Productivity Differentiation and International Specialization of Firms and Districts

This paper provides an overview of three lines of research that have been developed under an empirical micro-level perspective by scholars of the Ancona school of economics. First, the tendency toward an endogenous productivity dispersion in later developing economies is assessed from an entrepreneurial perspective, i.e. the amount and distribution of organizational and entrepreneurial abilities during the catching-up process. Second, the features and dynamics of a country specialization pattern are analyzed within the processes of upgrading of the production structures toward more complex and growth-generating models. Finally, the role and influence on firm performance of localization economies and different styles of corporate governance have been studied by framing them into the wider picture of firm organizational models and the hierarchical structure of market transactions. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of potential avenues for future research.