Local resources and territorial performance. Measures of natural, cultural and human capital

The paper aims to the laying out of conceptual and empirical bases for analyzing the impact of the intangible elements have on local performance. These include the cultural and natural heritage and human capital both in the process of territorial growth – regional and provincial – and in the process of responses to exogenous shocks as in the current economic and financial crisis. To achieve this goal, we started from a critical review of theoretical and empirical literature on the possible extent of human capital and intangible resources – cultural, artistic, architectural, landscape and natural. Then, we dealt with the setting up of a national database for territorial capital of intangible resources and human capital in the 103 Italian Provinces NUTS3, limited to 1991, 2001, 2007. Data were supplied by institutional sites like: European Project ESPON, Eurostat, Istat and Tagliacarne Institute. The purpose of data collection is to identify, define and build up synthetic quantitative indicators relating to human capital endowment – educational terms and qualifications, professions as well as natural, cultural art resources, and the tourism industry. Finally we analyzed the positioning of the Italian provinces compared to the national average endowment of territorial capital.