Evolutionary and adaptive local systems in North East Italy: Strategies of localized learning,open leadership and cooperation. Towards imperfect “communitarian capitalism”

Abstract

We consider the nature of local production systems as a complex institutional form of coordination of the division of labor between firms as growing interrelations mediated by cognitve resources transferable by sharing internal/external competences. In this way emerge a process of internalization of competences thorought an evolutionary networking oriented to the efficiency of the system and not simply of single units. Our analysis is oriented to describe the peculiarity of the institutional system in the case of North East industrial districts. We assumes the North East industrial economy evolves on the basis of differentiated learning capacities, according to a complex system of economic and social relations encouraging the circulation of useful knowledge and information for economic growth and expanding both base of industrial leadership and spillover chain. The North East economy is well described in terms of a Multilevel Neural Network. This approach tends to revaluate local contexts as specific and active box of innovation resources, over simple considerations as factors of localisation, in other words a bridge between local and global resources. Learning processes and institutional contexts are variables that often seem to bind together economic and social factors. The orientation towards growth and innovation is due to the peculiarity of relationships based system existing in the district area, regarding the prevalent system (albeit incomplete) of learning strategies of both firms and institutions. This system is multi-purpose and oriented to produce through processes of both activities, self-coordination and self-learning. We have identified the “generator” of growth as meta-organisers. They comprise two classes of co-operators, not necessary alternative: innovative firms (as specialists, connectors, generators) and local institutions (private and public agents, or sub-systems of institutions), involved directly or indirectly in the process of innovation and/or to reduce costs of operations. In the last part of work we will show a simple model of differentiation of some industrial districts in North East of Italy: more efficient is the district with high level of intermediate institutions (private as firms and public as local authority and infrastructure) and with more large base of SMEs leadership. Two main forms of district emerge: the evolutionary district (for example, as Montebelluna specialised on ski-shoes business) and non evolutionary ones (adaptive district) (for example, as Maniago specialised on knives business), where we find a really limited base of leadership and constraints to enlarge division of labor between firms. We shall consider some elements related to district economies and their evolution as far as regulations are concerned, in order to show that the North East’s model of development is a peculiar form of “communitarian or social capitalism” for some aspects analogous to that of the Rhine area (a clear form of “corporatist capitalism”).