Studies of contemporary economic development within industrialized societies often
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agglomeration to the role which local institutions can play in altering regional
economic trajectories, there is a tendency within economic geography to
‘go local’. Though there is much to be gleaned from local,
firm-based research, the fact that the local is situated within other spatial
scales, and in many cases is contingent upon broader geographical contexts (e.g.
regional, national, global) is sometimes understated. We expand the geographical
frames of reference by which Italian economic development, and in particular
understandings of local growth in Italy, are understood, by situating the local in
Italy within other meso-scale relationships.Though certain areas and regions of
Italy are famous for their particular brand of local economic development, these
places are not isolated nor are they independent in a geographic sense.Through
detailed spatial analyses of provincial export shares, which are used to gauge the
external basis of a local economy, we show that understanding and explaining
economic growth in Italy and elsewhere can benefit from an approach which
appreciates the significance of extra-local linkages.
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