PERSISTENCE VS. CHANGE IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZATION PATTERN OF ITALY: HOW MUCH DOES THE 'DISTRICT EFFECT' MATTER?

Roberta Rabellotti (1) , Alessia Amighini (2) , Marinella Leone (2)

1 Department of Economics
2 Economics

This paper investigates the evolution of specialization patterns for the Italian provinces over the period 1995-2005 by analysing the dynamics of the sectoral distribution in the Balassa index of revealed comparative advantages. The results show that underlying a relatively stable distribution of national comparative advantages over time, there are wide variations in local performance: only a few provinces demonstrate any stability in their specialization over the last decade, with the majority showing decreased specialization. We find a higher average degree of persistence for provinces with districts, but no systematic differences between provinces with or without industrial districts. District provinces show wide variation, with a few concentrating on their past comparative strengths, but many diversifying.

Mots clés: Social Sciences & Humanities

Roberta Rabellotti, Alessia Amighini, Marinella Leone. PERSISTENCE VS. CHANGE IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZATION PATTERN OF ITALY: HOW MUCH DOES THE 'DISTRICT EFFECT' MATTER?. Regional Studies, 2010, 45 (05), pp.1. ⟨10.1080/00343401003604655⟩. ⟨hal-00592287⟩