Persistent and stubborn: the state in Italian capitalism

This chapter analyses the structure of the Italian corporate network from 1913 to 2001 using network analysis technique. This chapter focuses on seven benchmark years: 1913, 1927, 1936, 1960, 1972, 1983, and 2001. For each benchmark year, the top 250 companies by total assets have been selected. The chapter reveals some distinct phases in the evolution of the network, consequent on some major institutional break-ups and the emergence of the technological paradigm of the third industrial revolution in the 1970s. A persistent presence of state-owned enterprises stands out as one of the major features of Italian capitalism.