The paper investigates the organization of the Italian water sector in the light of the reforms of public utilities. The aim is to examine the degree of implementation of the water sector reform (the so-called Galli Law of 1994) and assess the performance of operators through a study of their...

This paper analyzes the evolution of the natural gas distribution sector in Italy from the 2000 reform with the aim of evaluating the regulatory framework, its implementation and its effects on firms and consumers. Market fragmentation has diminished significantly over the years; however, the...

In this paper we investigate the existence of the economies of scale and density in the Italian water sector, in the period 2005-2007. For this purpose, given the current developments of the reform introduced by the Galli Law, we review the main studies on the cost variables and on the evidence...

This paper aims to analyze the relevance of intangible assets, in particular linked to social re-sponsibility, with reference to performance measurement systems in local utilities companies. Other two aspects can be connected to the emerging role of intangibles for the performance measurement:...

The gas distribution in Italy is nowadays subjected to a deep process of deregulation, aimed to strengthen the competitive rules. In the same time, this industry is undergoing intensive regulation constraints, particularly in the definition of service prices. The mentioned deregulation process...

In this work we consider the link between corporate governance and social responsibility (CSR) in local utilities companies. More specifically, we use the term 'tool of corporate governance' as a tool able to support the governance of a company to reach its strategic aims, reconcile efficiency...

Italian Abstract: La significativa crescita registrata nella produzione di idrocarburi estratti dalle formazioni di scisto (di seguito “shale gas” o “gas non convenzionale”) costituisce uno degli sviluppi più rilevanti nel settore energetico mondiale, resa possibile dall’abbattimento...

Italian Abstract: Dal punto di vista storico, le sovvenzioni statali vennero introdotte e diventarono prassi comune durante i Secoli XVI e XVII, in concomitanza con l'affermarsi delle teorie mercantiliste, anche se tendenze analoghe si erano già presentate in epoche precedenti. Nel corso di...

Italian Abstract: La crescente importanza attribuita al tema del cambiamento climatico e del riscaldamento globale ha fatto sì che l’attenzione dell’intero pianeta si concentrasse sul controverso tema dell’energia, prima circoscritto ad un ruolo di secondo piano. Gli organismi e i gruppi...

The present paper builds on Arrighetti e Curatolo, 2009, 2010 by introducing heterogeneous opportunists into an agent-based simulated world populated by heterogeneous loyal agents playing a repeated coordination game. On average, opportunistic exploitation of economic resources lowers...