Flexibility and informal labor in industrial districts

1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 08610176
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 社会学(含社会福祉関係)
• Research Institution: NIIGATA UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: IGA Mitsuya Niigata University, Faculty of Education and Human Science, Professor, 教育人間科学部, 教授 (40108006)
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1998
• Keywords: flexible spcialisation / informarlization / industrial districts / multiskilled worker / entrepreneurship / strategic network / team working / economy of time / economy of scope

Research Abstract

Characteristics of flexible specialisation are materials, energy-saving and information-intensive inputs, general purpose and adaptable machinery, multiskilled workers, differentiated products for fragmented market.
I reseached whether Japanese industrial districts had these characteristics. I found that new technology prevailed in machinery and knitware industries, but not in cutlery and tableware industry. Skills of workers in districts are as wide as, but not so deep as those in large firms. Regardless scale of establishment, product variety was common feature. But alongside of that high volume production was found in larger firms in industrial districts.
Then, small and medium-sized firms in industrial districts are flexible, but far from "craft production". They utilize time economy through team working and strategic networks.
Japanese industrial disutoricts are more fit flexible informalizaiton than flexible specialisation.