IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envira/v36y2004i2p263-278.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Industrial Agglomerations as Localised Networks: The Case of the Portuguese Injection Mould Industry

Author

Listed:
  • João Q Mota

    (Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestao, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, Rua Miguel Lupi 20, 1200-725 Lisbon, Portugal)

  • Luís M de Castro

    (Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr Roberto Frias s/n, 4200-464 Porto, Portugal)

Abstract

A resurgence of interest in industrial agglomerations can be found among many different academic disciplines. This trend has been accompanied by a focus on how spatial proximity and the emergence of links between colocated actors may generate benefits for firms, namely, in the generation and diffusion of knowledge. By conceiving industrial agglomerations as territorially based networks, we argue that the dynamics in connections internal to those networks affect and are affected by local institutions as well as connections external to the territory. Our study of the injection mould industry cluster at Marinha Grande in Portugal suggests that firms profit from the emergence of relationships between colocated actors and other agglomeration benefits. However, we suggest that the potential of the industry to generate new knowledge appears to be founded on the patterns of interfirm connections, which selectively connect diverse capabilities both within and outside the agglomeration.

Suggested Citation

  • João Q Mota & Luís M de Castro, 2004. "Industrial Agglomerations as Localised Networks: The Case of the Portuguese Injection Mould Industry," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(2), pages 263-278, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:36:y:2004:i:2:p:263-278
    DOI: 10.1068/a3684
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1068/a3684
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1068/a3684?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Best, Michael H, 1999. "Regional Growth Dynamics: A Capabilities Perspective," Contributions to Political Economy, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 18(0), pages 105-119.
    2. Lazerson, Mark H & Lorenzoni, Gianni, 1999. "The Firms That Feed Industrial Districts: A Return to the Italian," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 8(2), pages 235-266, June.
    3. Dupuy, Claude & Gilly, Jean-Pierre, 1999. "Industrial Groups and Territories: The Case of Matra-Marconi-Space in Toulouse," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 23(2), pages 207-223, March.
    4. Bell, Martin & Albu, Michael, 1999. "Knowledge Systems and Technological Dynamism in Industrial Clusters in Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(9), pages 1715-1734, September.
    5. Peter Dicken & Anders Malmberg, 2001. "Firms in Territories: A Relational Perspective," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 77(4), pages 345-363, October.
    6. Steven Pinch & Nick Henry, 1999. "Paul Krugman's Geographical Economics, Industrial Clustering and the British Motor Sport Industry," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(9), pages 815-827.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Maté-Sánchez-Val, Mariluz & Harris, Richard, 2018. "The paradox of geographical proximity for innovators: A regional study of the Spanish agri-food sector," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 458-467.
    2. Franz Huber, 2012. "On the Sociospatial Dynamics of Personal Knowledge Networks: Formation, Maintenance, and Knowledge Interactions," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(2), pages 356-376, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrea Morrison, 2005. "Inside the Black Box of ‘Industrial Atmosphere’: Knowledge and Information Networks in an Italian wine local system," Working Papers 97, SEMEQ Department - Faculty of Economics - University of Eastern Piedmont.
    2. F. Xavier Molina-Morales & M. Teresa Martínez-Fernández, 2008. "Shared Resources in Industrial Districts: Information, Know-How and Institutions in the Spanish Tile Industry," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 31(1), pages 35-61, January.
    3. Gebreeyesus, Mulu & Mohnen, Pierre, 2013. "Innovation Performance and Embeddedness in Networks: Evidence from the Ethiopian Footwear Cluster," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 302-316.
    4. Wilson Suzigan & João Furtado & Renato Garcia, 2007. "Designing Policies for Local Production Systems: A Methodology Based on Evidence from Brazil," Economia, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics], vol. 8(1), pages 161-186.
    5. Fiorenza Belussi & Alessia Sammarra, 2006. "Evolution and Relocation in Fashion-led Italian Districts: Evidence from two Case-Studies," "Marco Fanno" Working Papers 0023, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche "Marco Fanno".
    6. Giuliani, Elisa & Bell, Martin, 2005. "The micro-determinants of meso-level learning and innovation: evidence from a Chilean wine cluster," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 47-68, February.
    7. Elisa Giuliani, 2010. "Clusters, Networks and Economic Development: An Evolutionary Economics Perspective," Chapters, in: Ron Boschma & Ron Martin (ed.), The Handbook of Evolutionary Economic Geography, chapter 12, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. César Camisón, 2004. "Shared, Competitive, and Comparative Advantages: A Competence-Based View of Industrial-District Competitiveness," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 36(12), pages 2227-2256, December.
    9. Eleonora Lorenzini, 2014. "Innovation and e-commerce in clusters of small firms: The case of a regional e-marketplace," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 29(8), pages 771-794, December.
    10. Eleonora Lorenzini, 2012. "Innovation and e-commerce in clusters of small firms: The case of a regional e-marketplace," DEM Working Papers Series 003, University of Pavia, Department of Economics and Management.
    11. Andrea Morrison & Roberta Rabellotti, 2005. "Knowledge and Information Networks: Evidence from an Italian Wine Local System," KITeS Working Papers 174, KITeS, Centre for Knowledge, Internationalization and Technology Studies, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy, revised Sep 2005.
    12. Davenport, Sally, 2005. "Exploring the role of proximity in SME knowledge-acquisition," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 683-701, June.
    13. Lorenzo Ciapetti, 2011. "Technological Change, Knowledge Integration and Adaptive Processes: The Mechatronic Evolution of the Reggio Emilia District," Chapters, in: Paul L. Robertson & David Jacobson (ed.), Knowledge Transfer and Technology Diffusion, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. Henrekson, Magnus & Johansson, Dan, 2010. "Firm Growth, Institutions and Structural Transformation," Ratio Working Papers 150, The Ratio Institute.
    15. Aspers, Patrik & Kohl, Sebastian & Power, Dominic, 2008. "Economic sociology discovering economic geography," economic sociology. perspectives and conversations, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, vol. 9(3), pages 3-16.
    16. Ponomariov, Branco & Toivanen, Hannes, 2014. "Knowledge flows and bases in emerging economy innovation systems: Brazilian research 2005–2009," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 588-596.
    17. Cirer-Costa, Joan Carles, 2015. "The pressure of tourism on the Mediterranean coastline and beaches," MPRA Paper 62843, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Emanuela Todeva & Ruslan Rakhmatullin, 2016. "Industry Global Value Chains, Connectivity and Regional Smart Specialisation in Europe. An Overview of Theoretical Approaches and Mapping Methodologies," JRC Research Reports JRC102801, Joint Research Centre.
    19. Ferrari, Filippo & Timoncini, Bruno & Conzatti, Silvia & Teglia, Egle, 2006. "Una proposta a sostegno dello sviluppo delle Cinque Valli Bolognesi [A proposal to support the development of the Cinque Valli Bolognesi]," MPRA Paper 20628, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Giovanni Costa & Arnaldo Camuffo, 2014. "The evolution of human resource management in Italy: a historical-institutional perspective," Chapters, in: Bruce E. Kaufman (ed.), The Development of Human Resource Management Across Nations, chapter 11, pages 269-299, Edward Elgar Publishing.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:36:y:2004:i:2:p:263-278. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.