In the last century, the impact that industrialization and transportation developments had did not concern only personal individuals. For the most part, in fact, it also redefined new equilibriums in the economic and social sector. For instance, the possibility to move goods from places which happened to be far away has destabilised the general production chains. Smaller, local shops have faced a serious threat, having to compete with a new market that offers the same products but at lower prices.
The first structure to be impacted was the local community: even though many would defend the right for anybody to spend their earnings freely, it is almost as important to consider that money flowing out of an area will eventually cause a local economic crisis. In fact, while lower prices might be seen as an important advantage, in the long period it will empoverish local business, affecting job opportunities too. Numerous traditional industries have already declared bankrupt in the past, leaving many families without a source of income. Also, with the lack of local shops, it becomes inevitable to loose part of the community identity as well.
But what many people might think is that raising taxes on imported goods will solve the problem. I completely disagree with this view, considering that history teaches that, when economic laws became more strict, the only country to be affected negatively was the law issuing state itself. Instead my proposal is to re-think the way the local products are presented on the market. Industrialization does not just mean less pricy, it also stands for less quality. Nowadays, many people do not fear poverty anymore, and they search out for typical products instead, giving more importance to quality than to quantity. This can be done if local manufacturing shops invest in their professionality, to provide a certified product that can be sold for double the current price.
An appealing example of this is the city of Orvieto: the whole community participated in recreating the urban economy, offering special, typical foods and handcrafts that can compete with the most refined brands on the market.
To conclude, the ultimate solution, in my eyes, would be to feel inspired by Orvieto, and to thrive by simply producing what our grandparents did: delicious food, excellent woodworks and marvellous decorative vases.