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Destefanis S. and Sena V. (2005) Public capital and total factor productivity: new evidence from the Italian regions, 1970–98, Regional Studies 39 , 603–618. This paper analyses the relationship between industrial total factor productivity and public capital across the 20 Italian administrative regions. It adds upon the existing literature in a number of ways: it analyses a longer period (1970–98); it allows for the role of human capital accumulation; it tests for the existence of a long‐run relationship between total factor productivity and public capital (through previously suggested panel techniques) and for weak exogeneity of public capital; and it assesses the significance of public capital within a non‐parametric set‐up based on the Free Disposal Hull. The results confirm that public capital has a significant impact on the evolution of total factor productivity, particularly in the Southern regions. This impact is mainly ascribed to the core infrastructures (road and airports, harbours, railroads, w...