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Big Firms, Long Arms, Wide Shoulders: The 'Hub-and-Spoke' Industrial District in the Seattle Region

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  • Mia Gray
  • Elyse Golob
  • Ann Markusen

Abstract

GRAY M., GOLOB E. and MARKUSEN A. (1996) Big firms, long arms, wide shoulders: the 'hub-and-spoke' industrial district in the Seattle region, Reg. Studies 30, 651-666. Rapidly growing regions exhibit distinct varieties of industrial district structure. One variant is the hub-and-spoke form, where an industry and its suppliers cluster around one or several core firms. The hub-and-spoke district is distinct from the flexibly specialized district, its successs a function of dominant firm market power and strategy rather than networking. Hub-and-spoke districts are capable of generating high regional growth rates and good income distributions, but may render a region vulnerable to cyclical and secular decline and/or to the crowding out of noncompeting, newer sectors. The paper analyses the Seattle region as a hub-and-spoke district. GRAY M., GOLOB E. et MARKUSEN A. (1996) Les grandes enterprises tentaculaires: la zone industrielle du type 'moyeu et rayon': cas d'etude de la region de Seattle, Reg. Studies 30, 651-666. Les regions a developpement rapide demontrent des variantes differentes quant a la structure de leurs zones industrielles. Une variante est du type 'moyeu et rayon', ou une industrie et ses fournisseurs s'agglomerent autour d'une ou plusieurs entreprises cle. Une telle zone se distingue de la zone dite a specialisation souple; a savoir sa reussite se rapporte au pouvoir de marche et a la strategie d'une entreprise dominante plutot qu'a des reseaux. En outre, de telles zones sont capables d'engendrer des taux de croissance regionaux eleves et de bonnes distributions du revenu. Toujours est-il qu'elles risquent de rendre une region vulnerable au declin cyclique et seculier et/ou a l'absence de nouveaux secteurs non-competitifs a force de l'encombrement. L'article analyse la region de Seattle en tant que zone du type 'moyeu et rayon'. GRAY M., GOLOB E. und MARKUSEN A. (1996) Grosse Firmen, Lange Arme, Breite Schultern: das 'Radnabe und Speichen' Industriegebiet in der Region von Seattle, Reg. Studies 30, 651-666. Rasch wachsende Regionen weisen deutlich von einander abweichende Arten der Industriegebietsstrukturen auf. Eine solche Variante ist die 'Radnabe-und-Speichenform', bei der eine Industrie und ihre Zulieferer sich um eine oder mehrere Kernfirmen scharen. Das 'Radnabe-und-Speichenformgebiet' unterscheidet sich vom flexibel spezialisierten Gebiet, sein Erfolg ist eher eine Funktion der Markstrategie und -leistungsfahigkeit der vorherrschenden Firma als der Aktivierung eines Netzwerkes. 'Radnabe-und-Speichengebiete' sind in der Lage, hohe regionale Wachstumsraten zu erzeugen und eine gute Einkommensverteilung zu bewirken, konnen jedoch eine Region fur zyklischen und 'sekularen' Niedergang anfallig machen, sowie/oder der Verdrangung aus neuen, nicht im Wettbewerb stehenden Sektoren aussetzen. Dieser Aufsatz analysiert die Region von Seattle als ein 'Radnabe-und Speichengebiet'.

Suggested Citation

  • Mia Gray & Elyse Golob & Ann Markusen, 1996. "Big Firms, Long Arms, Wide Shoulders: The 'Hub-and-Spoke' Industrial District in the Seattle Region," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(7), pages 651-666.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:regstd:v:30:y:1996:i:7:p:651-666
    DOI: 10.1080/00343409612331349948
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wagner, Alfred, 1891. "Marshall's Principles of Economics," History of Economic Thought Articles, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, vol. 5, pages 319-338.
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