The rate of technical change that is characterising both the telecommunications and the computer industry has been a major driver of the evolution of a close and stable system into an open and dynamic one. The introduction of a cluster of new technologies has originated significant changes...

Using data from Ufficio italiano dei cambi for the period 1997-2001, the study analyses the distribution of foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows by sector and local area of origin. It tries to identify which local industrial structures determine a larger propensity to invest abroad, focusing...