Figure 4
Both maps use four shades of blue, where darker shades represent higher values and lighter shades represent lower values. Left map: Four blue shades represent increasing values of digital economy (pc adoption in businesses): Darkest blue: (98.0372, 99.2282). Dark blue: (96.8457, 98.0372). Medium blue: (96.1224, 96.8457). Light blue: (94.2962, 96.1224). In this map, northern Italian regions (for example, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, and others in the north) are shaded in dark blue, indicating higher digital economy activity and computer adoption in businesses. Central regions show medium shades, while southern regions and islands, such as Calabria and Sicily, appear in the lightest shades, representing lower digital economy scores. Right map: Four blue shades represent increasing regulatory quality: Darkest blue: (0.6755, 0.8674). Dark blue: (0.5684, 0.6755). Medium blue: (0.4111, 0.5684). Light blue: (0.1559, 0.4111). In this map, a similar north-to-south divide is visible: northern regions are in darker blues, showing higher regulatory quality; central regions are moderately shaded; and southern regions are in light blue, indicating lower regulatory quality. Sardinia and Sicily also show lighter coloring.Map of digital economy and regulatory quality in Italian regions. Note: Digital Economy (DE1): pc adoption in businesses and regulatory quality. Source: Authors’ elaboration on ISTAT and Nifo and Vecchione (2014) data