Abstract

At macroeconomic level, the Italian competitiveness is very low: the main international rating agencies put our country in the lower positions of the rankings, at the same level of many less-developed-countries. If we analyse the structural characteristics and the economic performances of Italian firms, the differences with the main European countries are not sohigh. It seems that Italian firms have the internal resources to face with the structural adjustment requested by globalization. The efforts made by entrepreneurs in terms of high investments should be supported by product and financial market reforms.