Abstract

Based on the analysis of all articles published on Italy in the main journals of the discipline, as well as on a selection of other articles, international monographs and edited collections, this paper provides an analytical perspective of the directions, methodologies, and themes in Italian business history since the late 1990s. The paper shows that, as compared to the previous decades, Italian business history has acquired a solid international dimension and reputation, with a diffusion, approaches and methodologies largely in line with the international trends in the discipline. Although very diverse in scope and aims, this literature challenges many aspects of the 1990s established view on Italian long-term economic performance by providing a more nuanced analysis of various sectors, a more balanced assessment of different types of business organization and of the role of the state, and new directions to inquire into the issues of entrepreneurship, technology and institutions.