This article consists of a case study about the footwear sector at Sinos Valley (South of Brazil). The central question was to investigate how the structural embeddedness influenced the economic action of the sector. The method employed was the case study with a longitudinal approach and a historical analysis. Data were obtained from both primary and secondary sources, identifying changes affecting the competitive dynamics of the sector and main actors, and the organization characteristics as well. The embeddedness perspective permitted an understanding of the contingent nature of the economic action. The results showed how relevant are the position of the actor within the network and its architecture to the economic action, producing opportunities or constrains. The constitution and the types of ties were relevant for the comprehension of the decisions about choice of partners and for understanding the relation among entrepreneurs and between entrepreneurs and workers.
Social embeddedness; structural embeddedness; footwear sector; network's position; network's architecture