This paper provides a methodological analysis of credit risk in manufacturing firms by using two different credit scoring approaches. The first is the traditional discriminant approach for bankruptcy prediction based on a logistic regression model, whereas the second, data envelopment analysis,...

The present work analyses the unemployment gender gap in Italy for the period 2004–11. We present a methodology for decomposing the natural rate of unemployment, thus defining it in terms of equilibrium labour market flows between the aggregate states of the labour market (Employment,...

This paper provides an empirical investigation of the impact of innovation on firms' economic performance pinpointing complementarities between product and marketing innovation during the period 1998-2008. Firms' profitability and productivity are simultaneously estimated, thus allowing for...

This paper analyses the unemployment gender gap by using a three-state labour market model (Employment, Unemployment, Inactivity) which enables us to determine the equilibrium (steady-state) unemployment rate and the contribution that a single transition probability from each state makes to the...

Recent labour market developments include an increase in labour market mismatches, in that high unemployment rates coexist with significant levels of vacancies. This pattern is particularly evident in the US economy, but is also significant within the European Union; it implies that the natural...

In this paper we propose a new macro-micro econometric framework which incorporates both aggregate labour demand and supply, and the labour market flows which determine the steady-state unemployment rate. Thus, we can simulate either demand or supply shocks and therefore assess their impacts on...

The papers published in this issue of the Rivista Internazionale di Scienze Sociali have been selected from those contributions presented at the workshop on ‘‘Employment opportunities and unemployment over the economic downturn’’ held on 18th May 2012 at the Universita` Cattolica del...