Local and territorial determinants in the realization of public–private–partnerships: an empirical analysis for Italian provinces

ABSTRACT Relational networks and intangible factors are crucial elements for the competitiveness of a territory. Public–Private–Partnerships (PPPs), in particular, allow for the provision of goods and services that favour the exploitation of complementarities between public and private resources. They aim at promoting an increase in the overall efficiency of investment projects through a complex mechanism that distributes risk and revenues among stakeholders. This paper examines the local and territorial determinants of PPPs through an econometric analysis based upon Italian municipal data, grouped at the provincial level. Using a tobit model, we analyse the relationship between the realization of successful PPP initiatives and different sets of factors, including less analysed local and territorial determinants. We stress the role of the local management of infrastructure assets, the administrative efficiency of local authorities and the diffusion of previous local development initiatives. Local management and territorial context factors explain most of the occurrence of successful PPP initiatives in the pre-crisis period while usual determinants (infrastructure endowment and financial distress) display a weaker effect

La valutazione ex-post dei progetti integrati territoriali: un’analisi econometrica

Questo lavoro tratta della valutazione di un programma di incentivi per lo sviluppo locale attuato nel sud dell’Italia durante l’ultimo decennio. Nel panorama degli strumenti di policy aventi l’obiettivo di ridurre le disparità territoriali e di promuovere lo sviluppo locale, i Progetti Integrati Territoriali (PIT) hanno rappresentato una peculiare modalità operativa di attuazione dei Programmi Operativi Regionali. Le risorse stanziate per ogni PIT potevano essere destinate a tre tipologie di intervento quali le infrastrutture, i regimi di aiuto e le azioni pubbliche. Di conseguenza sono possibili diversi approcci valutativi, a seconda degli obiettivi perseguiti da parte del valutatore. Attraverso un’analisi empirica sulle risorse destinate ai regimi di aiuto, con riferimento alla Sicilia, questo lavoro analizza, a livello di impresa, l’eventuale differente performance dei beneficiari dei regimi di aiuto previsti dai PIT, rispetto ai non beneficiari. L’analisi empirica è divisa in due parti: nella prima parte viene preso in considerazione un sottoinsieme di imprese destinatario degli aiuti durante il periodo 2003-2007, e viene effettuata un’analisi empirica che utilizza in modo congiunto le metodologie basate sul propensity score matching ed un approccio difference-in-differences. I risultati mostrano, in generale, un impatto positivo del programma, almeno con riferimento all’occupazione ed ai ricavi delle vendite. Nella seconda parte dell’analisi viene preso in considerazione un sottoinsieme di imprese che in un primo tempo erano state selezionate quali beneficiarie dei regimi di aiuto, ma che successivamente non sono state finanziate. Mediante l’inclusione di tali imprese nell’analisi empirica, viene osservato come, almeno parzialmente, i risultati positivi ottenuti potrebbero non dipendere da un effettivo successo della politica in esame, ma potrebbero, almeno in parte, essere una conseguenza degli effetti distorsivi del processo di selezione dei beneficiari. I risultati devono in ogni caso essere inseriti in un contesto più generale che guardi in maniera integrata agli effetti dei diversi interventi previsti nell’ambito della progettazione integrata territoriale

Prevalence and predictors of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with hypertension and normal electrocardiogram

Background: Electrocardiography (ECG) has low sensitivity for detecting left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), while echocardiography cannot be routinely performed. Design/methods: In this study we evaluate the prevalence of LVH and diastolic dysfunction in hypertensive patients with normal ECG. We excluded patients with cardiovascular (CV) diseases, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or presenting ECG-LVH or other ECG anomalies. The enrolled 440 hypertensive patients underwent echocardiographic examination (Acuson Sequoia 512); LV mass was indexed by body surface area (LVMI) and LVH was defined as LVMI >125 g/m2 in men and >110 g/m2 in women. Diastolic function was evaluated by mitral inflow and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Results: The prevalence of LVH was 8.18% (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.97–11.1%). Multiple regression analysis showed that the only variable independently associated with LVH was duration of hypertension (p<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that duration of hypertension was a powerful predictor of LVH, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.878 and p<0.0001. Further, in patients with LVH the mean difference of LVMI from the cut-off value for LVH was 12.3 9.19 g/m2. Diastolic dysfunction, defined as early diastolic myocardial velocity (Em) <0.08 m/s, was detected only in 3.2% of patients. Conclusions: The prevalence of LVH among hypertensive patients with normal ECG, free of diabetes and of CV diseases is low; moreover, patients with echocardiographic LVH presented LVMI values that identified mild LVH. Few cases of impaired diastolic function were registered. We suggest that in hypertensive patients with such characteristics the echocardiographic examination should be reserved to those who present with higher duration of hypertension

Local and territorial determinants in the realization of public-private-partnerships: an empirical analysis for Italian provinces

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor and Francis in European Planning Studies on 17/07/2019, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1640187 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.Relational networks and intangible factors are crucial elements for the competitiveness of a territory. Public–Private–Partnerships (PPPs), in particular, allow for the provision of goods and services that favour the exploitation of complementarities between public and private resources. They aim at promoting an increase in the overall efficiency of investment projects through a complex mechanism that distributes risk and revenues among stakeholders. This paper examines the local and territorial determinants of PPPs through an econometric analysis based upon Italian municipal data, grouped at the provincial level. Using a tobit model, we analyse the relationship between the realization of successful PPP initiatives and different sets of factors, including less analysed local and territorial determinants. We stress the role of the local management of infrastructure assets, the administrative efficiency of local authorities and the diffusion of previous local development initiatives. Local management and territorial context factors explain most of the occurrence of successful PPP initiatives in the pre-crisis period while usual determinants (infrastructure endowment and financial distress) display a weaker effect.This work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) through the Fund for Research Projects of National Interest (PRIN) [Grant Project Number 2008PP5E98].Published versio

FDI inflows and economic growth: A novel application of dose-response functions

© 2024 The Authors. Published by Macrothink Institute. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.5296/rae.v16i1.21607In this work we estimate different dose-response functions linking FDI inflows received by developing countries with their economic growth. Although the impact of FDI on the economic growth of host countries has been widely investigated in literature, findings have been ambiguous. Our study proposes a novel ‘dose-response’ approach which allows the response of recipients to different amounts of treatment in terms of FDI inflow to be observed. Our findings show that the estimated dose-response functions are statistically significant for treatment values greater than 20%, after the treatment has been rescaled to a percentage measure of the maximum dose observed, and increasing at a decreasing rate, therefore suggesting three relevant results: a) a country receiving a greater amount of FDI inflows will present a higher economic growth; b) there might be a minimum amount of FDI inflows required to reach some policy effectiveness; c) the initial amounts of FDI inflow are more effective than the subsequent ones. Results will help policymakers to better isolate the effect of FDI on economic growth and conduct informed FDI cost-benefit analysis.Published onlin

Burden of Disease Caused by Otitis Media: Systematic Review and Global Estimates

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Otitis media (OM) is a leading cause of health care visits and drugs prescription. Its complications and sequelae are important causes of preventable hearing loss, particularly in developing countries. Within the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, for the year 2005 we estimated the incidence of acute OM, chronic suppurative OM, and related hearing loss and mortality for all ages and the 21 WHO regional areas.</p> <h3>Methods</h3><p>We identified risk factors, complications and sequelae of OM. We carried out an extensive literature review (Medline, Embase, Lilacs and Wholis) which lead to the selection of 114 papers comprising relevant data. Data were available from 15 of the 21 WHO regions. To estimate incidence and prevalence for all countries we adopted a two stage approach based on risk factors formulas and regression modelling.</p> <h3>Results</h3><p>Acute OM incidence rate is 10.85% i.e. 709million cases each year with 51% of these occurring in under-fives. Chronic suppurative OM incidence rate is 4.76‰ i.e. 31million cases, with 22.6% of cases occurring annually in under-fives. OM-related hearing impairment has a prevalence of 30.82 per ten-thousand. Each year 21thousand people die due to complications of OM.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Our study is the first attempt to systematically review the available information and provide global estimates for OM and related conditions. The overall burden deriving from AOM, CSOM and their sequelae is considerable, particularly in the first five years of life and in the poorest countries. The findings call for incorporating OM-focused action within preventive and case management strategies, with emphasis on the more affected.</p> </div

The effectiveness of local development programs in Southern Italy. A global counterfactual analysis

The objective of the thesis is to realize an empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of Territorial Integrated Projects. The policy was designed to implement the 2000-2006 EU Regional Operational Plans and was based upon the combination and integration of different interventions concerning infrastructures, aid schemes and other networking and system actions. Our objective is to realize a global analysis that aims at determining the policy effectiveness both at a territorial and at a firm level with the respect to Sicily. After an introductory chapter in which we present the characteristics of the policy under investigation, we devote the second chapter to the discussion of the methodological techniques mostly used in literature including some of the forefront methods recently developed in the Econometrics of program evaluation. In chapter 3 we realize an empirical analysis at a firm level on the effectiveness of the aid schemes provided by the program. Through the use of the Matching difference in differences methodology we provide evidence of the policy effectiveness with respect to employment and sales while a weak or null effect is found with respect to other profitability and productivity measures. In chapter 4 we investigate whether the better performance of treated firms depends on the success of the policy or is influenced by the selection process which has favoured the firms being ex-ante in better conditions (basically picking the winners). The study is carried out by considering a subsample of firms, operating in Sicily, which in a first stage of the program had been selected as beneficiaries of the subsidies provided by TIPs, but that at a second stage have not been financed. We implement an empirical analysis in which we aim at identifying the effect of the selection process on the economic performance of firms. We find evidence of a selection bias effect and we propose different interpretations of this phenomenon. In chapter 5 we realize an empirical evaluation on the effectiveness of the policy at a territorial level by looking at the municipalities that were selected as beneficiaries of the infrastructural interventions provided by the program. The focus is in a first stage of the analysis on the effectiveness of the whole set of infrastructural interventions. In a second stage, considering that many interventions intended to increase the touristic attractiveness of the areas involved, we look at the effects of the program on specific outcome measures directly related to the touristic sector. We find a weak effect of the touristic interventions while the policy looks strongly effective when the analysis is extended to the whole set of infrastructural interventions. In addition we estimate a dose-response function that aims to link the amount of public aids received by the involved municipalities with their economic performance. We find an inverse U-shaped dose-response function that highlights how, in terms of financial dimension, the intermediate projects seem to be the most appropriate. To the best of our knowledge this work constitutes the first attempt of a quantitative ex-post evaluation of the success of TIPs. In addition this program gives us the possibility of referring to different units of analysis. Since literature has showed that contrasting results can be obtained by analyzing the effects of a program at different levels, our contribution at this extent looks quite useful. Finally we aim to include our work within the most recent literature that tries to go over the binary division between treated and control units through the estimation of a dose-response function that takes into account the different amounts of public funds received by the beneficiaries

Valutazione ex-post dei progetti integrati territoriali: un'analisi empirica a livello di impresa

Il lavoro tratta della valutazione di un programma di incentivi per lo sviluppo locale attuato nel Sud Italia durante l'ultimo decennio. In particolare, viene preso in considerazione un sottoinsieme di imprese destinatarie degli aiuti durante il periodo 2003-2007 e viene effettuata un'analisi empirica che utilizza in modo congiunto le metodologie basate sul propensity score matching e un approccio difference-in-differences. L'analisi un impatto positivo del programma sull'occupazione e sui ricavi dalle vendite ed effetti pi\uf9 incerti per quanto riguarda altre variabili di outcom

Place-based policy in southern Italy: evidence from a dose-response approach

This paper evaluates the effectiveness at a territorial level of a place-based policy for southern Italy, that is, territorial integrated projects (TIPs). We combine classical counterfactual designs and the construction of a dose–response function to assess the impact of the infrastructural interventions on the municipalities involved in a target region (Sicily). The results are robust enough to show policy effectiveness on both the number of workers and the number of plants. In the latter case, we also identify a significant and increasing dose–response function highlighting the positive relationship between funding intensity and the growth of plants