Abstract
Following the recent publication of a number of studies on public interventions in Italy regarding SMEs – including crafts firms – this study has a twofold purpose: firstly, to provide a succinct account of the numerous further interventions undertaken for SMEs during the past decade; secondly, to examine the problems apparent in the current phase of structural crisis, also in light of the results obtained to date and those emerging from the official documentation, in order to conduct a critical evaluation of public policies for Italian SMEs. Consequently, the study divides substantially into two parts. The first one provides a survey of the industrial policy measures addressed to SMEs adopted both by the central government and the regional and local administrations during the period considered. The second part describes the state of progress currently achieved by such measures. It dwells in particular on the provision entitled “Industria 2015”, in regard to which it estimates the amount of the various financial incentives exclusively allocated to SMEs, thereby making a contribution of particular interest and originality to the scientific debate. Finally, the concluding section outlines the prospects for SMEs in the near future that seemingly emerge from the most recent provisions adopted at national level.
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- 1.
- 2.
The OECD publication obviously also deals with measures such as the internazionalization of enterprises, access to global markets, and the diffusion of technological innovation. These topics, however, are examined later.
- 3.
The mechanism adopted for transferring the necessary financial resources to the Regions consists in the creation of a single Fund for all the interventions, obviously divided among the Regions themselves. Each Region can add its own resources to these government ones.
- 4.
In fact, among the difficulties encountered by the SMEs some scholars also include the limited size itself (in terms of employment, etc.) of SMEs, so that another possible policy would be the concentration or merger of several small firms into one of large size. In reality, however, the transformation of the entire small firms’ system into companies of medium or large size cannot be considered the best route to follow in a country like Italy, for the simple reason that it would be resisted by entrepreneurs very often unwilling to relinquish their identity and individuality; see Bianchi (2008).
- 5.
For a more detailed description of the 2006 Budget Law containing provisions which may be considered as constituting an outright “statute for productive districts” see Cipollina and Pizzonia (2006).
- 6.
Hence, of the three criteria usually employed for the classification of financial incentives, omitted here is only the typology criterion.
- 7.
Which level of government is best suited to the efficient development of strategies is still an open question. Considerations concerning economies of scope suggest strong regionalization, albeit within a coordinating framework, while other aspects – such as the connection and linkage – counsel in favour of centralization.
- 8.
Forms of financial aid are the following: funding for R&D projects and technical feasibility studies; aid to SMEs for expenses connected with industrial property rights (IPR); assistance to innovative new firms; the innovation of the processes and organization of services; consultancy and innovation support services; furnishing of qualified personnel; innovation poles.
- 9.
See, instead, Bianchi (2008) for an “authentic” interpretation of the objectives (among which that of chaining or networking SMEs with the purpose of recreating the economies of scale enjoyed by traditional large firms), instruments, phases, and the characteristics of the calls for tender connected with “Industria 2015”.
- 10.
This classification differs from the official one usually adopted by the periodic ministerial surveys on interventions in support of productive activities for the simple reason that it derives, not from all the measures enacted, but only the most recent ones.
- 11.
The co-financing criterion introduced by the European Community and in Italy extended to national policies is intended to give responsibility the several levels of government, especially the decentralized ones, which receive financial resources from the budgets of higher levels.
- 12.
In this regard, some commentators have emphasised that SMEs do not constitute a homogeneous group, in that they pursue different strategies and obtain different results. Medium-sized enterprises are achieving the best results, to the extent that they are now considered an essential component of the Italian productive system: see Coltorti (2006), and also Arrighetti and Ninni (2008).
- 13.
Tax credits for disadvantaged areas, law no. 488/1992, the central guarantee fund, and many other measures, belong to this category.
- 14.
This category comprises – besides the already-mentioned measures to support innovation and research and the internationalization firms – also measures for energy saving and environmental protection.
- 15.
Scanagatta and Riti (2001) have conducted a survey of policies implemented during the 1990s. Their results confirm that incentives had positive effects, especially on the accumulation rate of enterprises, given that this was higher than that of non-financed enterprises. The general findings of the survey, however, suggest that the incentive instruments most widespread among productive enterprises during the 1990s were aimed at accumulation in sectors characterizing the traditional Italian model of specialization, which raises the problem of the capacity of industrial policies to induce the changes necessary to enable the Italian specialization model to respond to the challenges of global competition.
- 16.
As well known, the difference between the amount of resources disbursed and the amount granted is mainly due to the time lag between the moment of approval of the facilities requested and that of their effective fruition by the recipient enterprises, which in many cases is divided into several instalments, also in function of the multi-year schedule for their investments.
- 17.
The rationale of the Small Business Act is to enhance the dynamism of SMEs for the benefit that they can also bring to the system of public contracts. SMEs, in fact, have a greater capacity for innovation due to their organizational simplicity and the absence of a bureaucratic structure which enables them to respond more rapidly and efficiently to the needs of the market. Market entry by SMEs offering high-level products and services thus increases the quantitative and qualitative potential of competition for public contracts. The European Union’s strategy is based on the ‘think small first’ principle, according to which it is necessary, as well as advisable, to prioritize small firms in order to facilitate their existence in the business environment. The main objectives are: (a) reduce administrative costs; (b) simplify and accelerate the procedures; (c) improve access to the market and increase competitiveness.
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Bruzzo, A. (2011). Public Policies for Italian SMEs: Instruments, Results and Current Trends. In: Calcagnini, G., Favaretto, I. (eds) The Economics of Small Businesses. Contributions to Economics. Physica-Verlag HD. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7908-2623-4_5
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