This paper analyzes the trend of industrial productivity in Italy in the decade preceding the 2008 crisis and compares manufacturing sectors in North East regions with other areas of the country, using a large database of manufacturing firms. The Malmquist productivity growth index is calculated...

It is quite common that public policies take as benchmark mean values of relevant policy variables (average firm size, average productivity, average income, etc.). In such case the policy maker introduces incentives that should change individual behaviour in order to increase average values of...

We examine the effects of local public policies aimed at stimulating the private sector by means of subsidies. Our goal is that of understanding. the level of coherence between publicly stated goals of the regional policy-maker, the actual shape of the subsidies, and their effects at firm level....