Perspectives on mature Marshallian industrial districts

Industrial districts growing in various industrialized countries and regions after the golden age of mass production, in the second half of the twentieth century, have shown a re-emergence of forces of local development. The success stories, in particular those showing more peculiar and consistent forms of industrial and social organization, as in many Italian cases, have asked and favored the definition of apposite concepts and frames of interpretations. A strong basis of theoretical refinement has been extracted in the last decades from earlier contributions of scholars, like Alfred Marshall, reflecting on the role and working of industrial districts before the golden age of mass production. A well-known refinement is the model of the so-called Marshallian industrial district (MID). Sustained trajectories of success within or around the logic of such model have brought to maturity a set of strong industrial districts. They have been confronting since the end of the last century with the effects of a new wave of globalization challenges. It is argued in this chapter that mature typical IDs may or may not be able to react progressively, for example in terms of innovation and internationalization, to contemporary challenges. When they cope actively, sometimes they follow trajectories which, though new, are still within the general scope of the MID model; other times they trespass its borders, as the industrial district meets and combines different logics of industrial and social organization