Regulations in a range of countries, from Japan to Italy, create sectors that are sheltered from competition, with detrimental effects on productivity. This pattern is particularly pronounced in the non-tradable sectors (which account for two-thirds of the economy), where the discipline of foreign competition is absent by definition.
当然，国有制并不是惟一阻碍效率与活力的因素。一些国家（从日本到意大利）的相关规定造就了一批无需参与竞争的部门，这对生产力来说是一种损害。这种模式在占整体经济规模2/3的非贸易部门显得尤其明显，国外竞争法则在这些领域是受到明令禁止的。即使在笔者所在的意大利米兰，拥有国外背景的国内竞争者都有改善其表现的空间。