Top-down and bottom-up legitimization of emerging industries: evidence from two Italian mechatronics clusters
研究传统制造业地区新兴产业的合法化过程，比较意大利东北部两个机电产业集群，发现合法化可源于本地技术升级的底层动力或碎片化商业社区中的顶层制度策略。
The paper investigates the legitimization of emerging industries in traditional manufacturing areas by focusing on two inner structures: the cognitive and institutional structure. These structures and their interplay inform about the heterogeneity of routes and capabilities to enter legitimization trajectories. We compare two mechatronics clusters, both located in the North-East Italian area, namely in the provinces of Vicenza and Trento. The cases reveal how the evolution and legitimation of emerging industries might surface from bottom-up dynamics related to the technological upgrading of local historical industrial specializations, and from top-down institutional strategies, when the business community remains fragmented.