Remaking The Italian Economy

A brief, up-to-date account of Italy's transformation from an agrarian state to an industrial powerhouse.

Drawing on Kaleckian and Kaldorian approaches, Political Economy of Contemporary Italy: The Economic Crisis and State Intervention explores the reasons behind the stagnation of the Italian economy from the 1970s and suggests policy solutions to ease the crisis. The central thesis of the book is that from the early 1990s Italy experienced a constant reduction of both private and public investment which, combined with increasing labour precariousness and wage moderation, contributed to the decline of both labour productivity and economic growth. It is argued that lack of industrial policies amplified the problem of the poor macroeconomic performance, since Italian firms – small-sized and non-innovating – were incapable of staying competitive on the global scene. Net exports did not compensate for the decline of public spending, private investment and consumption. It is also shown that, in these respects, Italy presents an interesting case study with wider ramifications for it was involved in the global process of intensifying the neoliberal agenda but at a faster rate than other OECD countries. The book concludes with a call for an alternative economic policy in order to promote innovation, reduce unemployment and stimulate economic growth. This book marks a significant contribution to the literature on the recent history of the European economy, Italian studies and the history of economic thought.

Since the early 1970s the Italian economy has been moving towards an irreversible real and financial crisis. Paradoxically, the conditions engendered by the currency crisis and recession may also provide the basis for a new economic policy strategy, which could lead to built a mere 'economic miracle!'

Carlo Bastasin and Gianni Toniolo provide a much-needed, up-to-date economic history of Italy from unification in 1861 to the present day. They show how, thirty years after unification, Italy began a long phase of convergence with more advanced economies so that by the late twentieth century Italy's per capita income reached the levels of Germany, France and the UK. From the mid-1990s, however, the Italian economy declined first in relative and then absolute terms. The authors describe the intertwined financial and institutional crises that eroded trust in the political system and in the economy at the exact juncture when new technologies and markets transformed the global economy. Longstanding problems of uneven levels of education and obsolete bureaucratic and judicial practices deepened the division between economically vibrant regions and the rest, causing polarization, political instability and rising public debt. Italy's contemporary malaise makes the country a test-case for understanding the implications of protracted declines in productivity and the flattening of GDP growth for the stability of western democracies, resulting in populism, mistrust and political instability.

This title was first published in 2003. Most of the essays collected in this volume are the revised versions of the reports presented at a conference held at the University of Tokyo in October 2001, organised as part of the initiatives of the "Italian Year" in Japan, and supported by the Foundation Italy in Japan 2001, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Tokyo, the Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Higher Education, and the University of Tokyo. The essays, which aim at a fact-based presentation, provide a thorough survey of the relevant problems and aspects of present-day Italian economy and society. Those peculiar features of the Italian economy, such as its dualistic industrial structure and territorial divide, are analysed at length, with an eye to open policy options. The economic analyses are complemented by presentations of some of the central topics on the Italian social framework, such as the role of family and the "Third Sector".

Study of postwar economic growth and economic structure of Italy - comprises 3 parts on (1) economic development (monetary policy, price stabilisation, incomes, labour productivity, etc.), (2) human resources and labour force (population growth, migration, the occupational structure, unemployment, underemployment, wage policy, social policy, wages, etc.), and (3) the dual character of the economy and industrialization. Statistical tables, bibliography and references.