The present contribution focuses on two issues. The first one concerns the characteristics of industrial districts and the increasing weight of these districts in the Italian system of production. The second issue is about the competitiveness of the Italian industrial districts, if they...

This paper examines the main issues related to the labor market in Italy and indicates some possible solutions that do not focus exclusively on the flexibility of the labor market, but rather on the overall problem and the complexity of employment, with its economic dimension, but also social....

Structural change indicates essentially a qualitative transformation and evolution of the economic systems, usually marked by technological progress and organizational changes. Technological factors, knowledge, institutions are all elements that contribute to the process of structural change....

The paper analyzes the problems of low growth, unemployment, especially youth unemployment, and high public debt afflicting the Italian economy even before the global financial crisis. These problems certainly have worsened as a result of the crisis itself. The aim of the present work is to...

The paper aims to critically examine the problems of public debt in Italy under the criteria of the Maastricht Treaty and subsequent decisions by Europe in tax matters. On this issue, the paper shows Italy's efforts in the direction of the Maastricht criteria, but also highlights the problems to...

The present contribution focuses on two issues. The first one concerns the characteristics of industrial districts and the increasing weight of these districts in the Italian system of production. The second issue is about the competitiveness of the Italian industrial districts, if they...

The work addresses the issue of Italian medium-sized enterprises of the fourth capitalism. The question is whether this business model is going to last and actually represent a new model for global competition. This contribution examines the features of the model of the medium industrial...

Modern economies are increasingly based on knowledge and, more generally, on the intangible assets that favour the economic development. Knowledge-based economies are founded on increasing specialization, research, innovation and learning. The change towards a knowledge-based economy is...

Sicily is a region which shows a large gap in terms of income per capita with the Centre-North and with the average income per capita of the European Union. The island, however, have an entrepreneurial tradition that has been consolidated in agriculture and craft activities and that has paid off...

In Sicily there is an increased dependency of the economy and employment from politics due to the weakness of the market economy and to the lack of strong civic culture. This paper will explain what are the ‘productive districts’ in Sicily and what they represent. The present work focuses on...