La théorie des conventions en géographie économique : un éclairage apporté par l’application à l’industrie espagnole du vin

The theoretical framework of conventions and worlds of production provides useful support to understand the current trends in the agro-food system. The conceptualization of food quality, the emergence of alternative food networks and the innovation processes in the food system have all been addressed by using the typologies of conventions and worlds of production. This body of academic literature is mostly qualitative and based on case studies. This article discusses a quantitative approach to the measurement of conventions and the allocation of food producers to different worlds of production. The empirical support comes from a sample of twelve Spanish PDO wine districts. By using official or open-data sources, twenty-eight indicators have been designed to measure the six kinds of conventions in each wine district, and eighteen ones have been chosen to identify worlds of production. This methodology shows the contribution of quantitative analysis to the prevailing qualitative discourse and suggests that further comparative studies may be useful for food cluster partners to support strategic decisions.