Chinese firms in the Italian industrial district of Prato

Abstract

The research will focus on the development of Chinese firms concentrated in the Italian industrial district of Prato. The industrial district of Prato, specialized in the textile industry, has experienced the flow of Chinese migrants since the late 1980s. Their role in the district has changed over time, ending up by dominating the clothing industry. After an introductory chapter about both the history of Italian districts and Chinese migration flows, the second chapter will explain into details the three phases of the growth path of Chinese entrepreneurship in Prato: at the beginning they covered the role of sub-contractors for Italian firms working in the clothing industry; later, through their working regime, which will be presented as well, they exceeded the role of sub-contractors, becoming final firms specialized in Pronto Moda; finally, a new transition sees them occupying a transnational and diversified position. The third chapter mainly concerns the discussion about industrial districts in the globalization era, in particular their description in a world which has different features if compared to the one they were born in. Not in contrast with the national tendency, Chinese firms are typically small and medium-sized entreprises. In fact, the growth of Chinese firms has been outstanding, but only from a quantitative point of view, as data show. Therefore the fourth and last chapter aims at identifying possible answers for Chinese firms’ small dimensions. In order to carry out the research, data have been collected through official channels, in particular directly through the Chamber of Commerce of Prato and through its annual reports about foreign entrepreneurship. Furthermore interviews have been conducted among Chinese migrants in order to find the possible answers for the last chapter.