Vulnerability to globalisation. The Carpi case study"

The aim of this report is to investigate how the Carpi textile industrial district in Italy has been facing the recent threats (but opportunities as well), linked to the globalization of markets. The report is organized as follows. In Section 2, we provide a short description of the economic and social evolution of Emilia-Romagna, the Italian region where Carpi is located. Section 3 focuses on the Carpi district. After a short review of its historical and cultural background, the section describes the recent changes and the present situation of the district (then following the increased international competition), both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Section 4 describes regional and local policies in recent years, and their connections with changes occurring in the industrial sectors. Finally, Section 5 concludes, summarizing the lessons that, we believe, can be learnt from the Carpi case.