The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development now published
The much anticipated Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development has now been published, going live on the OUP website on 23 July at:
The huge volume, running to 1,232 pages and 57 chapters, becomes immediately the standard reference on industrial development in the 21st century, putting the emphasis (where it should be) on industrial hubs, or clusters, where firms capture agglomeration economies and cluster synergies from interaction with each other and from sharing combined services and inputs. No other approach to industrial development is feasible once the benefits of industrial hubs are properly understood. I have myself witnessed the positive effects of clusters in Italy (where they have been called industrial districts), in Taiwan and most recently in China.
My own chapter 24 on “The greening of industrial hubs: A 21st century development strategy” can be found listed in the Table of Contents via this link: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-industrial-hubs-and-economic-development-9780198850434?cc=gb&lang=en&#. My argument is that clusters (or industrial hubs) and greening provide the twin optimal approaches to industrialization, and work best when deployed together – as found in Ethiopia today, for example.
The book is described by OUP in these terms: “Industrialization supported by industrial hubs has been widely associated with structural transformation and catch-up. But while the direct economic benefits of industrial hubs are significant, their value lies first and foremost in their contribution as incubators of industrialization, production and technological capability, and innovation. The Oxford Handbook of Industrial Hubs and Economic Development adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine the conceptual underpinnings, review empirical evidence of regions and economies, and extract pertinent lessons for policy researchers and practitioners on the key drivers of success and failure for industrial hubs. “This Handbook illustrates the diverse and complex nature of industrial hubs and shows how they promote industrialization, economic structural transformation, and technological catch-up. It explores the implications of emerging issues and trends such as environmental protection and sustainability, technological advancement, shifts in the global economy, and urbanization.”