The impact of criminality on the productivity of the Southern Italian economy : a review of the empirical studies

Abstract

Past studies have highlighted how criminality acts as an obstacle to development in the south of Italy, by diminishing the institutional "quality'' of the social fabric and increasing business costs. In particular, a series of analyses based on an econometric study, have revealed the existence of a negative link between criminality and business productivity. This article briefly examines the theoretical reference background and reviews the literature, underlining the techniques used and the main results obtained.