No blessing, no curse? On the benefits of being a resource-rich southern region of Italy

Roberto Iacono ()

Working Paper Series from Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Abstract: The aim of this research is to examine the economic effects of natural resources in Basilicata, a southern region of Italy. The paper focuses on the economic effects of large-scale oil extraction that started in 1999. I proceed by systematically constructing a comparison unit for Basilicata using synthetic control techniques. The comparison unit's economic parameters capture how Basilicata's economic activities would have evolved in the absence of the oil extraction industry. The comparison between real GDP per capita in Basilicata and in its comparison unit suggest that a large amount of oil extraction, at times peaking at 50 barrels per capita per year, has no detectable effect on Basilicata's economic performance.

Keywords: Natural resources; Oil Royalties; Regional Development; Synthetic Control Method; Basilicata (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: N54 O13 Q32 R15 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2014-11-24
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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http://www.svt.ntnu.no/iso/WP/2014/Iacono_2014wp.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: No blessing, no curse? On the benefits of being a resource-rich southern region of Italy (2016)
Working Paper: No blessing, no curse? On the bene fits of being a resource-rich southern region of Italy (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nst:samfok:15914

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