Article review

ARTICLE REVIEW

An engaging text from an important filed in the international relations area, the internationalization of products, the article The impact of geographical indications (PDO and PGI) on the internationalization of agri-food products, written by the Department of Economics of the University of Florence, in Italy, analyzes the impact of Geographical Indications (PDO and PGI) on the internationalization process of some small-medium scale agri-food products from Tuscany (Italy). The department show us an analysis that selected case studies highlighted the driving motivations of the firms for the use of PDO/PGIs on international markets on both defensive roles - in particular for the function of defending from abuses in using geographical name - and offending roles against competitors - as in case of product differentiation or exclusive right of benefiting from the reputation of origin. The department is keen to point out that the PDOs and PGIs can offer an internationalization tool, although theis effectiveness depends on several factors that rely on the characteristics of the product. My overall impression is that the authors have documented the line of argument in a well-structured and easy-reading way. The research starts from an analysis of the literary background regarding the role of origin products in international markets focusing on the specific contribution of PDO/PGI products. The authors put in evidence the results of a specific survery carried out on the factors of success and limits of the use of PDOs and PGIs in internationalization. In summary, we can conclude that PDOs and PGIs can be adopted as an internationalization tool, but their impact depends on several factors that rely on the characteristics of the product, of the production system, of the firms in particular and last but not least on the characteristics of the destination market.

The authors articulate the benefits of engaging with PDOs and