Does ‘inner' competition – rivalry among network members – worsen performance in a network of cooperative banks? Inner competition might, in fact, endanger network-dependent scale economies. We test our hypothesis on Banche di Credito Cooperativo (BCCs), Italy's network of mutual...

In this paper we propose the use of a threshold autoregressive conditional heteroakedastic model to examine the dynamic asymmetries in the unemployment rate time series. A simple extension that allows to account for seasonal variation is also considered. The model performance and the effect of...

This paper employs recently developed non stationary panel methodologies that assume some cross-section dependence to estimate the production function for Italian regions in the industrial sector over the period 1970-1998. The analysis consists in three steps. First, unit root tests for...