Abstract: This study aims at estimating the effect of innovation on export growth for a sample of Italian small and medium size manufacturing firms. We define two classes of innovation, namely technological and non-technological. For each class of innovation, we use a propensity score matching strategy to assess if innovating in period t – 1 led to an increase in firms’ probability of seeking for new exporting markets in period t + 1. Moreover, we assess the combined effect of both classes of innovation upon the probability of seeking for new markets. We found that both technological and non-technological innovations increases the probability that a firm will plan to look for new markets abroad, the former type of innovation being, on average, twice as relevant as the latter. Moreover, we found evidence that these are complementary activities, which are more effective on future exports decisions when combined.

We test the hypothesis that innovating and targeting the upper-quality seg- ment of markets increases Italian small and medium enterprises probability to export, providing empirical evidence that supports it. We observed a positive- quality effect and a strong impact of non-technological innovations over future exports. We also observed that larger and older firms operating in traditional sectors are more likely to export. The most interesting results came from the introduction of interaction terms. We found evidence of a ‘super-additive ef- fects’, which delineate synergic linkages between product innovation activities and quality strategy.

Abstract. Il presente contributo analizza il processo di convergenza tra le regioni europee nel corso degli anni duemila, periodo nel quale l'euro e l'accentuarsi degli effetti indotti dalla globalizzazione hanno determinato un ampio rimescolamento dei vantaggi competitivi a scala territoriale. Nell'analisi condotta, basata anche su di un metodo originale, i territori che si trovano in una posizione, in termini di Pil procapite, qualificabile come "intermedia" all'interno della Ue a 27 sono quelli nei quali il processo di convergenza si è sostanzialmente arrestato (c.d. Middle-Income Trap). Per quanto attiene questi specifici territori, la policy di coesione comunitaria, efficace in altri contesti, non appare in grado di favorire i mutamenti strutturali necessari per riprendere con forza un percorso di sviluppo.

Abstract This study first discusses the background to the adult learning practices of a group of policy makers in six European countries (Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Serbia and Slovakia), and then considers the methodological framework.