This article investigates how the general principles of the Treaty have been applied to the car sector in the EU, where the soft law provisions are of particular interest. A detailed quantitative analysis from 1990 to 2008 highlights a reduction of aid over time. A shift from sectoral to...

The economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have always been characterized by economic volatility and social disparities. The recent ‘Arab Spring’ wave of protests has increased political uncertainty and instability in the region, and this timely book provides an...

This article investigates how the ownership and the selection procedure of firms operating in the Local Public Transport (LPT) sector affect their productivity. In order to compare different institutional regimes, we carry out a comparative analysis of 77 companies operating in large European...

Il settore terziario rappresenta il comparto piu' dinamico e dimensionalmente piu' rilevante delle maggiori economie avanzate inoltre, fornendo input impiegati per la produzione di beni finali, incide sulla competitivita' dell'intero sistema economico. Il dibattito su come incrementare...

This article investigates how comparative advantages have changed in the last 30 years. Using export data for 100 countries over the period 1976-2004, it provides evidence that comparative advantages are not static, but change over time. Focussing on three different sources of institutional...

This paper deals with backward and forward linkages stemming from foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) in service sectors, and their impact on the productivity of local manufacturing firms. Using a database on foreign MNEs in service sectors in Italy, over the period 1999–2005, we find...