Unity in Variety. Employment Dynamics and Specialisation Profiles of Medium-Sized Towns in the Asti-Rovigo Area, Italy (2001–2017)

Abstract

We still know relatively little about the processes of economic transformation in medium-sized towns, which are the cornerstone of the settlement system of many rural areas, together with small towns. This paper considers a group of 39 towns in Northern Italy, located in the area between Asti and Rovigo. Using data from the Italian National Institute of Data Statistics (ISTAT), we investigated the dynamics of the number of the employed at businesses in the periods of 2001–2011 and 2012–2017, the different specialisations of the towns and their ability to attract employees within the respective employment areas. Locally differentiated performance and evolutionary trajectories are evident, preventing us from being able to think of medium-sized (but also small) towns as a coherent whole. It is also clear how the drive towards centralising employees in towns increased following the Great Recession.

A Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns

“…However, the empirical evidence is ambiguous. A sample of 39 SMSTs in northern Italy showed that industrial towns face poorer job growth and are more prone to economic crises (Clerici, 2020). Ženka et al (2015) found a generally positive relationship between the share of manufacturing employment and economic performance in Czech non-metropolitan microregions with an average population of 42,000, noting that older industrial microregions with a dominant single industrial firm tend to have high per capita value added.…”

Employment Trends in Northern Italy’s Medium-Sized Cities from 2012 to the Shock of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Group of Cities in Distress?

“…MSCs have an entirely unique position in the settlement network, but it is difficult to form an overarching account of their characteristics and evolutionary processes: even within the same country (and even within the same region) we find many scenarios, defined by a mix of factors linked to geographical position, the socio-economic fabric and local political stances. These cities form a group in appearance only, finding unity in their variety (Clerici, 2020).…”

Historical Analysis of the Example of Nowy Sącz in Space Syntax Perspective. Guidelines for Future Development of Urban Matrix in Medium-Sized Cities

“…The choice of medium-size cities for comprehensive support with the development policy is connected to the fact that they play a significant stabilizing role in the polycentric settlement system [5,6]. The proper formation and functioning of that system positively influences territorial cohesion, reduces development disproportions and tendencies for excessive concentration, lowers activity costs, increases the probability of synergy effects, weakens negative feedback, and enables complementary network cooperation [7,8].…”