Abstract
This paper analyses the relationship between industrial total factor productivity and public capital across the 20 Italian administrative regions. It adds upon the existing literature in a number of ways: it analyses a longer period (1970-98); it allows for the role of human capital accumulation; it tests for the existence of a long-run relationship between total factor productivity and public capital (through previously suggested panel techniques) and for weak exogeneity of public capital; and it assesses the significance of public capital within a non-parametric set-up based on the Free Disposal Hull. The results confirm that public capital has a significant impact on the evolution of total factor productivity, particularly in the Southern regions. This impact is mainly ascribed to the core infrastructures (road and airports, harbours, railroads, water and electricity, telecommunications). Also, core infrastructures are weakly exogenous. © 2005 Regional Studies Association.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 603-617 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Regional studies |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Jul 2005 |
Bibliographical note
This is an electronic version of an article published in Destefanis, Sergio and Sena, Vania (2005) Public capital and total factor productivity: new evidence from the Italian regions, 1970-98. Regional Studies, 39 (5). pp. 603-617. ISSN 0034-3404. Regional Studies is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0034-3404&volume=39&issue=5&spage=603Keywords
- Long-run relationship
- Non-parametric frontiers
- Public capital accumulation
- Total factor productivity