Income distribution dynamics among Italian provinces. The role of Bank Foundations

This paper investigates the convergence process and the distribution dynamics of income among Italian NUTS-3 provinces between 2003 and 2011. Findings show the existence of multiple steady-state equilibria which is consistent with the well-documented persistence in income disparities among Italian provinces. The role of grant-making activities by Bank Foundations is assessed on a conditioning scheme. Results suggest that Bank Foundations can affect the shape of the distribution of income and, in the long run, reduce polarization with a tendency for income to collapse towards a unimodal distribution.