Skip to main content
Log in

Infrastructure and Economic Efficiency in Italian Regions

  • Published:
Networks and Spatial Economics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using the stochastic frontier approach based on Farrel's index to measure technical and allocative efficiency, we investigate the level of productive efficiency in Italian regions for the period 1970–1994. We found a 31% of technical inefficiency and about 21% of allocative inefficiency. The analysis is extended to measure the impact of public capital puzzle on regional productivity. The results show that infrastructure play an important role and that railways and maritime capital have an higher degree of effectiveness than the provision of roads.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aigner, D.J., C.A.K. Lovell, and P. Schmidt. (1977). "Formulation and Estimation of Stochastic Frontier Production Functions Model." Journal of Econometrics (6), 21-37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aschauer, D.A. (1989). "Is Public Expenditure Productive?" Journal of Monetary Economics 23(2), 177-200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belsley, D.A., E. Kuh, and R.E. Welsch. (1980). Regression Diagnostics.New York: John Wiley and Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonaglia, F., E. La Ferrara, and M. Marcellino. (2000). "Public Capital and Economic Performance: Evidence from Italy." Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia 60(2), 1-25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calderón, C. and L. Serven. (2003). The Outpout Cost of Latin America's Infrastructure Gap. The World Bank, mimeo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caminal, R. (2001). Personal Redistribution and the Regional Allocation of Public Investment. Institut d'An` alisi Econ` omica, mimeo.

    Google Scholar 

  • de la Fuente, A. (2002). Is the Allocation of Public Capital Across the Spanish Regions Too Redistributive? CEPR Discussion Paper No. 3138.

  • DeLorme, C.D. Jr., H.G. Thompson Jr., and R.S. Warren Jr. (1999). "Public Infrastructure and Private Productivity: A Stochastic Frontier Approach." Journal of Macroeconomics 21(3), 563-576.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrel, M.J. (1957). "The Measurement of Productivity Efficiency." Journal of the Royal Statistical Society A 120 (Part 3), 253-290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finn, M. (1993). "Is All Government Capital Productive? Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond." Economic Quarterly 79 (4-Fall), 53-80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gramlich, E.M. (1994). "Infrastructure Investment: A Review Essay." Journal of Economic Literature 32, 1176-1196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haughwout, A.F. (1998). "Aggregate Production Functions, Interregional Equilibrium, and the Measurement of Infrastructure Productivity." Journal of Urban Economics 44, 216-227.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtz-Eakin, D. (1994). "Public-Sector Capital and the Productivity Puzzle" The Review of Economics and Statistics 76(1), 12-21

    Google Scholar 

  • Holtz-Eakin, D., W. Newey, and H.S. Rosen. (1988). "Estimating Vector Autoregressions with Panel Data." Econometrica 56(6), 1371-1395.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jondrow, J., C.A.K., I.S. Materov, and P. Schmidt. (1982). "On the Estimation of Technical Inefficiency in the Stochastic Frontier Production Function Model." Journal of Econometrics 19, 233-238.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, M.A. (1972). "Corporate Taxation and Dividend Behaviour: A further Comment." The Review of Economic Studies 39, 231-234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumbhakar, S.C. (1987). "The Specification of Technical and Allocative Inefficiency in Stochastic Production and Profit Frontiers." Journal of Econometrics 34, 335-348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumbhakar, S.C. (1988). "On the Estimation of Technical and Allocative Inefficiency using Stochastic Frontier Functions: The Case of US Class 1 Railroads." International Economic Review 29(4), 727-743.

    Google Scholar 

  • La Ferrara, E. and M. Marcellino. (2000). "TFP, Costs, and Public Infrastructure: An Equivocal Relationship." Bocconi University, IGIER Working Paper No. 176.

  • Maudos, J., J.M. Pastor, and L. Serrano. (1997). "Convergencia en las regiones españolas: Cambio técnico, eficiencia y productividad." Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, Working Paper WP-EC 97-19.

  • Meeusen, W. and J. van den Broeck. (1977). "Efficiency Estimation from Cobb-Douglas Production Functions with Composed Error." Journal of Econometrics 34, 335-348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrison, C.J. and A.E. Schwartz. (1996). "State Infrastructure and Productive Performance." The American Economic Review 86(5), 1095-1111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Percoco, M. (2003). "Il processo di integrazione Euro-Mediterranea ed il ruolo dei trasporti marittimi." Economia Marche (2), 163-180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picci, L. (1999). "Productivity and Infrastructure in the Italian Regions." Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia 58(3/4), 329-353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Puig-Junoy J. (2001). "Technical Inefficiency and Public Capital In US States: A Stochastic Frontier Approach." Journal of Regional Science 41(1), 75-96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, S.C. and E. Desli. (1997). "Productivity Growth, Technical Progress, and Efficiency Change in Industrialized Countries: Comment." American Economic Review 87(6), 1033-1039.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, P. and C.A.K. Lovell. (1980). "Estimating Technical and Allocative Inefficiency Relative to Stochastic Production and Cost Frontiers." Journal of Econometrics (9), 343-366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Svimez. (1993). I conti economici del Centro-Nord e del Mezzogiorno nel ventennio1970-1989.IlMulino, Bologna.

  • Svimez. (2003). Rapporto sull'economia del Mezzogiorno.IlMulino, Bologna.

  • Zellner, A. and N.S. Revankar. (1969). "Generalized Production Functions." Review of Economic Studies, 36, 241-250.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marco Percoco.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Percoco, M. Infrastructure and Economic Efficiency in Italian Regions. Networks and Spatial Economics 4, 361–378 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NETS.0000047113.37578.91

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:NETS.0000047113.37578.91

Navigation