Springer Native and Immigrant Entrepreneurship: Lessons for Local Liabilities in Globalization from the Prato Case Study

This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the issue of “local liabilities”, drawing on close analysis of the case of Chinese migrants and the Italian industrial district of Prato in order to elucidate the problems, or liabilities, that derive from the separation between natives and immigrants in local systems of people and firms. Insights are offered from a variety of disciplines, including business and industrial economics, anthropology, and sociology, thereby providing a framework through which to view the problems and also identifying potential pathways for their evolution and resolution. The focus on local liabilities affords an original perspective on the nature of globalization and highlights salient aspects of native and immigrant entrepreneurship. Globalization not only creates "bridges" between distant places but also changes the face of businesses and socioeconomic systems at the local level, where local liabilities may emerge when two or more separate communities (of persons and firms) exist. The greater the separation between the communities, the greater the local liabilities. In offering diverse perspectives on this relatively neglected aspect of globalization, the book will be of interest to a wide readership. From the Back Cover This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the issue of “local liabilities”, drawing on close analysis of the case of Chinese migrants and the Italian industrial district of Prato in order to elucidate the problems, or liabilities, that derive from the separation between natives and immigrants in local systems of people and firms. Insights are offered from a variety of disciplines, including business and industrial economics, anthropology, and sociology, thereby providing a framework through which to view the problems and also identifying potential pathways for their evolution and resolution. The focus on local liabilities affords an original perspective on the nature of globalization and highlights salient aspects of native and immigrant entrepreneurship. Globalization not only creates "bridges" between distant places but also changes the face of businesses and socioeconomic systems at the local level, where local liabilities may emerge when two or more separate communities (of persons and firms) exist. The greater the separation between the communities, the greater the local liabilities. In offering diverse perspectives on this relatively neglected aspect of globalization, the book will be of interest to a wide readership. About the Author Simone Guercini is a Professor of Management at the University of Florence and visiting professor at the Grenoble Graduate School of Business. His research interests include business marketing, heuristics in business, entrepreneurship in communities, and internationalization, with a special focus on the Italian fashion industry. Simone received his PhD in economics from Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa.  Gabi Dei Ottati is a Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Florence and a member of the European Research Centre on Regional and Local Development. Her main research interests include industrial organization and economic development, with a special focus on Italy and industrial districts. Having collaborated for many years with Giacomo Becattini, the revitalizer of the Marshallian industrial district concept, she is part of the Florence school of local development.  Loretta Baldassar is a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of Western Australia, and Adjunct Principal Research Fellow at the School of Political and Social Inquiry, Monash University. Her research interests focus on transnational migrants, families, and caregiving, including the question of generations. Loretta received her PhD from the University of Western Australia.  Graeme Johanson is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Monash University. His research interests include socia