Spatial externalities and empirical analysis: the case of Italy

This paper aims at assessing the role of market linkages in shaping the spatial distribution of earnings. Using a space-time panel data on Italian provinces, I structurally estimate a NEG model in order to both test the coherence of theory with data, as well as to give a measure of the extent of spatial externalities. Particular attention has been paid to those endogeneity issues that arise when dealing with both structural models and spatial data. Results suggest that final demand linkages influence the location of economic activities and that their spread over space is, contrary to previous findings, not negligible.