Systems and local productive arrangements: the case of the technological park of Ilhéus (BA)

This paper discusses the role of territorial proximity in the productive and innovative development process of firms inserted in local productive agglomeration. The main hypothesis tested considers the insertion of micro and small enterprises (mse) in local productive agglomeration increases the potential conditions for growth and better performance. With the purpose of identify and points out empirical evidences of questions discussed in the theoretical part, this work presents a case study of a concentration of firms in Ilhéus, south of Bahia - the productive concentration so called as Technological Park of Ilhéus (t pi). Based on this case study this paper discusses the characteristics and functionalities of this productive concentration taking as a start point the notion of arrangement and a local productive system. After identify the characteristics of an arrangement and a local productive system and to compare them with the main characteristics of the t pi, it is possible to say that the t pi only can be classified as a local productive arrangement, due to the incipient and fragile relationships among the gents involved. Then, the t pi cannot be properly classified as a local productive system.