The Employment Effects of Innovation. Evidence from a Sample of Italian Manufacturing Firms

This paper deals with a controversial question: Can innovation create unemployment? Theoretical frameworks and empirical evidences on that topic provide quite different results, depending on the socio-economic and institutional contest where the innovation is introduced and the type of technological change (process vs. product).In our empirical evidence we used a database with information on sales, investments, R&D, product and process innovation and number of employees of about 3000 Italian manufacturing firms. The database covers the period 1992-94. Employment grows in technological advanced industries with respect to traditional industries. The econometric analysis suggests that there are some differences in the behaviour of firms in different regions of Italy. Firms in North East of Italy have better performances than other firms and medium-small firms increased their employment. In particular high R&D expenditures have a negative impact on employment. Big firms spend more in R&D and lose employees in the three years. Investments oriented to increase productive capacity have a positive impact on employment.

Are "Flexible" Taxation Mechanisms Effective in Stabilizing Fuel Prices? An Evaluation Considering the Italian Fuel Markets

In this paper we study the incidence of specific taxes in the Italian fuel markets, and exploit these findings to simulate the effects of fiscal policies aimed at mitigating oil price fluctuations. We estimate several reduced-form specifications, using as dependent variables the equilibrium wholesale prices for gasoline and motor diesel over the period 1996-2007. In particular, we assess the impact on wholesale gasoline and motor diesel prices stemming from the creation of an automatic fiscal mechanism consisting of reductions in specific taxes matching the rise in oil prices. Our simulations suggest that “flexible” taxation mechanisms could not be a proper policy for stabilizing price levels in fuel markets. A more effective control on prices can be obtained by focusing on the market structure of these industries, where Antitrust Authority could play a significant role.fuel markets, specific taxes, tax incidence, sterilization policy, antitrust policy

Gli effetti occupazionali dell'innovazione. Verifica su un campione di imprese manifatturiere italiane.(The Employment Effects of Innovation. Evidence from a Sample of Italian Manufacturing Firms)

WP 09/2000; This paper deals with a controversial question: Can innovation create unemployment? Theoretical frameworks and empirical evidences on that topic provide quite different results, depending on the socio-economic and institutional contest where the innovation is introduced and the type of technological change (process vs. product). In our empirical evidence we used a database with information on sales, investments, R&D, product and process innovation and number of employees of about 3000 Italian manufacturing firms. The database covers the period 1992-94. Employment grows in technological advanced industries with respect to traditional industries. The econometric analysis suggests that there are some differences in the behaviour of firms in different regions of Italy. Firms in North East of Italy have better performances than other firms and medium-small firms increased their employment. In particular high R&D expenditures have a negative impact on employment. Big firms spend more in R&D and lose employees in the three years. Investments oriented to increase productive capacity have a positive impact on employment

Beyond Income and Inequlity: The Role of Socio-Political Factors for Alleviating Energy Poverty in Europe

In each country, the occurrence of energy poverty among resident households is usually related to low income and its unequal distribution. Like other manifestations of material deprivation, however, such a phenomenon is likely to be also correlated with some internal socio-political factors that allow its persistence by preventing effective solutions. In this paper, we build and analyse a dataset for European countries by assessing the role of the perceived quality of internal public governance on different measures of energy deprivation. Specifically, we rely on the Worldwide Governance Indicators provided by the World Bank and estimate an array of panel models. After controlling for income, income inequality, energy prices, and weather conditions, we find that high government effectiveness, good regulatory quality, widespread property rights, contract enforcement, and corruption control are significantly associated with lower energy poverty. In addition, we consider the policy implications of this broader perspective on energy deprivation