GEOGRAPHY OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT 1

Local development has became, both in Italy and in virtually all countries, the new approach to economic development. According to this approach, the economic development is associated with the progressive specialization of a local society (i.e., local producers socially embedded in a place) in the production of a specific class of goods (or services), and the related organization to produce them. Typically, local producers are small entrepreneurs joined each others by co-operative linkages. Evidence from developed countries testifies the socio-economic importance of this model of production for getting together economic competitiveness and social wellbeing. In many developing countries, co-operation between small entrepreneurs is hard to find. Thus, the task of institutions (both national and local, supported by international ones) is to formulate and to implement policies to facilitate co-operative behaviours. The module aims to develop students knowledge and understanding of the relevance of an economic-geographical perspective in the analysis of local development problems. The central focus of the module is on population/firms/institutions relationships to drive social and economic change of a place. The topics of the module are provided through a combination of theoretical and practical approach, where ideas interweave with facts. They draw lessons both from the main Italian research findings and significant experiences in developing countries (such as Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, India).
Topics include: 1) The theoretical foundations of the relationship between economics and geography; 2) The territorial character of local development; 3) The unit of analysis for local development; 4) The contribution of the theory of industrial district to local development; 5) The multiple paths of local development; 6) Local development initiatives in developing countries.