Social capital and productivity : the case of Italian provinces.

Several empirical studies have shown the relevance of social capital to economic growth. Nevertheless some questions remain unanswered: • How profound is the impact of social capital on the production process? • What kind of relationships link traditional inputs, that is labour and physical capital, to social capital? This paper tries to answer these questions at a macroeconomic level within the context of social capital. Empirical base for the study is provided by examining social capital endowment in Italian provinces. The study provides evidence of a positive relationship between social capital and the production process.