La montagna che si muove. Una ricerca per riconoscere e attivare il potenziale di sviluppo

New entpreneurial ideas and projects are growing in the mountain areas. They are promising signs of local development and they are able to attract human capital and mobilize economic resources. In this process, small companies are introducing new business models and organizational solutions, mixing territorial specializations and networks, in order to control market uncertainty and support the value of local production. Using data provided by the institutional repository of the Chamber of Commerce of the Piedmont Region, we have analysed the organizational and economic features of the regional economic structure, with a specific focus on those companies located in the mountain areas. We have also interviewed eighty local actors, both local entrepreneurs and institutional actors, located in the Piedmont mountains. The empirical evidence gathered points to key “place-based” policies to enhance the potential of mountain development.