Using Bank of Italy data on Italian banks in the period 1990-2004, the paper analyses the short and long-run effects of the concentration of the banking industry on the availability of credit to small and medium-sized firms. Our study employs a bank-based approach and investigates the...

The recent economic and financial crisis has drawn attention to how mutual guarantee institutions (MGIs) facilitate small and medium enterprises in accessing bank financing. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we describe the structural features of the Italian market for mutual guarantees...

Italian Abstract: Nel periodo 2007-2014, caratterizzato da due crisi eccezionalmente gravi, le banche locali italiane hanno accresciuto la loro presenza sul territorio, ampliando la rete degli sportelli mentre le altre la riducevano, e rafforzato la quota di mercato sui prestiti a famiglie e...