Artisan Entrepreneurs. How the Culture of Craftsmanship Shapes a Local Economy

Entrepreneurship is often viewed as a vocation, a driving force empowering individuals who are willing to take risks to possibly produce something different or new. Yet, an enterprising behaviour, whether innovative or imitative, does not come from a vacuum. Local culture plays a relevant role. It provides the fertile ground for various forms of entrepreneurship that develop within networks of thick sociality. It is in the same context that craftsmanship develops and becomes an essential asset of artisan entrepreneurs. No longer an exclusive feature of small-scale and artisan production, over time craftsmanship has become a defining aspect of the regional economies of Italian capitalism. Yet, both entrepreneurship and craftsmanship should not be considered as “given”, merely structural components of the system. They may decline and vanish at any time if neglected by institutions which should have a vested interest in their reproduction