This volume addresses and ties together two classic issues of economic thought concerning market production, i.e., the evolving variety in organisation of division of labour, and the relationships between small and large businesses. In order to do so, the author describes concepts and analytical tools relating to the determination of market and industry configurations and outlines an ordered synthesis of recent debates on industrial districts, translocal companies and development of place. Interpretations based on principles of productive and transactional efficiency are enriched by exploration of evolutionary, socio-cultural, institutional, strategic, industrial policy aspects and constraints. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding forces of industrial progress based on the mobilisation of local resources. The text also resorts to historical events, empirical examples, and analytical models. Suggested readings and review questions at the end of each chapter support the use of the volume as a teaching aid, especially in advanced studies of economics, industrial policy, regional economics, and local development.

Contents: Preface - 1. Division of Labour and Industrial Organisation - 2. Markets, Enterprises, Teams: Nature and Efficiency - 3. Industrial Organisations: Stability, Change, Policies - 4. Small Businesses and Industrial Districts - 5. Large Businesses, Translocal Companies, and New Technologies - 6. Industrial Districts and Local Development - Bibliography - Index

Marco Bellandi holds a doctorate degree in Political Economy and teaches Applied Economics.