IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/afc/cliome/v11y2017i2p183-216.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reassessing the bank–industry relationship in Italy, 1913–1936: a counterfactual analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Michelangelo Vasta

    (University of Siena, Siena, Italy)

  • Carlo Drago

    (University Niccolò Cusano, Roma, Italy)

  • Roberto Ricciuti

    (University of Verona, Verona, Italy and CESifo, Munich, Germany)

  • Alberto Rinaldi

    (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and RECent, Modena, Italy)

Abstract

Until the banking reform in 1936, banks and industrial companies in Italy were strongly intertwined (both in terms of ownership and interlocking directorates). Using Imita.db—a large dataset containing data on over 300,000 directors of Italian joint-stock companies—this paper analyzes what would have happened to the Italian corporate network in the years 1913, 1921, 1927 and 1936 if the German-type universal banks and their directors would have not been there. Our test shows that new centers of the system would have emerged (financial, electricity, and phone companies), confirming the interconnected nature of the Italian capitalism. We also analyze two industries (textiles and iron and steel) characterized by different labor-to-capital intensities to check for sectoral differences. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that local banks were important in funding both industries.

Suggested Citation

  • Michelangelo Vasta & Carlo Drago & Roberto Ricciuti & Alberto Rinaldi, 2017. "Reassessing the bank–industry relationship in Italy, 1913–1936: a counterfactual analysis," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 11(2), pages 183-216, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:cliome:v:11:y:2017:i:2:p:183-216
    DOI: 10.1007/s11698-016-0142-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11698-016-0142-9
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to journal subscribers
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11698-016-0142-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefano Battilossi, 2009. "Did governance fail universal banks? Moral hazard, risk taking, and banking crises in interwar Italy1," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 62(s1), pages 101-134, August.
    2. repec:ucp:bkecon:9780226531083 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Renato Giannetti & Michelangelo Vasta (ed.), 2006. "Evolution of Italian Enterprises in the 20th Century," Contributions to Economics, Springer, number 978-3-7908-1712-6, May.
    4. Cohen, Jon S., 1967. "Financing Industrialization in Italy, 1894–1914: The Partial Transformation of a Late-Comer," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 27(3), pages 363-382, September.
    5. Rinaldi, Alberto & Vasta, Michelangelo, 2012. "The Italian Corporate Network After the “Golden Age” (1972–1983): From Centrality to Marginalization of State-Owned Enterprises," Enterprise & Society, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(2), pages 378-413, June.
    6. Andrea Colli & Michelangelo Vasta (ed.), 2010. "Forms of Enterprise in 20th Century Italy," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12795.
    7. Zamagni, Vera, 1997. "The Economic History of Italy 1860-1990," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198292890.
    8. Fohlin, Caroline, 1999. "Capital mobilisation and utilisation in latecomer economies: Germany and Italy compared," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 139-174, August.
    9. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2018. "Cliometrics," Working Papers of BETA 2018-01, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    10. Fohlin, Caroline, 1998. "Fiduciariand Firm Liquidity Constraints: The Italian Experience with German-Style Universal Banking," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 83-107, January.
    11. Andrea Colli & Alberto Rinaldi & Michelangelo Vasta, 2016. "The only way to grow? Italian Business groups in historical perspective," Business History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(1), pages 30-48, January.
    12. Carlo Drago & Roberto Ricciuti & Alberto Rinaldi & Michelangelo Vasta, 2013. "A counterfactual analysis of the bank-industry relationship in Italy, 1913-1936," Department of Economics (DEMB) 0013, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    13. Fohlin,Caroline, 2011. "Finance Capitalism and Germany's Rise to Industrial Power," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521396608, September.
    14. Rinaldi, Alberto & Vasta, Michelanelo, 2005. "The Structure of Italian Capitalism, 1952 1972: New Evidence Using the Interlocking Directorates Technique," Financial History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 12(02), pages 173-198, October.
    15. Randall K. Morck, 2005. "A History of Corporate Governance around the World: Family Business Groups to Professional Managers," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number morc05-1.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2020. "How Cliometrics has Infiltrated Economics – and Helped to Improve the Discipline," Annals of the Fondazione Luigi Einaudi. An Interdisciplinary Journal of Economics, History and Political Science, Fondazione Luigi Einaudi, Torino (Italy), vol. 54(1), pages 219-230, June.
    2. Paolo Di Martino & Barbara Pistoresi & Alberto Rinaldi, 2016. "International financial flows, domestic banks, and the economic development of the periphery: Italy, 1861-1913," Department of Economics 0104, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    3. Andrea Incerpi & Barbara Pistoresi & Alberto Rinaldi, 2020. "Finance and Economic Development in Italy, 1870-1913," Department of Economics 0162, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    4. Carlo Drago & Roberto Ricciuti, 2019. "Bootstrapping the Gini Index of the Network Degree: An Application for Italian Corporate Governance," Working Papers 05/2019, University of Verona, Department of Economics.
    5. Esteves, Rui & Geisler Mesevage, Gabriel, 2019. "Social Networks in Economic History: Opportunities and Challenges," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leonardo Bargigli & Renato Giannetti, 2015. "The Italian Corporate System: SOEs, Private Firms and Institutions in a Network Perspective (1952-1983)," Working Papers - Economics wp2015_01.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    2. Carlo Drago & Roberto Ricciuti & Alberto Rinaldi & Michelangelo Vasta, 2013. "A counterfactual analysis of the bank-industry relationship in Italy, 1913-1936," Department of Economics (DEMB) 0013, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    3. repec:mod:depeco:0013 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Bargigli, L. & Giannetti, R., 2018. "The Italian corporate system in a network perspective (1952–1983)," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 494(C), pages 367-379.
    5. Emanuele Felice, 2019. "Rethinking the take-off: the role of services in the new economic history of Italy (1861–1951)," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 13(3), pages 405-442, September.
    6. Paolo Di Martino & Barbara Pistoresi & Alberto Rinaldi, 2016. "International financial flows, domestic banks, and the economic development of the periphery: Italy, 1861-1913," Department of Economics 0104, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    7. Da Rin, Marco & Hellmann, Thomas, 2002. "Banks as Catalysts for Industrialization," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 366-397, October.
    8. repec:fan:istois:v:html10.3280/isto2021-043005 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Emanuele Felice & Giovanni Vecchi, 2013. "Italy’s Growth and Decline, 1861-2011," CEIS Research Paper 293, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 11 Oct 2013.
    10. Alessandro Nuvolari & Michelangelo Vasta, 2015. "Independent invention in Italy during the Liberal Age, 1861–1913," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 68(3), pages 858-886, August.
    11. François, Pierre & Lemercier, Claire, 2014. "State or status capitalism? Some insights on french idiosyncrasis using an interlocking directorates approach," economic sociology. perspectives and conversations, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, vol. 15(2), pages 17-33.
    12. repec:ssa:lemwps:2013/20 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Barbara Pistoresi & Alberto Rinaldi, 2015. "Capital Inflows, Current Accounts and the Investment Cycle in Italy: 1861–1913," Research in Economic History, in: Research in Economic History, volume 31, pages 241-261, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    14. Paolo Di Martino & Michelangelo Vasta, 2012. "Happy 150th Birthday Italy? Institutions and Economic Performance Since 1861," Department of Economics University of Siena 662, Department of Economics, University of Siena.
    15. Andrea Incerpi & Barbara Pistoresi & Alberto Rinaldi, 2020. "Finance and Development in Italy, 1870-1913," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(9), pages 1-95, September.
    16. Andrea Incerpi & Barbara Pistoresi & Alberto Rinaldi, 2020. "Finance and Economic Development in Italy, 1870-1913," Department of Economics 0162, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    17. Fohlin, Caroline, 1999. "Universal Banking in Pre-World War I Germany: Model or Myth?," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 305-343, October.
    18. Colvin, Christopher L., 2015. "The past, present and future of banking history," QUCEH Working Paper Series 15-05, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's University Centre for Economic History.
    19. Domini, Giacomo, 2015. "The innovation-trade nexus: Italy in historical perspective (1861-1939)," MERIT Working Papers 2015-055, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    20. repec:bdi:workqs:qse_7 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. Drago, Carlo & Millo, Francesco & Ricciuti, Roberto & Santella, Paolo, 2015. "Corporate governance reforms, interlocking directorship and company performance in Italy," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 38-49.
    22. Guglielmo Barone & Guido de Blasio & Elena Gentili, 2020. "Politically connected cities: Italy 1951-1991," Working Papers wp1158, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    23. Cristina Gualdani, 2021. "An Econometric Model of Network Formation with an Application to Board Interlocks between Firms," Post-Print hal-03548907, HAL.
    24. Federico Barbiellini Amidei & John Cantwell & Anna Spadavecchia, 2011. "Innovation and Foreign Technology in Italy, 1861-2011," Quaderni di storia economica (Economic History Working Papers) 07, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Counterfactual history; Banks; Corporate governance; Network analysis; Italy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N24 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: 1913-
    • P12 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Capitalist Enterprises
    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques
    • D85 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Network Formation
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:afc:cliome:v:11:y:2017:i:2:p:183-216. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/afcccea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.