Inflazione e tendenze di lungo periodo nelle differenze geografiche del costo della vita

The specific objective of the work concerns the analysis of long-term trends in the differences in price levels between provincial capitals in Italy. The aim is deliberately limited to defining their character, as well as to analysing the pattern of spread and transmission between the different Italian regions in the inflationary process. The author discusses the dispersion between the various cities in the annual rate of inflation. Then the extent to which the relative prices (compared to the national average) of each city are stable in the long run is verified. After aggregating economically significant individual cities into macro-regions, the major trends in the cost of living differentials are summarised. Finally, the results of an econometric exercise are presented in which the transmission of inflationary impulses, among macro-regions, is considered. JEL Codes: E31, O52