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Economic and business freedom, Bolzano tops the Italian rankings

Research by the Leoni Institute presented in Genoa, which ranks low: 82nd place. Black jersey for Naples, in last place

by Raoul de Forcade

17 September 2024

In Italia in calo la propensione ad aprire nuove imprese

3' min read

Key points

Highest scores in the North
Genova overtaxes business

3' min read

They are Bolzano, Vicenza and Cuneo the Italian cities that guarantee the greatest economic and business freedom. While Liguria ranks low: Genoa ranks 82nd in Italy and, among the Ligurian capitals, Savona has the best ranking (23rd), followed by La Spezia (45th) and Imperia (63rd). Black jerseys for Isernia, Catania and Naples.

This is what emerges from a study carried out by Confcommercio Genoa and Istituto Bruno Leoni entitled Economic Freedom in Italian Cities: a survey of 112 provincial capitals or metropolitan cities, analysed and classified according to the prerogatives and conditions of economic freedom (understood as the ability of individuals and businesses to invest, grow and innovate) observed in these cities.

The study was presented during the public assembly of Confcommercio Genova and is drawn up according to criteria whereby the city with the best overall performance gets a score set, conventionally, at 100, while the worst one gets a score of zero.

Higher scores in the North

As mentioned, those that top the ranking are Bolzano, Vicenza, and Cuneo, with a score of 100, 99 and 98 respectively. These are cities, the report says, "that manage to combine a lively economy (as shown, for example, by the high number of businesses per capita (as many as 0.84 in Cuneo, almost one per inhabitant) or the ability to attract workers even from outside their borders)".

The good performance of the economy 'is also associated with a rigorous management of the public budget (with indebtedness that, in Bolzano, is just 1% of GDP on a per capita basis) and, consequently, a low level of local tax burden, as well as a judicial system that is significantly more efficient than the average'.

At the bottom of the ranking are Isernia, Catania and Naples. "Although not at the level of the main metropolises of the North, these cities have a relatively dynamic economy, even though indicators such as the number of companies per capita or the number of employees, compared to the population, convey the impression of a condition of relative paralysis. They are also cities characterised by serious difficulties in budget management, marked, therefore, by a high level of debt and a high tax burden'.

Genova taxes economic activity too much

In the light of the index, Genova appears as "a city that taxes economic activity a lot, has a level of public spending that is not excessive but dominated by current expenses and burdened by a large debt. Moreover, despite a good performance with regard to justice time, the municipality of Genoa tends to contest many penalties as it has a relatively low collection rate'.

Lastly, 'from an economic point of view', Liguria's capital city 'fails to be a pole of attraction for businesses and work, despite having some excellences that could and should also be exploited in an urban development key aimed at attracting new businesses and productive activities'.

The index of the economic freedom of Italian cities, the study explains, illustrating the methodology used to compile the index, 'is composed of four areas: the municipal machine (which takes into account the organisation of the public sector, with particular reference to public spending and debt), economic vitality (which looks at the world of business and work), taxation (relating to local tax revenues) and justice (with particular reference to the time taken to resolve disputes in the civil sphere)'.

In light of the study, Alessandro Cavo,president of Ascom Confcommercio Genova, stressed that the association 'is not just a collection of numbers, categories and sectors, but an essential interlocutor to protect and promote the economic activities that animate our city. We must work together, institutions and businesses, to build an economic and social ecosystem capable of fostering investment, innovation and sustainability'.

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