Il lavoro artigiano nelle catene globali del valore

Global Value Chains, Made in Italy In recent years, craftsmanship has experienced a rediscovery on an international level. A superficial analysis of the phenomenon is likely to raise the artisan image, in contrast with the logic of industrial production. A more careful reading however, focuses on the essential role of craftsmen within the new forms of industrial organization. The progressive fragmentation of manufacturing processes on a global scale highlight the importance of the artisan figure as an interface between various stages of production processes. In addition to reporting the contribution of craftsmanship in leading companies of Made in Italy, the paper identifies three main categories of new artisans: the adaptor craftsman or the artisan who works down the value chain to customize serial products; the interpreter craftsman, or the person who handles the delicate interface between the creative and production processes, and the creative craftsman, who can transform the tradition into art work which can be serialized within large-scale production processes. In all examined cases, craftsmanship is an enabling factor of the operation networks of the division of industrial labour. There is no opposition to the logic of globalization; nor to becoming, on the contrary, the protagonist.

Keywords: Craftsman, Manual Labour, Global Value Chains, Made in Italy

Jel codes: J24; L23; L24; L26

Stefano Micelli, Il lavoro artigiano nelle catene globali del valore in "ECONOMIA E SOCIETÀ REGIONALE " 4/2009, pp , DOI: