Abstract

In these last years, the Italian public utilities have been characterized by remarkable changes in terms of policy and regulatory interventions. In particular, these companies have been subject to reforms providing for the introduction of privatization and liberalization. These measures may produce important effects on undertakings behaviours: in more details, the interest in obtaining profits could discourage private operators to invest in network development activities. This paper focuses on the infrastructures located in the Italian Mezzogiorno, in order to evaluate if the location in a less developed area involves an increasing criticality, as for the incentives to investment in network enhancement. On the basis of the analysis of data concerning infrastructure investments in the main network industries, this paper tries to identify useful policies in order to reduce the infrastructure deficit existing between advanced and depressed areas in Italy.