Structural Change and Resilience in Industrial Districts. The Case of Carpi

Changing competitive conditions, with the increasing integration of markets and the emergence of Asian producers, technical progress involving both the organization of processes and products and consumption habits, the economic and financial crisis, the pandemic and its consequences on the organization of supply chains, and the need to orient firm choices towards sustainable production, have constituted and continue to constitute challenges for Italian manufacturing and made in Italy. This essay examines the processes of change that have taken place over the last thirty years in one of Italy’s best-known industrial districts: the knitwear and clothing district of Carpi. Using an open panel of firms, representative of the population, the essay reconstructs the general trends of the industry using micro-data collected during the period by the district’s textile and clothing Observatory. The richness of the information available makes it possible to give an account of the main strategic choices made by both final firms and subcontracting firms. The essay shows how despite a strong downsizing of the manufacturing base, Carpi still has possibilities for development. The analysis concludes with a comparison with another historical textile district, Prato, highlighting the different trajectories of the two production systems and with some reflections on industrial policies.