Distance, bank heterogeneity and entry in local banking markets

We examine the determinants of entry into Italian local banking markets during the period 1991-2002 and build a simple model in which the probability of branching in a new market depends on the features of both the local market and the potential entrant. Our econometric findings show that, all else being equal, banks are more likely to expand into those markets that are closest to their pre-entry locations. We also find that large banks are more able to cope with distance-related entry costs than small banks. Finally, we show that banks have become increasingly able to open branches in distant markets, probably due to the advent of information and communication technologies.entry, barriers to entry, local banking markets, geographical distance.

Agglomeration within and between regions: Two econometric based indicators

We propose two indexes to measure the agglomeration forces acting within and between different regions. Unlike the existing measures of agglomeration, our model-based indexes allow for simultaneous treatment of both aspects. Local plant diffusion in a given industry is modelled as a spatial error components process (SEC). Maximum likelihood inference on model parameters is dealt with, including the problem of data censoring. The statistical properties of standard agglomeration indexes in the data environment provided by our SEC model are then treated. Finally, our methodology is applied to Italian census data for both manufacturing and service industries.agglomeration, spatial autocorrelation, spatial error components model

Switching costs in local credit markets

Switching costs are a key determinant of market performance. This paper tests their existence in the corporate loan market in which they are likely to play a central role because of the complexity of contracts and informational problems. Using very detailed data at bank-firm level on four Italian local credit markets we empirically show that firms tend to iterate their choice of the main bank over time. This inertia is not related to unobserved and time invariant preferences of firms across banks and can be attributed to the existence of switching costs. We also offer evidence that banks price discriminate between new and old borrowers by charging lower interest rates to the former in order to cover part of the switching costs. The discount is about 44 basis points, equal to 7 per cent of the average interest rate. These results prove robust to a number of other potential identification drawbacks.switching costs, local credit markets, price discrimination, lending relationships

Industrial District and Local Banks: Do the Twins Ever Meet?

The paper offers theoretical and empirical insights into the links between banks and firms in industrial districts and to the way investment is financed. Theoretically, it is assumed that district-banking localism is embedded in the industrial districtsÂ’ social context. District banks should thus be distinguished by such features as greater concentration of lending, greater concentration of market shares and the cooperative legal form. Counteracting forces (e.g. excessive risk taking, higher monitoring costs and the cooperativeÂ’s typical dilution of power among members) may nonetheless prevent district-banking localism from arising. The empirical analysis crosses an Istat dataset on local labour systems and industrial districts with banking supervisory data as of the end of 1991. Cooperative banks are found to concentrate their lending and to acquire larger market shares in industrial districts, though the evidence is not clear-cut. Mutual banks, on the other hand, generally concentrate their lending to small local labour systems, thereby indicating that their role as local banks is played not only in industrial districts but in non-district areas as well. Finally, in a regression analysis we find that investment by firms operating in industrial districts is more closely correlated with their cash-flow than those of non-district firms, although the pattern varies across regions and economic sectors. The conclusion is that the rise of district banking localism cannot be taken for granted and that IDs do not seem to be homogeneous entities even as far as bank-firm relationships are concerned.banks, enterprises, business financing

Openess to trade and industry cost dispersion: Evidence from a panel of Italian firms

We use Italian firm-level data to investigate the impact of trade openness on the distribution of firms across marginal cost levels. In so doing, we implement a procedure that allows us to control not only for the standard transmission bias identified in firm-level TFP regressions but also for the omitted price bias due to imperfect competition. We find that more open industries are characterized by a smaller dispersion of costs across active firms. Moreover, in those industries the average cost is also smaller.Cost dispersion, openness to trade, firm-level data, firm selection, total factor productivity.

Mapping local productivity advantages in Italy: industrial districts, cities or both?

We compare the magnitude of local productivity advantages associated with two different spatial concentration patterns in Italy – urban areas and industrial districts. The former have high population density and host a wide range of economic activities, while the latter are marked by a high concentration of small firms producing relatively homogenous goods. Using data from a large sample of Italian manufacturing firms observed over the 1995-2006 period, we detect local productivity advantages for both urban areas and industrial districts. However, firms located in urban areas reap a larger productivity premium than those operating within districts. The advantages of industrial districts have declined over time; those of urban areas have remained stable. Differences in the composition of firm employees between white- and blue-collars explain a small fraction of the urban productivity premium. The quantile regressions show how more productive firms gain larger benefits by locating in urban areas. Our analysis raises the question of whether Italian industrial districts are less fit than urban areas to prosper in a world characterized by advancing globalization and the growing use of ICT.urban areas, industrial districts, agglomeration economies, productivity, white- and blue-collars, Italian economy

Banks, local credit markets and credit supply

The volume collects the papers presented at the Conference on "Banks, Local Credit Markets and Credit Supply" held in Milan, on 24 March 2010. The papers presented at the two sessions of the Conference analyse how banks' lending activities are organized and how this affects the supply of credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The first session focuses on new lending technologies and banking organization. The second session studies how these organizational variables affect the lending activity to SMEs. The papers draw on the results of a sample survey of more than 300 Italian banks conducted by the Bank of Italy in 2007.banking organization, credit scoring, relationship lending, soft information

MAPPING LOCAL PRODUCTIVITY ADVANTAGES IN ITALY: INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS, CITIES OR BOTH?

In this paper we compare the magnitude of local productivity advantages associated to two different spatial concentration patterns in Italy, i.e. urban areas (UA) and industrial districts (ID). UA typically display a huge concentration of population and host a wide range of economic activities, while ID are located outside UA and exhibit a strong concentration of small firms producing relatively homogenous goods. We use a very large sample of Italian manufacturing firms observed over the 1995-2006 period and resort to a wide set of econometric techniques in order to test the robustness of main empirical findings. We detect local productivity advantages for both UA and ID. However, firms located in UA attain a larger Total Factor Productivity (TFP) premium than those operating within ID. Besides, it turns out that the advantages of ID have declined over time, while those of UA remained stable. Differences in the white-blue collars composition of the local labor force appear to explain only a minor fraction of the estimated spatial TFP differentials. Production workers (blue collars) turn out to be more productive in ID, while non-production workers (white collars) are more efficiently employed in UA. By analyzing the quantiles of the sample TFP distribution, we document how higher average TFP levels within UA do not seem to be mainly driven by a selection effect pushing less efficient firms out of the market. Rather, a firm sorting effect appears to stand out, suggesting that more productive firms gain strong benefits from locating in UA. On the whole, our analysis raises the question whether Italian ID are less fit than UA to prosper in a changing world, characterized by increased globalization and by the growing use of information technologies.

Misura e determinanti dellÂ’agglomerazione spaziale nei comparti industriali in Italia

This paper is concerned with spatial agglomeration across industrial sectors in Italy. Following the seminal article by Ellison and Glaeser, agglomeration indexes that simultaneously control for the effect of chance and size structure of industries are presented. In particular, I compute agglomeration across 100 industrial manufacturing sectors in Italy in 1996. The empirical evidence shows that for an overwhelmingly majority of sectors centripetal forces prevail over centrifugal ones. In a regression analysis, I also look at the determinants of agglomeration across sectors. Consistently with the literature on urban economics, I find that agglomeration is fostered by both the human capital intensity of a sector and its propensity to innovate. On the contrary, transportation costs per chilometer and the usage of land as production factor act as forces of dispersion. I conclude that industries where information spillovers are more relevant tend to be more agglomerated than the others. The negative influence of transportation costs on agglomeration implies that falling trade barriers between regions may lead to more geographic concentration of the economic activities.spatial agglomeration, information spillovers, transport costs

Agglomeration and the Italian North-South divide

This paper offers novel evidence on agglomeration economies by examining the link between total factor productivity (TFP) and employment density in Italy. TFP is estimated for a large sample of manufacturing firms and then aggregated at the level of Local Labor Market Areas (LLMAs). We tackle the endogeneity issues stemming from the presence of omitted co- variates and reverse causation with an instrumental variable (IV) approach that relies on histor- ical and geological data. Our estimate of the TFP elasticity with respect to the spatial concen- tration of economic activities is about 6%, a magnitude comparable to that measured for other developed countries. We find that the TFP-density nexus contributes to explaining a large share of the substantial productivity gap between the northern and southern regions of Italy. We also show that no significant heterogeneity emerges in the intensity of agglomeration economies across the country and that the positive TFP difference in favor of the firms located in the North is not due to the tougher competition taking place in those areas