Local Policies for Innovation: The Case of Technology Districts in Italy

Abstract

In this paper we study a policy tool called technology districts, implemented in Italy over the last decade to foster local innovation activity. First, we examine the characteristics of technology districts and those of the firms within them. Next, we assess the performance of district firms. We find that in the southern regions technology districts are more numerous but smaller than those located in the Centre-North, are poorly diversified from a sectorial point of view and more distant from the economic structure of the area. We find that the firms that did join a district had previously been, on average, larger, more innovative and profitable, and also show higher leverage than the others. Our results show that overall after the birth of a district the performance of the firms that joined it did not differ significantly from that of similar firms that did not.

Technological Districts and the Financing of Innovation: Opportunities and Challenges for Local Banks

“…While industrial districts come from below, that is, from the local socio–economic context in which they are inserted and the willingness of companies to establish a network (Becattini, ; Baccarani and Golinelli, ), the formation of tech‐clusters is both a result of public investment or the location of a large high‐tech enterprise that acts as a bridging institution (Boari and Lipparini, ; Lofsten and Lindelof, ; Bresnahan et al ., ). In many cases, they bring together firms without a strict spatial correlation, with one or more big firms acting as hub of the innovation processes (Bertamino et al ., ). If industrial districts do not have special links with research centres, technological districts form around scientific centres of excellence which help to transfer research results to the industrial system.…”

All that Glitters is Not Gold: the Surrogate Use of University Spin-Offs. Insights from Italy

“…law 106/2011). In the same years, national and regional governments launched more 'systemic' policies by financing science and technology parks, centres of excellence, technological districts, technology transfer offices (TTOs) and business incubation services (Bertamino et al 2016;Miceli, 2010). In any case, the limits of Italian innovation policies are well known.…”

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“…1 After some delays, the policy has been revived by some Regions. According to Bertamino et al (2016), from 2002 to 2011, 450 million euro have been disbursed by the State to support such initiatives (regional funds excluded). The authors provide a first evaluation of the policy, and suggest that it did not have a relevant effect on the 1 See more detailed information on http://www.distretti-tecnologici.it/home.htm.…”