Fernanda Mazzotta

Industrial Localisation and Economic Development. A Case Study

The research described in this paper is consisting of an indepth study of an important area of the Italian Mezzogiorno: the province of Salerno. The aim of the paper is twofold. The first was to identify, by means of cluster analysis, specialization of industrial areas in this province For that, some methodological points are previously selected from the current approach to development economics, that focuses both on genesis and evolution of local systems, by emphasising, among other aspects, the role of the immaterial resources and institutions. The results depict a variegated territory comprising both areas of closed economy, where the purpose of economic activity is to satisfy basic needs (food and housing), and areas that display a certain degree of economic openness towards the outside markets. Many clusters with high indexes of manufacturing specialization are classified as areas of sub furniture or as areas born by an exogenous intervention. The second aim of the research is to measure the social conditions that should foster the growth of new industrial districts within different areas of productive specialization, just identified by the cluster analysis. The approach used was the simple correspondence analysis of a set of qualitative variables surveyed, by a questionnaire given to 462 businesses in the province of Salerno.

Characteristics of parents and the unemployment duration of their offspring: evidence from Italy

This paper analyses the relationship between the characteristics of parents (namely, income, occupation and education) and the unemployment duration of their children using the job search theory. The empirical specification featured Lancaster’s (Econometrics 28:113–126, 1985) simultaneous estimate of two equations: completed unemployment duration and the starting wage accepted for a new job. The sample is drawn from the European Community Household Panel (1995–2000) and consists of unemployed Italian children who lived with their parents while looking for work. The results demonstrate that household economic conditions affect unemployment duration at different levels of educational attainment. Specifically, Italians who have graduate degrees from the wealthiest families have briefer unemployment duration. Netting out the effects of liquidity constraints and education, children from the wealthiest families can afford high-quality schools and universities and may also have better information and search strategies, thereby reducing their unemployment duration.