The paper provides a measure of the performance differentials among Italian manufacturing firms, viewed in the light of the marked changes brought about by globalisation and the more recent economic crisis. On the basis of an original data- set it is shown that the profitability registered by...

The paper claims that the shrinking in domestic consumption - both public and private - has made Italian industry increasingly dependent upon external market demand in recent years. We expect a relatively slow recovery once the present crisis in industrial activity draws to an end.

<em>The logic of industrial policy in Italy from world war II to "Industria 2015"</em> - The paper aims at discussing the logic lying behind sixty years of industrial policy in Italy. It is argued that during this time State intervention has been characterised by the issue of an increasing number of laws...

This paper investigates the importance of managerial capital to involuntary insolvency and acquisition in UK small and medium-sized companies. Given that small businesses are informationally opaque and lack detailed financial data, the role of non-financial factors such as managerial capital has...

The current financial crisis has given rise to calls to toughen considerably the codes of corporate governance put in place in many countries to regulate corporate behaviour (e.g. the UK Combined Code). These codes vary slightly in form but tend to contain a mix of non-discretionary regulations...

This paper comprises the long introduction to the symposium of five papers on financial globalisation published in the Cambridge Journal of Economics, volume 34, no 2. The paper discusses the impact of financial globalisation in a variety of spheres and shows how the five papers link together to...

The 'business case' for gender equality rests on the claim that organisations can improve their competitiveness through improved diversity management, in particular by reducing turnover and training costs and minimising reputational and litigation risks arising from potentially discriminatory...

This paper considers the question of economic nationalism through the lens of economic openness. Complete economic openness, which connotes close or total integration of a country with that of the world economy, is the antonym of economic nationalism. The paper argues that economic openness is a...

Recently there has been growing interest in local industrial agglomeration and specialisation, by economic geographers, economists and policy-makers. Michael Porter's work on 'clusters' has proved by far the most influential to have emerged. His 'cluster theory' has become the standard concept...