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Purpose: This paper aims to test the existence of the so-called industrial district effect on innovation (iMID effect) in Spain and Italy and to compare the intensity of this effect between both countries. There is previous evidence of this effect for Spain, although, to the best of the authors' knowledge, it has never been measured for Italy. Design/methodology/approach: Innovation intensity by local production system is measured using patents per million employees and analysed using the mean, the median, 3D maps and statistical tests. Findings: Industrial districts generate between a third and a quarter of all technological innovations in Spain and Italy. The evidence about the district effect in innovation in Spain is consistent with previous studies. The novelty is that there is also evidence of this effect for Italy and its intensity is higher than for Spain. Almost one-half of the industrial districts fit in the most innovative quartile of local production systems, and they are located in the most innovative part of each country. Research limitations/implications: Limitations of this study include minor database issues. Implications include new focus on the general relevance of industrial districts as highly innovative local production systems and top innovators. Practical implications: Reorientation of territorial and innovation policies. Social implications: Effect on development and well-being through technical progress. Originality/value: This article provides, for the first time, to the best of the authors' knowledge, a measurement of the industrial district effect on innovation in Italy. The paper compares the results between Spain and Italy and allows for generalization of previous evidence, concluding that highly innovative industrial districts are not "rare diamonds", revealing as an alternative and an extraordinarily powerful place-based innovation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to understand the contribution of research and transfer institutes (RTIs) to digitising in traditional Marshallian industrial districts (IDs). This study answers how to digitise small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in IDs capitalising on RTIs? As collective actors, RTIs introduce change in local/regional innovation systems where they are embedded. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses qualitative evidence based on interviews and secondary data analysis on digitising the Vinalopo Footwear district in Spain. Findings: This paper provides empirical insights about how RTIs perform research and development (R&D) and non-R&D activities to digitise, facilitated by leading firms that frequently engage with RTIs. Subsequently, leading firms interact and diffuse Industry 4.0 within their networks of SMEs. RTIs activate digitising in districts avoiding the manifested reluctance of SMEs to engage with them, capitalising on leading firms' networks orchestration. Research limitations/implications: Because of the chosen research approach, the findings are limited to the chosen setting and method. Practical implications: This paper includes implications for policymakers, responding to the paradox of how to activate knowledge transfer from RTIs to SMEs, when the latter are reluctant to use RTIs. Originality/value: This paper fulfils an identified need to study how to digitise IDs and clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effect of business networks on the export performance of firms. Design/methodology/approach: Following recent studies conducted from a network perspective, this moderating effect is studied for different types of business networks. To do this, a two-step Heckman-probit model is implemented for a sample of more than 2,000 manufacturing companies with information from the years 2006 to 2012. This study analyses the effect of nine variables of institutional distance between Spain and four geographical areas for collaborating and non-collaborating firms. Findings: The main contribution of this paper is suggesting that vertical networks reduce the negative effects of institutional distance faced by the company in the early stages of its export process. Practical implications: According to the results of this paper, managers should make a greater effort to expand their networks when they want to start exporting to further markets, as some networks reduces the negative effect of distance on export propensity. Moreover, the results also suggest that participating within a network may not be sufficient to increase the propensity to export of a firm, being important the kind of network in which companies participate. Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in providing empirical evidence that distinct kind of networks have different effect on the internationalisation process of companies, and that they affect not only directly as previous studies showed but also indirectly moderating the negative effect of the differences between markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: While the born global (BG) phenomenon has been well established in the literature, studies on accelerated internationalization of firms in the service sector have been scarce, particularly for the specific case of knowledge-intensive services (KIS). The purpose of this paper is to explore which competitive characteristics differentiate KIS BGs from other KIS firms in the context of a peripheral region. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical focus of this study comprehends primary survey data from 250 Spanish KIS firms (Andalusia) that have been internationalized and analyzed through ordinal and ordinary least squares regressions. The authors address the "born-global effect" on five features of interest, namely, entry mode, technological capabilities, qualification of staff, external resources and quality of services. Findings: Results suggest that KIS BGs in Andalusia perceive exports as a more relevant form of internationalization than its non-BG peers. Also, KIS BGs in Andalusia present higher levels of technological intensity. Differences in terms of staff qualification, access to extramural R&D resources and the quality of services could not be identified. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this research concerns its cross-sectional character, thus hindering the evaluation of developmental trajectories taking place in the cohort under scrutiny. Such an approach would allow a better comprehension of the competitiveness dynamics in internationalized KIS firms. Also, because this assessment is geographically restricted to Andalusia, Spain, the authors recommend caution in establishing direct comparisons and appropriation of results for other regional/national contexts. Practical implications: Recommendations for public policy include establishing the necessary infrastructures to encourage the technological development of KIS companies and provide support – through export promotion agencies, for instance – for early approximation with foreign markets. Taking into account the contributions of KIS firms for the development of a peripheral economy, this involves the need to establish instruments that provide strategic information to internationalize, as well as lines of funding for these companies. Originality/value: Empirical evidence on KIS BGs is needed to fully grasp its differences to other internationalized service firms. The analysis within this specific domain represents an advance in the literature on this subject. Also, the context of peripheral regions – considering their economic differences to core areas – has been understudied. The elaboration and application of the survey have allowed the authors to have access to primary in-depth data and, therefore, to build a better understanding of KIS BGs in Andalusia, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]