Inter-firm networks in Naples before and after Italian political unification. A network analysis perspective

Abstract

The study of economic relations, cultural ties and social groups in different historical periods by means of Social Network Analysis has been considered to be a very fruitful approach for improving the understanding of the relational structure underlying markets and financial and commercial networks. Moving away from rich literature results centred on the description of financial and business structures, this study aims to analyse the business structure in Naples, the most important city in Southern Italy, using new original data derived from economic archival sources. These data concern all business units operating before and after the Italian political unification (1861). More specifically, this study uses statistical network measures to investigate the role of the financial sector and its intercon- nections with the local business network to determine if and how it played a central role and if and how it evolved when the arena of power and economic relationships expanded, as Italy became a nation-state.