Giaccaria, Paolo
(2007)
Territorial competitiveness in a systematic perspective. Evidence from Turin's territorial productive systems.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
The main focus of the research is on the concept of territorial competitiveness (TC). In TC literature, territory is assumed either as a set of locations that can be sold in a sort of market or as a set of assets that can influence firms' competitiveness. In both case, TC concept cannot be addressed without an explicit theorisation of the economic importance of territory. The aim of this thesis, on a theoretical level, is to use autopoietic system theory as a framework for conceptualising the territory-economy linkage introducing the concept of Territorial Productive Systems (TPS). TPS can be defined as a set of components (mainly firms, but also public administration, research centres, universities, employers' and employees' associations, training centres etc.) systemically linked by relationships founded on territorial proximity, that is both organisational and physical proximity. What makes the TPS different from other geographical and economic objects - like industrial districts, clusters, mere agglomerations - is its explicit systemic construction, focusing on the differentiation between organisation (the basic set of processes that define the distinctiveness of a given TPS) and structure (the set of contingent characters). In the second part of the dissertation, the TPS is applied to analyse Turin's economic and productive transformation. Though traditionally identified as one of the main cases for Fordist organisation in Europe, Turin has always escaped the traditional features of the one-company-town. Grounding on literature review, previous studies, and a survey of about 400 face-to-face interviews we will try to describe how Fiat's supply-chain has been changing over the last decades, setting local sub-systems free to follow new development and learning patterns. In particular, we will be claiming that the existence of continuity over time does not imply the existence of a unique development path and a reification of the territory, but rather the fact that continuity can cope with variety and change in an evolutionary perspective.
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