The paper provides a comprehensive overview of the enterprises in which local governments are shareholders, using information gathered from various sources. The economic and financial situations, investments made and relationships with entities of local public enterprises in the South and the Centre and North are all compared to assess the presence of territorial gaps.
Local public enterprises in the South have a lower turnover and number of participating institutions on average than those in the rest of the country; they are also characterized by lower capitalization, worse income results and lower investment. There is a positive correlation between corporate profitability and the financial situation of participating institutions. The process of reducing the number of these enterprises, provided for in the 2016 Consolidated Act, has had limited effects so far.
