Measuring and Explaining Management Practices in Italy

Nicholas Bloom (), Raffaella Sadun () and John Van Reenen ()
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Raffaella Sadun: London School of Economics
John Van Reenen: London School of Economics

Rivista di Politica Economica, 2008, vol. 98, issue 2, pages 15-56

Abstract: We use an innovative survey tool to collect management practice data from more than 900 medium sized manufacturing firms across Europe and the US. Our measures of managerial practices are strongly associated with several measures of firm level performance. Management practices display significant crosscountry and within-country differences, with US firms on average better managed than European firms. Italian firms show a significant managerial gap vis-à-vis the US, particularly among Italian companies that are owned and run by families. We document a positive association between product market competition and the overall level of skills within the firm. Product market competition and family-owned, family-run firms account for 60% of the American managerial advantage over Italians.

Keywords: management practices; productivity; competition; family firms; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L2 M2 O32 O33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rpo:ripoec:v:98:y:2008:i:2:p:15-56

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