L’effetto dei contratti di rete sulla performance d’impresa: il caso italiano

[Autom. eng. transl.] The article analyzes the effect of the Network Contracts (regulated by law 33/2009) on the per-formance of Italian companies for the period 2010-2015. The novelty brought about by this type of contract makes it possible to relax some typical criteria of industrial districts, such as geographical proximity and belonging to companies in the same sector, and to benefit from knowledge exchanges between heterogeneous companies involved in the achievement of a joint project cheap. The objective of this work is twofold: the first part aims to understand if the participation of Italian companies in a network is advantageous in terms of growth and profitability. In the second part, we analyze which features of the Network Contract positively impact on the performance of the companies that participate in it. The empirical analysis is based on about 4,000 Italian companies, half of which completed a Network Contract in 2013. The results highlight the positive effect of the Contract on the growth of companies' turnover, and among the main features are the contracts aimed at internationalization and innovation, the profitability of the companies taking part in it increases.