In Europe, the economic contraction starting in 2007-2008 has called for new economic policy tools. This paper analyses one of such policies, i.e. the network contract. Network Contracts are an innovative policy introduced in Italy with Law 9 April 2009, N. 33. This policy fosters the creation...

Rosenstein-Rodan (1943) and others posit that rapid development requires a 'big push' -- the coordinated rapid growth of diverse complementary industries, and suggests a role for government in providing such coordination. We argue that Japan's zaibatsu, or pyramidal business groups, provided...