Post-Fordism And Regional Development

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Regional Development Italy has been massively influenced by Post-Fordist systems of economic production and has thus shaped regional development. The area known as “The Third Italy” is characterized by a high degree of inter-firm coordination and integration (Van Egeraat, 2002). The origins of Post-Fordism can be traced back to Italy, many believe this is where Post-Fordism was founded, by two industrial sociologists, Piore and Sabel (Rikowski, 2008). Jessop (und.) has made the arguments that regions such as “The Third Italy” have developed so rapidly due to developing advanced Schumpeterian workfare state regimes. This meant that regions, due to economic performance and economic strategy, were dividing Italy, early signs that Post-Fordism…show more content…
For example, the automobile industry did not fully do away with the idea of mass production and production lines but developed them to include flexible specialization (Kiely, 1998). Another criticism is that Post-Fordism relies too heavily on a small number of examples such as “The Third Italy” and Japan. In these examples some believe that the clusters of firms in these regions did not develop autonomously but due to vertical disintegration, and that this vertical disintegration and mass production go hand in hand (Kiely, 1998). It is also believed that this type of system has always existed and that smaller firms have always operated side by side with large firms and that Post-Fordism has only highlighted them and being more important in todays world (Kumar,…show more content…
Times have ultimately moved forward from the mass production of homogenous goods to the specialization and division of labour to make more specific and personalized products for customers. Customers ultimately want choice therefore the Fordist approach has become outdated. Regions prospered from indigenous, local and specialized production, they created clusters of similar firms where trust and cooperation was imperative to good working relationships. In particular, the approaches emphasise the importance of local and regional institutions and their ability to develop indigenous assets and resources and their ability to adjust to changing circumstances (Bennett et al. 1990). References A. Marshall. 1980. Principles of Economics. Great minds series. A. Pike, A. Rodríguez-Pose and J. Tomaney. 2006. Local and Regional Development. pp. 86-87 A. Pike, A. Rodríguez-Pose and J. Tomaney. 2006. Local and Regional Development. pp. 91 B. Bennett, G. Krebs, and H. Zimmerman. 1990. Local Economic Development in Britain and Germany. London: Anglo-German Foundation. B. Jessop. 2013. Fordism and Post-Fordism: a Critical Reformulation. [Online]. Available from: https://bobjessop.org/2013/11/05/fordism-and-post-fordism-a-critical-reformulation/ Accessed on:
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