Works in Progress
[3] Regional economics and spatial agglomeration: Exploring local heterogeneity (with G. Cainelli). Monograph in preparation for Routledge.
[2] Enlightenment and the long-term persistence of administrative traditions (with G. Cainelli, N. Matsiuk) [WP of an old version (Feb. 2023); latest version (Aug. 2025)].
Abstract The transmission of administrative values within local public institutions and their persistence over time remain a largely unexplored topic in economics. This paper examines the administrative reforms introduced by the Habsburg Monarchy and the Savoy House in the mid-18th century as a historical experiment to analyze contemporary differentials in public goods provision in Northern Italy. The Habsburgs extended to all land taxpayers the right to elect local civil servants and decide on taxation and public spending. By contrast, the municipalities ruled by the Savoy House were subject to a centralized system in which local civil servants were nominated by and under the control of a King-appointed Intendant. We exploit exogeneity in the border established in 1748 between the Habsburg-ruled Duchy of Milan and the neighboring territories ruled by the Savoy House. Using spatial regression discontinuity and employing both an original dataset combining contemporary and historical municipality-level data and original survey data on municipal civil servants and citizens, we find a persistent positive effect of the Habsburg reform on current public goods provision. We propose and corroborate empirically a mechanism of within-institution “bureaucracy enculturation” explaining our results and the persistence of an administrative tradition over time.
[1] Sovereignty, civic capital, and local development. A historical perspective in economic geography (with M. Balestra, G. Cainelli, N. Matsiuk, M. Pasquato, R. Pierdicca) [draft version (Aug. 2024)].
Abstract We combine history with economic geography to contribute shading light on the long-run determinants of territorial development differentials in Italy. Specifically, we study the effects of historical sovereignty change on current local economic development. We measure historical sovereignty change through the yearly number of changes in sovereignty occurred in the period 1000–1861 – that is, until the unification of Italy – and assess its effects on labor productivity in 2018. We estimate a negative effect of historical sovereignty change on current local economic development, and identify – both theoretically and empirically – civic capital as a plausible underlying mechanism.
Selected Publications [from the most recent]
[4] Napoleonic administrative reforms and development in the Italian Mezzogiorno (with G. Cainelli, C. Ciccarelli). The Journal of Economic History, accepted for publication. [Conditionally accepted, long version available as Bank of Italy Economic History WP No. 54; lavoce.info blog post (in Italian)]
[3] Value chain, regional institutions and firm growth in Europe (with G. Cainelli, A. Giunta). Journal of Economic Geography, 2023, 23(4), 745-770. [link]
[2] Does foreign investment hurt job creation at home? The geography of outward FDI and employment in the USA (with R. Crescenzi, M. Storper). Journal of Economic Geography, 2022, 22(1), 53-79. [link, Open Access; LSE Business Review blog post; Columbia FDI Perspectives blog post; GILD-LSE Team video on VoxEU (CEPR) about FDI impact]
[1] Institutions and the productivity challenge for European regions (with A. Rodríguez-Pose). Journal of Economic Geography, 2022, 22(1), 1-25. [link, Open Access]
Other Publications [from the most recent]
[31] Spatial diversity, firm heterogeneity, and economic performance (with G. Cainelli). In: M. Andersson, C. Karlsoon, S. Wixe (Eds.), Handbook of Spatial Diversity and Business Economics (pp. 394-416), 2025, Oxford University Press.
[31] When the rain comes, don't stay at home! Regional innovation and FDI in the aftermath of the Great Recession (with R. Crescenzi). Regional Studies, 2025, 59(1), 2503967. [link] [LSE Research Online (open access)].
[29] Inward FDI and regional performance in Europe after the Great Recession (with R. Crescenzi). Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 2025, 18(1), 167-192. [link, Open Access]
[28] Fra la via Emilia e il West. Note su industrie e territorio in Emilia Romagna (with G. Cainelli, N. Matsiuk). In: D. Iacobucci (Ed.), L'Industria Italiana Contemporanea. Tra Declino e Ristrutturazione (pp. 173-188), 2024, Carrocci.
[27] Is this time different? How Industry 4.0 affects firms' labor productivity (with M. Bettiol, M. Capestro, E. Di Maria). Small Business Economics, 2024, 62, 1449-1467. [link, Open Access; AgendaDigitale blog post (in Italian)]
[26] Firm-level productivity growth returns of social capital: Evidence from Western Europe (with A. Rodríguez Pose ). Journal of Regional Science, 2023, 63(3), 529-551. [link]
[25] Detecting economic growth pathways in the EU's lagging regions (with A. Kilroy). Regional Studies, 2023, 57(1), 41-56. [link; Brookings blog post]
[24] Business groups, institutions, and firm performance (with G. Cainelli, A. Giunta). Industrial and Corporate Change, 2022, 31(1), 215-233. [link]
[23] La capacità innovativa delle regioni: riflessioni sul nuovo "triangolo industriale" (with R. Grandinetti). Economia e Società Regionale, 2022, XL(1), 105-125. [link]
[22] Credit constraints in European SMEs: Does institutional quality matter? (with A. Rodríguez-Pose). Applied Economics Letters, 2022, 29(15), 1388-1392. [link]
[21] Does urban concentration matter for changes in country economic performance? (with A. Rodríguez-Pose). Urban Studies, 2022, 59(6), 1275-1299. [link; Urban Studies blog post]
[20] Credit constraints, labour productivity, and the role of regional institutions: Evidence from manufacturing firms in Europe (with A. Rodríguez-Pose, K. Maslauskaite, M. Brezzi). Journal of Regional Science, 2021, 61(2), 299-328. [link; VoxEU (CEPR) blog post]
[19] Disentangling regional innovation capability: What really matters? (with R. Grandinetti). Industry and Innovation, 2021, 28(6), 749-772. [link]
[18] Knowledge spillovers, related variety and firm heterogeneity (with G. Cainelli). Scienze Regionali - Italian Journal of Regional Science, 2021, 20(2), 167-180. [link]
[17] Detecting space-time agglomeration processes over the Great Recession using firm-level micro-geographic data (with G. Cainelli, Y. Jiang). Journal of Geographical Systems, 2020, 22, 419-445. [link, Open Access]
[16] La strana coppia: Il ruolo dei gruppi e delle istituzioni regionali nella performance d’impresa (with G. Cainelli, A. Giunta). In: A. Del Monte, S. Moccia, L. Pennacchio (Eds.), Imprenditorialità e Sviluppo Economico. Il Ruolo delle Politiche Pubbliche (pp. 219–234), 2019, Rubbettino.
[15] Does related variety affect regional resilience? New evidence from Italy (with G. Cainelli, M. Modica). The Annals of Regional Science, 2019, 62(3), 657-680. [link]
[14] Related variety and firm heterogeneity. What really matters for short-run firm growth? (with G. Cainelli). Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 2019, 31(9-10), 768-784. [link]
[13] Vertical relatedness and services outsourcing: A firm-level analysis (G. Cainelli, D. Iacobucci). Industrial and Corporate Change, 2019, 28(4), 753-771. [link]
[12] Do high-quality local institutions shape labour productivity in Western European manufacturing firms? (with A. Rodríguez-Pose). Papers in Regional Science, 2019, 98(4), 1633-1666. [link]
[11] Spatial agglomeration, Global Value Chains, and productivity. Micro-evidence from Italy and Spain (with G. Cainelli, A. Giunta). Economics Letters, 2018, 169, 43-46. [link; LSE GILD blog post]
[10] Industrial clusters, organized crime, and productivity growth in Italian SMEs (with A. Rodríguez-Pose). Journal of Regional Science, 2018, 58(2), 363-385. [link; VoxEU (CEPR) blog post]
[9] Industrial relatedness and regional resilience in the European Union (with G. Cainelli, M. Modica). Papers in Regional Science, 2018, 98(2), 755-778. [link]
[8] Distance-based agglomeration externalities and neighbouring firms' characteristics (with G. Cainelli). Regional Studies, 2018, 52(7), 922-933. [link]
[7] Institutions and economic growth in Africa. A spatial econometric approach. Economia Politica - Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, 2017, 34(3), 425-444. [link]
[6] Does agglomeration affect export? Evidence from Italian Local Labour Markets (with G. Cainelli, E. Di Maria). Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie - Journal of Economic and Social Geography, 2017, 108(5), 554-570. [link]
[5] SMEs' growth in international markets: Export intensity, export diversification and distribution strategies (with E. Di Maria). Economia e Politica Industriale - Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 2017, 44(3), 345-369. [link]
[4] Do geographic concentration and vertically-related variety foster firm productivity? Micro-evidence from Italy (with G. Cainelli, D. Iacobucci). Growth and Change, 2016, 47(2), 197-217. [link]
[3] Productivity, credit constraints and the role of short-run localization economies: Micro-evidence from Italy. Regional Studies, 2016, 50(11) 1834-1848. [link]
[2] Smart Specialization, diversificazione correlata e resilienza regionale: Una nota a margine di un dibattito (with G. Cainelli). Scienze Regionali - Italian Journal of Regional Science, 2016, 15(3), 29-46. [link]
[1] An explanation of firms' internationalisation modes, blending firm heterogeneity and spatial agglomeration. Micro-evidence from Italy (with G. Cainelli, E. Di Maria). Environment and Planning A, 2014, 46(4), 943-962. [link]