Agency and mature Industrial Districts: A System Level assessment and governance proposal for the Marche Footwear District

The thesis analyses the current situation of the Marche Footwear District and evaluates the presence of agency and how it can influence its development. Drawing upon the System-Level Agency framework, it first understands mature industrial districts and possible ways to overcome their structural limitations. The same model is used to understand the Marche Footwear District’s situation, combining its historical evolution, interviewed local stakeholders’ needs and perceived challenges and selected secondary data – both qualitative and quantitative. The research finds that the district has historically lacked explicit governance mechanisms, which led to fragmented reactions to conjuncture and social disruption. Empirical findings confirm how individualism, limited firm dimensions and a weak institutional apparatus are the most important barriers to deliberate territorial governance. After assessing the presence of agency within the district, the thesis proposes a governance architecture based on four implementation areas – Coordination, Human Capital and Skill Renewal, Innovation, and Internationalization. This work aims not only to evaluate the district's structural soundness and capacity for sustained development, but also to provide useful policy implications for institutional renewal in mature IDs and to stimulate further discussion on the topic.