Il s'avere que les entreprises situees dans des districts industriels (qu'elles se specialisent dans l'activite phare industrielle du district ou non) exportent plus et jouissent d'une valeur ajoutee plus elevee que ne le font les entreprises situees ailleurs, compte tenu de l'impact des controles en cours. Le controle de solidite fait sur la connexion agglomeration-performances laisse voir, comme prevu, un important rapport entre des indicateurs dichotomiques des districts et des mesures d'agglomeration et de specialisation continues (a la fois globales et specifiques). Si l'on assume des emplacements dans des districts industriels a partir de ces variables continues, et que l'on considere le poids de la sous-traitance et des approvisionnements externes des etablissements productifs comme des controles supplementaires, les performances des exportations et de la valeur ajoutee sont confirmees. Mesures d'agglomeration geographique Districts industriels Performances des exportations Becchetti L., De Panizza A. und Oropallo F. (2007) Die Rolle der Externalitaten von industriellen Bezirken fur die Export- und Wertsteigerungsleistung: Belege aus der Bevolkerung italienischer Firmen, Regional Studies 41,...

O Impacto dos Recursos do Desempenho Exportador de Empresas Pertencentes a Clusters: um estudo no setor vitivinícola francês

“…Unlike previous studies, which evaluated the impact of belonging to clusters on internationalization in export performance (BECCHETTI; ROSSI, 2000; MITTELSTAEDT; WARD; NOWLIN, 2006;BELSO-MARTINEZ, 2006;BECCHETTI;PANIZZA;OROPALLO, 2007). These findings indicate that, depending on the cluster in which the winery is located, this impact will be different.…”

“…Confirming the argument of Zhao and Zou (2002) In addition, the results of these studies are contradictory: on the one hand, the results indicate the existence of a positive influence of the geographical agglomeration of companies in export performance (BECCHETTI;ROSSI, 2000;MITTELSTAEDT;WARD;NOWLIN, 2006;BELSO-MARTINEZ, 2006;BECCHETTI;PANIZZA;OROPALLO, 2007); on the other, studies that found no relationship or even a negative influence of geographic concentration on the export performance (ZHAO; ZOU, 2002;MACCARINI;SCABINI;ZUCCHELLA, 2003). Intermediately, Fernhaber, Gilbert andMcDougall (2008) found that the concentration of companies in a cluster relates positively with the intensity of exports of new projects to some extent, from which the relationship becomes negative.…”

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