Distretti industriali, nuove politiche territoriali e programmazione
The essay focuses on local development and governance. It examines the questions posed by the evolution of industrial districts and the new policy for local development, the so-called Instruments for Local Development. The analysis highlights a complex and contradictory relationship between the theory of local development, and in particular the notion of Marshallian Industrial District, and the new policy for local and regional development. Calling the new conceptual framework and legislation «negotiated development planning» engenders a fundamental ambiguity. It suggests a sort of continuity with the previous national policy of economic planning, but is instead defining a fundamentally different approach to government intervention in the economy.