Globalization and competitive strategies in European vulnerable regions

Abstract

The paper highlights the role played by structural economic features and by industrial competitive strategies in the performance of a group of European regions, defined as 'vulnerable' because of their specialisation in industries particularly exposed to international trade. Different growth patterns emerge among them. The most successful regions are those with a strong presence of high value added functions, of best-performing vulnerable sectors, but also with high structural funds expenditure on human resources. Moreover, among the industrial strategies analysed, it is found that the only winning strategy explaining higher productivity gains is industrial reconversion at the expense of employment growth.