The spatial dimension of productivity in Italian co-operatives
This report explores the spatial dimension of productivity in the co-operatives of
Italy, a country where they make up a relatively large share of total national employment.
Co-operatives play a countercyclical role in job creation during crises. In a post-pandemic
world, they could make a major contribution to steering the economy towards inclusiveness
and sustainability. Productivity growth ensures that co-operatives can achieve both
economic and social goals in the future. This report applies a place-based approach
to investigate the issue of productivity in co-operatives, given their many interdependencies
with local communities. Novel evidence points to the local factors that are linked
with the concentration and productivity of co-operatives across regions, sectors and
firm size classes in Italy. A comparison with other Italian firms as well as with
Spanish co-operatives and other Spanish firms serves to illustrate how productivity
performance varies across space and firm types. This report constitutes an empirical
test for the analytical approach developed by the OECD Spatial Productivity Lab.
Published on March 30, 2021Also available in: Italian
In series:OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papersview more titles