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Anna Missiaia

Visiting research fellow

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Market versus endowment : explaining early industrial location in Italy (1871–1911)

Author

  • Anna Missiaia

Summary, in English

This article aims to explain the location of the manufacturing industries in Italy in the period 1871–1911. The analytical framework takes into account of two competing theories on the determinants of the location of economic activity: the Heckscher–Ohlin (H–O) theory on factor endowments and the new economic geography (NEG) theory on access to markets. The methodology used here is based on Midelfart-Knarvik et al. (The location of European industry, European Economy Economic Papers 142. European Commission, 2000) and has seen several historical applications. The location of industries is explained through interactions between characteristics of the regions and characteristics of the sectors, of both H–O type and NEG type. The main finding is that endowments, and in particular energy and human capital, were the determinants of the geography of the first Italian industrialization. Market access, at this point of industrialization, mattered only in its domestic formulation and only through economies of scale.

Department/s

  • Department of Economic History

Publishing year

2019

Language

English

Pages

127-161

Publication/Series

Cliometrica

Volume

13

Issue

1

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Economic History

Keywords

  • Economic geography
  • Economic history of Italy
  • Industrial location

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1863-2505