Abstract
The objective of the thesis is to study and analyse the stated locational preferences of entrepreneurs in Italy: that is, their mental maps, their characteristics (pattern, shape, etc.), and their explanatory factors. The research was undertaken following the conceptual, theoretical and methodological approach of a long line of research started by Pellenbarg and Meester (1983).
The thesis in particular presents and discusses the outcomes of the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the findings from: a questionnaire survey conducted in Italy in which entrepreneurs were asked to rate Italian regions and provinces as hypothetical locations for their firm; a set of verbal semi-structured interviews conducted with key economic actors.
The evidence gained from the surveys and from the analyses indicates that the North-South divide emerges as the spatial pattern which most clearly characterises the mental maps of Italian entrepreneurs. The other very important pattern which characterises the entrepreneurs’ mental maps, although less predictable, is the centre-periphery dichotomy.
The range of explanatory elements that emerged from the analyses includes both objective and subjective factors, and strictly economic and clearly non-economic factors. For example, the questions of accessibility and centrality, together with the agglomeration economies, turned out to be key location factors for the high attractiveness of the Padana region. At the same time, the lack of these factors contributes to explaining the low attractiveness of Southern Italy, which is also related to the presence and the influence of organised crime.
The thesis in particular presents and discusses the outcomes of the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the findings from: a questionnaire survey conducted in Italy in which entrepreneurs were asked to rate Italian regions and provinces as hypothetical locations for their firm; a set of verbal semi-structured interviews conducted with key economic actors.
The evidence gained from the surveys and from the analyses indicates that the North-South divide emerges as the spatial pattern which most clearly characterises the mental maps of Italian entrepreneurs. The other very important pattern which characterises the entrepreneurs’ mental maps, although less predictable, is the centre-periphery dichotomy.
The range of explanatory elements that emerged from the analyses includes both objective and subjective factors, and strictly economic and clearly non-economic factors. For example, the questions of accessibility and centrality, together with the agglomeration economies, turned out to be key location factors for the high attractiveness of the Padana region. At the same time, the lack of these factors contributes to explaining the low attractiveness of Southern Italy, which is also related to the presence and the influence of organised crime.
| Original language | English |
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| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
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| Award date | 28-Sept-2015 |
| Place of Publication | [Groningen] |
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| Print ISBNs | 978-90-367-8092-6 |
| Electronic ISBNs | 978-90-367-8091-9 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |