IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/soinre/v129y2016i1d10.1007_s11205-015-1105-4.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Industrial Districts and Socio-economic Well-Being: An Investigation on the Italian Provinces Disparities

Author

Listed:
  • Claudio Berardino

    (G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara)

  • Giuseppe Mauro

    (G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara)

  • Davide Quaglione

    (G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara)

  • Alessandro Sarra

    (G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti and Pescara)

Abstract

This paper examines the territorial disparities between Italian provinces through an alternative measure (well-being composite index) as opposed to traditional ones (value added), in order to assess the possible industrial district (ID) effect on growth performance. The analysis shows that the ID effect is absent when considering (per capita) value added growth, which confirms recent empirical evidence, while it is significant when considering well-being. Furthermore, “highly ID provinces” show a relatively better performance in terms of population growth rates, which, combined with their better socio-economic conditions, sheds new light on the explanation of the persistence of Italian disparities and gives interesting insights for the design of sounder local policy measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudio Berardino & Giuseppe Mauro & Davide Quaglione & Alessandro Sarra, 2016. "Industrial Districts and Socio-economic Well-Being: An Investigation on the Italian Provinces Disparities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 129(1), pages 337-363, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:129:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s11205-015-1105-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-015-1105-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11205-015-1105-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11205-015-1105-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. anonymous, 1995. "Does the bouncing ball lead to economic growth?," Regional Update, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, issue Jul, pages 1-2,4-6.
    2. Marco Grasso, 2002. "Una misurazione del benessere nelle Regioni italiane," Working Papers 41, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2002.
    3. Roberta Piergiovanni & Martin Carree & Enrico Santarelli, 2012. "Creative industries, new business formation, and regional economic growth," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 539-560, October.
    4. Robert J. Barro, 2013. "Inflation and Economic Growth," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 14(1), pages 121-144, May.
    5. Paci, Raffaele & Pigliaru, Francesco, 1997. "Structural change and convergence: an Italian regional perspective," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 297-318, August.
    6. Giuseppe Munda, 2015. "Beyond Gdp: An Overview Of Measurement Issues In Redefining ‘Wealth’," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 403-422, July.
    7. Barro, Robert J & Sala-i-Martin, Xavier, 1992. "Convergence," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(2), pages 223-251, April.
      • Barro, R.J. & Sala-I-Martin, X., 1991. "Convergence," Papers 645, Yale - Economic Growth Center.
      • Barro, Robert J. & Sala-i-Martin, Xavier, 1992. "Convergence," Scholarly Articles 3451299, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    8. Panagiotis Artelaris & Paschalis A. Arvanitidis & George Petrakos, 2011. "Convergence patterns in the world economy: exploring the nonlinearity hypothesis," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(3), pages 236-252, August.
    9. Kallioras Dimitris, 2010. "Regional Inequalities in the New European Union Member-States: Is There a ‘Population Size’ Effect?," European Spatial Research and Policy, Sciendo, vol. 17(2), pages 107-116, October.
    10. Tomson Ogwang & Abdella Abdou, 2003. "The Choice of Principal Variables for Computing some Measures of Human Well-being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 64(1), pages 139-152, October.
    11. Marc Fleurbaey, 2009. "Beyond GDP: The Quest for a Measure of Social Welfare," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(4), pages 1029-1075, December.
    12. Vittorio Daniele & Paolo Malanima, 2007. "Il prodotto delle regioni e il divario Nord-Sud in Italia (1861-2004)," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 97(2), pages 267-316, March-Apr.
    13. Andres Marchante & Bienvenido Ortega, 2006. "Quality of life and economic convergence across Spanish regions, 1980-2001," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(5), pages 471-483.
    14. Andrés Marchante & Bienvenido Ortega & José Sánchez, 2006. "The Evolution of Well-Being in Spain (1980–2001): A Regional Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 76(2), pages 283-316, April.
    15. Vanesa Jordá & José Sarabia, 2015. "International Convergence in Well-Being Indicators," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(1), pages 1-27, January.
    16. Valter Di Giacinto & Matteo Gomellini & Giacinto Micucci & Marcello Pagnini, 2014. "Mapping local productivity advantages in Italy: industrial districts, cities or both?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 365-394.
    17. Xavier Sala-I-Martin, 1997. "Transfers, Social Safety Nets, and Economic Growth," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 44(1), pages 81-102, March.
    18. Emanuele Felice, 2007. "I divari regionali in Italia sulla base degli indicatori sociali (1871-2001)," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 97(2), pages 359-406, March-Apr.
    19. Fabio Sforzi, 2002. "The Industrial District and the 'New' Italian Economic Geography," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(4), pages 439-447, June.
    20. Daniela-Luminita Constantin & Carmen Beatrice Pauna & Mariana Dragusin & Zizi Goschin & Constanta Bodea, 2011. "The Question of Clusters in Lagging Regions: Do They Really Make the Difference? A Case Study in Romania," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 29(5), pages 889-910, October.
    21. Robert J. Barro & Xavier Sala-i-Martin, 1991. "Convergence across States and Regions," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 22(1), pages 107-182.
    22. Christopher S. Fowler & Rachel Garshick Kleit, 2014. "The Effects of Industrial Clusters on the Poverty Rate," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 90(2), pages 129-154, April.
    23. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Vassilis Tselios, 2015. "Toward Inclusive Growth," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 38(1), pages 30-60, January.
    24. Baumol, William J, 1986. "Productivity Growth, Convergence, and Welfare: What the Long-run Data Show," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(5), pages 1072-1085, December.
    25. Alessia Amighini & Marinella Leone & Roberta Rabellotti, 2011. "Persistence versus Change in the International Specialization Pattern of Italy: How Much Does the 'District Effect' Matter?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(3), pages 381-401.
    26. Brent Bleys, 2012. "Beyond GDP: Classifying Alternative Measures for Progress," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 355-376, December.
    27. Dasgupta, Partha & Weale, Martin, 1992. "On measuring the quality of life," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 119-131, January.
    28. George Petrakos & Panagiotis Artelaris, 2009. "European Regional Convergence Revisited: A Weighted Least Squares Approach," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(2), pages 314-331, June.
    29. Giacomo Becattini & Gabi Dei Ottati, 2006. "L'economia italiana negli anni novanta: un confronto tra aree di grande impresa e distretti industriali," ECONOMIA E POLITICA INDUSTRIALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2006(1).
    30. Krishna Mazumdar, 1999. "Measuring the Well-Beings of the Developing Countries: Achievement and Improvement Indices," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 1-60, May.
    31. Claudio Di Berardino & Alessandra Sarra, 2013. "L'evoluzione delle esportazioni nelle province italiane ad alta distrettualit? (2001-2011): quali fattori di eterogeneit??," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(3), pages 167-193.
    32. D. Giannias & P. Liargovas & G. Manolas, 1999. "Quality of Life Indices for Analysing Convergence in the European Union," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 27-35.
    33. Nazrul Islam, 1995. "Growth Empirics: A Panel Data Approach," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(4), pages 1127-1170.
    34. Christopher S. Fowler & Rachel Garshick Kleit, 2014. "The Effects of Industrial Clusters on the Poverty Rate," Economic Geography, Clark University, vol. 90(2), pages 129-154, April.
    35. Alex Michalos, 2008. "Education, Happiness and Wellbeing," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 347-366, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Antonella Rita Ferrara & Rosanna Nisticò, 2019. "Does Institutional Quality Matter for Multidimensional Well-Being Inequalities? Insights from Italy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 1063-1105, October.
    2. Cristiana Fiorelli & Alfredo Cartone & Matteo Foglia, 2021. "Shadow rates and spillovers across the Eurozone: a spatial dynamic panel model," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 48(1), pages 223-245, February.
    3. Panagiotis Artelaris, 2022. "A development index for the Greek regions," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1261-1281, June.
    4. Vito Imbrenda & Rosa Coluzzi & Valerio Di Stefano & Gianluca Egidi & Luca Salvati & Caterina Samela & Tiziana Simoniello & Maria Lanfredi, 2022. "Modeling Spatio-Temporal Divergence in Land Vulnerability to Desertification with Local Regressions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-20, August.
    5. Sandra De Iaco & Sabrina Maggio & Donato Posa, 2019. "A Multilevel Multinomial Model for the Dynamics of Graduates Employment in Italy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 146(1), pages 149-168, November.
    6. Miguel A. Márquez & Elena Lasarte & Marcelo Lufin, 2019. "The Role of Neighborhood in the Analysis of Spatial Economic Inequality," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 141(1), pages 245-273, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:zbw:rwidps:0030 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Stephen Dobson & Carlyn Ramlogan & Eric Strobl, 2006. "Why Do Rates Of Β‐Convergence Differ? A Meta‐Regression Analysis," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 53(2), pages 153-173, May.
    3. Middendorf Torge, 2006. "Human Capital and Economic Growth in OECD Countries," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 226(6), pages 670-686, December.
    4. Bos, J.W.B. & Economidou, C. & Koetter, M., 2010. "Technology clubs, R&D and growth patterns: Evidence from EU manufacturing," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 60-79, January.
    5. Claudio Di Berardino & Giuseppe Mauro & Davide Quaglione & Alessandro Sarra, 2017. "Structural change and the sustainability of regional convergence: Evidence from the Italian regions," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(2), pages 289-311, March.
    6. Hao, Yu & Peng, Hui, 2017. "On the convergence in China's provincial per capita energy consumption: New evidence from a spatial econometric analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 31-43.
    7. Torge Midendorf, 2005. "Human Capital and Economic Growth in OECD Countries," RWI Discussion Papers 0030, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung.
    8. Massimiliano Affinito, 2011. "Convergence clubs, the euro-area rank and the relationship between banking and real convergence," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 809, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    9. Rubiane Daniele Cardoso Almeida & Philipp Ehrl & Tito Belchior Silva Moreira, 2021. "Social and Economic Convergence Across Brazilian States Between 1990 and 2010," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(1), pages 225-246, August.
    10. Achille Flora & Roberta Arbolino, 2013. "Divari territoriali e politiche di sviluppo: lo squilibrio territoriale nella regione Campania," SCIENZE REGIONALI, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 55-85.
    11. Vera Boronenko & Vladimirs Mensikovs & Olga Lavrinenko, 2014. "The impact of EU accession on the economic performance of the countries’ internal (NUTS 3) regions," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 32(2), pages 313-341.
    12. Filippo Arfini & Cristina Brasili & Roberto Fanfani & Mario Mazzocchi & Elisa Montresor & Quirino Paris, 2001. "Tools for evaluating EU agricultural policies: An integrated approach," Statistical Methods & Applications, Springer;Società Italiana di Statistica, vol. 10(1), pages 191-210, January.
    13. Jan Nevima & Ingrid Majerová, 2015. "Application of ß – Convergence Approach in Visegrad Four Regions," Working Papers 0004, Silesian University, School of Business Administration.
    14. repec:ipg:wpaper:2014-490 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Antonella Rita Ferrara & Rosanna Nisticò, 2014. "Measuring Well-Being In A Multidimensional Perspective: A Multivariate Statistical Application To Italian Regions," Working Papers 201406, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    16. Mohammad Ashraf & Khan A. Mohabbat, 2010. "Output Convergence and the Role of Research and Development," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 11(1), pages 35-71, May.
    17. Antonella Ferrara & Rosanna Nisticò, 2015. "Regional well-being indicators and dispersion from a multidimensional perspective: evidence from Italy," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 55(2), pages 373-420, December.
    18. Up Lim, 2016. "Regional income club convergence in US BEA economic areas: a spatial switching regression approach," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 56(1), pages 273-294, January.
    19. Sousa, Cândido T. & Pereira, Elisabeth T., 2012. "A Contribution to the Empirics of Convergence: the Case of the European State Members," MPRA Paper 62017, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Fischer, Manfred M. & Stirböck, Claudia, 2005. "Regional Income Convergence in Europe, 1995-2000: A Spatial Econometric Perspective," MPRA Paper 77784, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    21. Simplice A. Asongu, 2014. "Fighting African Capital Flight: Empirics on Benchmarking Policy Harmonization," European Journal of Comparative Economics, Cattaneo University (LIUC), vol. 11(1), pages 93-122, June.
    22. Linda Andersson & Johan Lundberg & Magnus Sjostrom, 2007. "Regional Effects Of Military Base Closures: The Case Of Sweden," Defence and Peace Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(1), pages 87-97.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Well-being; Industrial district effect; Regional disparities; Italian provinces;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:129:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s11205-015-1105-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.