LE RETI IMPRENDITORIALI NELLA PROVINCIA DI BERGAMO DAL PERIODO FASCISTA AL BOOM ECONOMICO. UN PROFILO ATTRAVERSO GLI INTERLOCKING DIRECTORATES (1927-1960)

The business networks in Bergamo from Fascism to the Italian economic boom (1927-1960): by using interlocking directorates technique. This research analyses the network of interlocking directorships in Bergamo from Fascism to the Italian economic boom (1927-1960). Studying the interlocking directorates can help highlighting the mechanism of management and control both over the firms and the economic environment. Bergamo and its territory, which was quite an industrialized area at the time, represents an interesting case study of the evolution of the Italian capitalism structural patterns. The main source of data is a database containing records of enterprises which were registered at the local Chamber of Commerce, from 1849 to 1978, and another documents. Network ties are analysed by other sophisticated programs such as Ucinet, which uses matrices comprising linkages between persons and groups. The present study is specifically focus on five benchmark years (1927, 1936, 1952, 1960). In particular, the study examines the intercorporate relations by using interlocking directorates technique. It’s based on the linkages among corporations created by members who sit on two or more corporate boards. The multiple directors with four or more positions are designed «big linkers», who usually played a leading role within the business community and social and political sphere as well. In general a small number of big linkers were responsible for a very large numbers of interlocks: the structure of the business networks in Bergamo confirm such hypothesis.