The economic role of Chinese communities in Prato

Prato is the Italian province with the highest percentage of foreign, and largely Chinese population, and also among the ones with the highest shares of foreign ownership; given that, it is extremely interesting to investigate the features and role of the economic activities led by this community. Much too commonplace talks have been – and still are being – made on the characteristics and activities of Prato’s Chinese community. This surely does not help to perceive and manage the real situation, which instead needs to be fully understood: by analyzing the dynamics of the district’s Chinese entrepreneurship, and its external and internal relationships, it will also be possible to help implement effective policy actions. This study, starting from a survey of the recent trends of Prato’s economy and from an excursus of the time evolution of the Chinese presence in the district, estimates this community’s role in terms of its productive contribution, its (regulated and unregulated) workforce, and the added value it provides. All these phenomena cannot be easily grasped as a whole and will be further explored in a continuation of this research, by giving particular attention to the intensity of the exchange relationships between the Prato and the Chinese entrepreneurial communities.