At the origin of the industrial district: Alfred Marshall and the Cambridge school

Authors: Belussi, Fiorenza; Caldari, Katia

Source: Cambridge Journal of Economics, Volume 33, Number 2, 10 March 2009 , pp. 335-355(21)

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Abstract:

This paper investigates the origin and evolution of the concept of the industrial district. The idea of industrial district is quite widespread in modern industrial economics and in business studies, with a variety of meanings and typologies. Indeed the real original conceptualisation dates back to Alfred Marshall and the economists of the so-called Cambridge school. Quite often the concept of industrial district is considered as synonymous with agglomeration, localisation and clustering. But, according to the meaning given originally by Marshall, these processes of industry territorialisation are quite different from the more compound localisation that is the Marshallian industrial district. Therefore, the aim of our contribution is focused on disentangling its original meaning from other subsequent interpretations, referring particularly to the debate on this subject that arose among the economists of the Cambridge School.

Keywords: Industrial district; Cambridge school; External economies; Agglomeration; B0; L11; R12; O14; O18

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cje/ben041

Publication date: 2009-03-10

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The Cambridge Journal of Economics, founded in 1977 in the traditions of Marx, Keynes, Kalecki, Joan Robinson and Kaldor, provides a forum for theoretical, applied, policy and methodological research into social and economic issues.