| Abstract: |
In recent times, the international competitive panorama has undergone intense
rapid change, due especially to the presence of new competitors, new
technology and new markets. These changes and their repercussions have had a
significant impact on many industrial districts, which has left many of these
agglomerations in critical condition. When facing these new circumstances, the
function of local institutions takes on a much greater importance in how these
districts adapt to the new competitive context, connecting companies with
external networks which give access to new sources of information and
knowledge. Furthermore, the role of local institutions will always be
conditioned by the context in which they are found. For instance, there are
significant differences between traditional or low-tech districts and
high-tech districts which offer technologically more advanced products and
services. Thus, while for the second category there is a great deal of
theoretical and academic evidence that supports the idea that institutions act
as leader actors in processes of innovation and improvement, in districts
which operate in traditional sectors there is a shortage of research that
analyzes the role played by institutions in these low-tech districts. To fill
this gap in the literature, we aim with this work to analyze the links
established by the companies of two industrial districts, with different
levels of innovation activity, with local institutions. We especially analyze
the intermediary and pollinating function that these institutions can have
within these districts. We have applied Social Network Analysis techniques,
analyzing the structure and properties of networks in the district as well as
the role played by institutions. Our aim is to contribute to the debate by
establishing a way to measure the flows of information and knowledge between
companies and local institutions in two different districts through a social
network analysis. The results obtained are of particular interest and are in
contrast with the more traditional view that assumes a positive association
between the companies’ opportunities for learning and the cohesion of the
network. |