Abstract
Coworking spaces (CWSs) are a relatively new form of industrial organisation which have grown exponentially in the 21st century. Early authors on CWSs have likened them to micro-clusters. Yet this simple analogy may underplay the intricacies of CWS ‘communities’, which differ by type, goals, and location with the burgeoning of this organisational form. We seek to show how Marshall’s work on industrial districts (1890, 1919) and that of his Italianate followers, can inform the communitarian aspects that create distinctions across a range of CWS types that exist today. We apply Marshallian/Italianate perspectives to a qualitative study of CWSs in three English provincial regions, and find it offers a useful focussing device through which to explain the subtle differences between CWSs types, giving Marshall renewed importance in the current era.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 581-607 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Cambridge Journal of Economics |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 10 Apr 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 31 May 2025 |
Funding
This work was funded by the UKRI Made Smarter Innovation Challenge and the Economic and Social Research Council via InterAct [Grant Reference ES/W007231/1]. We also acknowledge support from Made Smarter Innovation: Centre for People-Led Digitalisation (hosted at the University of Bath, with partners, the University of Nottingham, and Loughborough University), and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) [Grant Reference EP/V062042/1].
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| ESRC | ES/W007231/1 |
| Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | EP/V062042/1 |
| UK Research & Innovation | |
| University of Nottingham |
Keywords
- Communities
- Coworking spaces
- Industrial commons
- Knowledge exchange
- Marshallian industrial districts
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Economics and Econometrics