Francesco Schettino

When the Centre Cannot Hold: Patterns of Polarization in Nigeria

This paper advances the hypothesis that Nigeria is going through a process of economic polarization. The notion of polarization is concerned with the disappearance or non-consolidation of the middle lass, which occurs when there is a tendency to concentrate in the tails, rather than the middle, of the income or consumption distribution. This paper uses newly available data and the relative distribution methodology (Handcock and Morris, 1998, 1999) to present new results on polarization. The findings confirm the sharp increase of polarization. Compared to 2003, the distribution of consumption hasbecome more concentrated in upper and lower deciles in 2013, while the middle deciles have thinned.A between-group analysis shows the emergence of a macro-regional gap: while the South-South and South-West regions contribute mainly to polarization in the upper tail, households in the North Eastand North West zones—the conflict-stricken areas—are more likely to fall in the lower national deciles.

Reaping the benefits of patenting activities: Does the size of patentees matter?

This paper is based upon a survey on a regional sample of Italian inventors who, between 1991 and 2005, were named in patent applications filed at the European Patent Office. Their features and patenting activities are examined in relation to the size of their organizations. Compared to those from medium and large companies, the inventors working in small firms are less productive in terms of patent applications. However, according to different indicators, it emerges that there is no difference in the average quality of patented inventions of the two groups. Nevertheless, one-third of small applicants evaluates negatively its patenting experience, while this is true for only a tiny fraction of larger patentees. On the basis of further interviews, we find that these assessments are particularly influenced by the different capacity to enforce patent rights.

Income polarization in Brazil, 2001-2011: A distributional analysis using PNAD data

This paper applies a non-parametric tool, the relative distribution, to identify patterns of changes in Brazils household income distribution over the period 2001-2011. Despite the sharp decline in income inequality recently experienced by the country, we are able to document an increased income polarization, which has particularly affected households below the median. The results call directly into question the future sustainability and equity of existing social programs dealing with the unequal distribution of resources.

The long-run determinants of British capital exports, 1870–1913

Unlike recent contributions in the field, which discuss the geography of British overseas investments, this article focuses on the growth of capital exports from Great Britain during the period 1870–1913. Using a broader concept of foreign investments, which includes foreign direct investments (FDIs), and refocusing on the push and pull factors emphasised in earlier literature, we propose a framework able to capture the long-run determinants of British capital exports. Moreover, the framework includes elements suggested by early and recent works such as the institutional setup of the international economy and the evolution of world trade. The most relevant result, in an error correction model environment, is that the timing of British overseas investments in the long run seems to be related to the evolution of world trade, domestic growth and to the role of India as a colony. On the other hand, the attraction elements of the borrowing countries, captured by the risk-adjusted realised rates of return abroad, have been proven to matter in the short run.

Explaining the Patenting Propensity: A Regional Analysis Using EPO-OECD Data

The aim of this chapter is to conduct an empirical study of the patenting propensity at the European regional level using the OECD-REGPAT dataset.We use patent applications by inventor’s region as, in this case, linkage to the territory is stronger than using applicant’s region. Data analysis reveals the existence of a deep, uneven distribution of patent applications, R&D expenditure and human capital. Richer regions show higher levels of both private and public R&D expenditure as well as a consistent share of the total European patent applications. Starting from the analysis of these key variables, we proceed explaining the determinants of patenting propensity. The results substantially confirm the significant role of R&D expenditure on patenting activity: mainly the business enterprises, but also the government sector component. Human capital variables show similar positive effect, while average enterprise size seems not to play a determining role in patent applications.