IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/intemj/v16y2020i1d10.1007_s11365-018-0521-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Agglomeration dynamics of innovative start-ups in Italy beyond the industrial district era

Author

Listed:
  • Angelo Cavallo

    (Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering)

  • Antonio Ghezzi

    (Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering)

  • Alessandra Colombelli

    (DIGEP, Politecnico di Torino and BRICK (Bureau of Research in Innovation Complexity and Knowledge), Collegio Carlo Alberto)

  • Gian Luca Casali

    (Queensland University of Technology, School of Management, Brisbane)

Abstract

Building on the literature on agglomeration economies, this study examines how urbanization, industry-diversification, district economics and incubating initiatives are associated to the creation of innovative start-ups in Italy. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 6018 innovative start-ups distributed across 104 Italian NUTS 3 regions. Our findings show that incubating initiative and industrial districts play a major role for new venture creation and provide support to the positive role of urbanization economies and industry specialization over diversification. Finally, we discuss future research directions grounded on the empirical evidence provided by our study.

Suggested Citation

  • Angelo Cavallo & Antonio Ghezzi & Alessandra Colombelli & Gian Luca Casali, 2020. "Agglomeration dynamics of innovative start-ups in Italy beyond the industrial district era," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 239-262, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:intemj:v:16:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11365-018-0521-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11365-018-0521-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11365-018-0521-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11365-018-0521-8?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Romer, Paul M, 1986. "Increasing Returns and Long-run Growth," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(5), pages 1002-1037, October.
    2. Jun Li & Shuai Geng, 2012. "Industrial clusters, shared resources and firm performance," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5-6), pages 357-381, June.
    3. Sean M. Hackett & David M. Dilts, 2004. "A Systematic Review of Business Incubation Research," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 55-82, January.
    4. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2000. "Diversity and Specialisation in Cities: Why, Where and When Does it Matter?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 533-555, March.
    5. Michael Fritsch & Pamela Mueller, 2006. "The Evolution of Regional Entrepreneurship and Growth Regimes," International Studies in Entrepreneurship, in: Michael Fritsch & Juergen Schmude (ed.), Entrepreneurship in the Region, chapter 11, pages 225-244, Springer.
    6. Spilling, Olav R., 1996. "The entrepreneurial system: On entrepreneurship in the context of a mega-event," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 91-103, May.
    7. Paul Bishop, 2012. "Knowledge, diversity and entrepreneurship: a spatial analysis of new firm formation in Great Britain," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(7-8), pages 641-660, September.
    8. Alexis Lazaridis, 2007. "A Note Regarding the Condition Number: The Case of Spurious and Latent Multicollinearity," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 123-135, February.
    9. Gilles Duranton & Diego Puga, 2001. "Nursery Cities: Urban Diversity, Process Innovation, and the Life Cycle of Products," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1454-1477, December.
    10. Bennett Harrison & Maryellen R. Kelley & Jon Gant, 1996. "Innovative Firm Behavior and Local Milieu: Exploring the Intersection of Agglomeration, Firm Effects, and Technological Change," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 72(3), pages 233-258, July.
    11. Fenoaltea, Stefano, 2003. "Notes on the Rate of Industrial Growth in Italy, 1861–1913," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 63(3), pages 695-735, September.
    12. Krugman, Paul, 1991. "Increasing Returns and Economic Geography," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(3), pages 483-499, June.
    13. David, Paul A, 1985. "Clio and the Economics of QWERTY," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(2), pages 332-337, May.
    14. Rui Baptista & Joana Mendonça, 2010. "Proximity to knowledge sources and the location of knowledge-based start-ups," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 45(1), pages 5-29, August.
    15. Candace Campbell & David N. Allen, 1987. "The Small Business Incubator Industry: Micro-Level Economic Development," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 1(2), pages 178-191, May.
    16. Jan Fagerberg & David C Mowery & Bart Verspagen, 2009. "The evolution of Norway's national innovation system," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 36(6), pages 431-444, July.
    17. Minghao Li & Stephan J. Goetz & Mark Partridge & David A. Fleming, 2016. "Location determinants of high-growth firms," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1-2), pages 97-125, January.
    18. Jeffrey M. Shepard, 2017. "When incubators evolve: new models to assist innovative entrepreneurs," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 21(1/2), pages 86-104.
    19. Frank G. van Oort & Oedzge A. L. C. Atzema, 2004. "On the conceptualization of agglomeration economies: The case of new firm formation in the Dutch ICT sector," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 38(2), pages 263-290, June.
    20. Edward L. Glaeser, 1998. "Are Cities Dying?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 139-160, Spring.
    21. Zoltán J. Ács & Pontus Braunerhjelm & David B. Audretsch & Bo Carlsson, 2015. "The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Chapters, in: Global Entrepreneurship, Institutions and Incentives, chapter 7, pages 129-144, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    22. Audretsch, David B. & Lehmann, Erik E., 2005. "Does the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship hold for regions?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1191-1202, October.
    23. Phillip Phan & Donald S. Siegel & Mike Wright, 2016. "Science Parks and Incubators: Observations, Synthesis and Future Research," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Phillip H Phan & Sarfraz A Mian & Wadid Lamine (ed.), TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION Theory • Practice • Lessons Learned, chapter 9, pages 249-272, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    24. Hector Rocha, 2004. "Entrepreneurship and Development: The Role of Clusters," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 363-400, October.
    25. Valter Di Giacinto & Matteo Gomellini & Giacinto Micucci & Marcello Pagnini, 2014. "Mapping local productivity advantages in Italy: industrial districts, cities or both?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 365-394.
    26. Colombo, Massimo G. & Delmastro, Marco, 2002. "How effective are technology incubators?: Evidence from Italy," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1103-1122, September.
    27. Niels Bosma & Veronique Schutjens, 2007. "Patterns Of Promising Entrepreneurial Activity In European Regions," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 98(5), pages 675-686, December.
    28. Johnson, Peter & Conway, Cheryl, 1997. "How Good Are the U.K. VAT Registration Data at Measuring Firm Births?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 9(5), pages 403-409, October.
    29. Audretsch, David B, 1998. "Agglomeration and the Location of Innovative Activity," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 14(2), pages 18-29, Summer.
    30. Grandi, Alessandro & Grimaldi, Rosa, 2003. "Exploring the Networking Characteristics of New Venture Founding Teams," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 329-341, December.
    31. Antonelli, Cristiano, 1997. "The economics of path-dependence in industrial organization," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 643-675, October.
    32. Andrea Bonaccorsi & Massimo Colombo & Massimiliano Guerini & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2013. "University specialization and new firm creation across industries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 837-863, December.
    33. Reynolds, Paul D & Miller, Brenda & Maki, Wilbur R, 1995. "Explaining Regional Variation in Business Births and Deaths: U.S. 1976-88," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 7(5), pages 389-407, October.
    34. Giorgio Calcagnini & Ilario Favaretto & Germana Giombini & Francesco Perugini & Rosalba Rombaldoni, 2016. "The role of universities in the location of innovative start-ups," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 670-693, August.
    35. Andre Torre, 2008. "On the Role Played by Temporary Geographical Proximity in Knowledge Transmission," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(6), pages 869-889.
    36. Link, Albert N. & Scott, John T., 2003. "U.S. science parks: the diffusion of an innovation and its effects on the academic missions of universities," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(9), pages 1323-1356, November.
    37. Audretsch, David B., 1995. "Innovation, growth and survival," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 441-457, December.
    38. Evans, David S & Jovanovic, Boyan, 1989. "An Estimated Model of Entrepreneurial Choice under Liquidity Constraints," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(4), pages 808-827, August.
    39. Aki Kangasharju, 2000. "Regional variations in firm formation: Panel and cross-section data evidence from Finland," Papers in Regional Science, Springer;Regional Science Association International, vol. 79(4), pages 355-373.
    40. Eric A. Nerlinger & Franz-Josef Bade, 2000. "The spatial distribution of new technology-based firms: Empirical results for West-Germany," Papers in Regional Science, Springer;Regional Science Association International, vol. 79(2), pages 155-176.
    41. Maryellen Kelley & Susan Helper, 1999. "Firm Size And Capabilities, Regional Agglomeration, And The Adoption Of New Technology," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1-2), pages 79-103.
    42. Ron Martin & Peter Sunley, 2006. "Path dependence and regional economic evolution," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 395-437, August.
    43. Patel, Pari & Pavitt, Keith, 1997. "The technological competencies of the world's largest firms: Complex and path-dependent, but not much variety," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(2), pages 141-156, May.
    44. Catherine Armington & Zoltan J. Acs, 2008. "The Determinants of Regional Variation in New Firm Formation," Chapters, in: Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy, chapter 18, pages 224-243, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    45. Frank Lasch & Frank Robert & Frédéric Roy, 2013. "Regional determinants of ICT new firm formation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 671-686, April.
    46. Michael Fritsch & Juergen Schmude (ed.), 2006. "Entrepreneurship in the Region," International Studies in Entrepreneurship, Springer, number 978-0-387-28376-0, December.
    47. M. Teresa Costa Campi & AgustÌ Segarra Blasco & Elisabet Viladecans Marsal, 2004. "The Location of New Firms and the Life Cycle of Industries," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 22(3_4), pages 265-281, April.
    48. Niccolò Ghio & Massimiliano Guerini & Erik Lehmann & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2015. "The emergence of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 1-18, January.
    49. Koen Frenken & Frank Van Oort & Thijs Verburg, 2007. "Related Variety, Unrelated Variety and Regional Economic Growth," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(5), pages 685-697.
    50. Alessandra Colombelli, 2016. "The impact of local knowledge bases on the creation of innovative start-ups in Italy," Post-Print halshs-01340050, HAL.
    51. F Xavier Molina-Morales & M. Teresa Martínez-Fernández, 2006. "Industrial districts: something more than a neighbourhood," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(6), pages 503-524, November.
    52. Evangelia Sofouli & Nicholas Vonortas, 2007. "S&T Parks and business incubators in middle-sized countries: the case of greece," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 32(5), pages 525-544, October.
    53. Koh, Francis C. C. & Koh, Winston T. H. & Tschang, Feichin Ted, 2005. "An analytical framework for science parks and technology districts with an application to Singapore," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 217-239, March.
    54. Gerben Panne, 2004. "Agglomeration externalities: Marshall versus Jacobs," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 593-604, December.
    55. Rudy Aernoudt, 2004. "Incubators: Tool for Entrepreneurship?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 127-135, September.
    56. Albert N. Link & John T. Scott, 2007. "The economics of university research parks," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 23(4), pages 661-674, Winter.
    57. Eloy Sentana & Reyes González & José Gascó & Juan LLopis, 2017. "The social profitability of business incubators: a measurement proposal," Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1-2), pages 116-136, January.
    58. Zoltan J. Acs & Mark Sanders, 2008. "Intellectual Property Rights and the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship," Jena Economics Research Papers 2008-069, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    59. Frank Moulaert & Farid Sekia, 2003. "Territorial Innovation Models: A Critical Survey," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 289-302.
    60. Richard Florida & Patrick Adler & Charlotta Mellander, 2017. "The city as innovation machine," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 86-96, January.
    61. Hector Rocha & Rolf Sternberg, 2005. "Entrepreneurship: The Role of Clusters Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Evidence from Germany," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 267-292, February.
    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. Leonardo Mazzoni & Niccolò Innocenti, 2024. "What conditions favor high-potential entrepreneurship? Unpacking the nexus between the industrial structure and startup typologies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 1201-1222, March.
    2. Irery L. Melchor-Duran & Allan Villegas-Mateos, 2024. "Comparative Analysis of the Determinants of Entrepreneurial Activities in the Middle East and Latin America," World, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Raffaele Fiorentino & Sergio Longobardi & Carla Morrone & Alessandro Scaletti, 2024. "Educational heterogeneity of the founding team of innovative start-ups: confirmations and denials," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 2347-2367, September.
    4. Lu Cui & Jing Shen & Zhuolin Mai & Chenghui Lin & Shaogu Wang, 2024. "Spatial Distribution and Location Determinants of High-Tech Firms in Shenzhen, a Chinese National Innovative City," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Leonardo Mazzoni & Massimo Riccaboni & Erik Stam, 2024. "Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Interregional Flows of Entrepreneurial Talent," Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) 2426, Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography, revised Aug 2024.
    6. Soniya Falahatdoost & Xingping Wang, 2022. "Industrial Park Role as a Catalyst for Regional Development: Zooming on Middle East Countries," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Giuliano Sansone & Elisa Ughetto & Paolo Landoni, 2021. "Entrepreneurial intention: An analysis of the role of Student-Led Entrepreneurial Organizations," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 399-433, September.

    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. Barbara Del Bosco & Alice Mazzucchelli & Roberto Chierici & Angelo Di Gregorio, 2021. "Innovative startup creation: the effect of local factors and demographic characteristics of entrepreneurs," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 145-164, March.
    2. Frank Lasch & Frank Robert & Frédéric Roy, 2013. "Regional determinants of ICT new firm formation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 671-686, April.
    3. Calá, Carla Daniela, 2014. "Regional issues on firm entry and exit in Argentina: core and peripheral regions," Nülan. Deposited Documents 2023, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales, Centro de Documentación.
    4. Alessandra Colombelli & Francesco Quatraro, 2019. "Green start-ups and local knowledge spillovers from clean and dirty technologies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 773-792, April.
    5. Alexandra Tsvetkova & Mark Partridge, 2021. "Knowledge-based service economy and firm entry: an alternative to the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 637-657, February.
    6. Alessandra Colombelli & Emilio Paolucci & Elisabetta Raguseo & Gianluca Elia, 2024. "The creation of digital innovative start-ups: the role of digital knowledge spillovers and digital skill endowment," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 917-937, March.
    7. Niccolò Ghio & Massimiliano Guerini & Erik Lehmann & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2015. "The emergence of the knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 1-18, January.
    8. Colombelli, Alessandra & Quatraro, Francesco, 2018. "New firm formation and regional knowledge production modes: Italian evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 139-157.
    9. Angelo Cavallo & Antonio Ghezzi & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2021. "Small-medium enterprises and innovative startups in entrepreneurial ecosystems: exploring an under-remarked relation," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(4), pages 1843-1866, December.
    10. Dirk Dohse & Sascha Walter, 2012. "Knowledge context and entrepreneurial intentions among students," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 877-895, November.
    11. Vasilios Kanellopoulos & Georgios Fotopoulos, 2019. "The effect of knowledge spillovers on regional new firm formation: The Greek manufacturing case," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 51(4), pages 1005-1030, June.
    12. Giancarlo Giudici & Massimiliano Guerini & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra, 2019. "The creation of cleantech startups at the local level: the role of knowledge availability and environmental awareness," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 815-830, April.
    13. Raquel Ortega-Argilés, 2022. "The evolution of regional entrepreneurship policies: “no one size fits all”," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(3), pages 585-610, December.
    14. Elsie Harper-Anderson & David A. Lewis, 2018. "What Makes Business Incubation Work? Measuring the Influence of Incubator Quality and Regional Capacity on Incubator Outcomes," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 32(1), pages 60-77, February.
    15. Silveli Cristo-Andrade & João J. Ferreira, 2020. "Knowledge spillovers and strategic entrepreneurship: what researches and approaches?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 263-286, March.
    16. Corinne Autant-Bernard, 2015. "Que savons-nous de l’impact économique des parcs scientifiques ? Une revue de la littérature," Working Papers halshs-01211662, HAL.
    17. Tavassoli, Sam & Obschonka, Martin & Audretsch, David B., 2021. "Entrepreneurship in Cities," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(7).
    18. Bollmann, Tobias, 2018. "Unternehmensgründungen und Hochschulen: Eine Analyse der Bedeutung von universitärer Entrepreneurship-Bildung und Clustermitgliedschaften auf regionale Unternehmensgründungen," Arbeitspapiere 180, University of Münster, Institute for Cooperatives.
    19. Good, Matthew & Knockaert, Mirjam & Soppe, Birthe & Wright, Mike, 2019. "The technology transfer ecosystem in academia. An organizational design perspective," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 82, pages 35-50.
    20. Carlo Corradini & Enrico Vanino, 2022. "Path dependency, regional variety and the dynamics of new firm creation in rooted and pioneering industries [The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship]," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 22(3), pages 631-651.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    New venture creation; Agglomeration economies; Innovative start-ups; Industrial districts; Incubators; Industry-diversification;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    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:spr:intemj:v:16:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11365-018-0521-8. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.