La crisi e il declino italiani. Dibattito ed evidenze recenti

Italy has not yet managed to recover from the last big crisis, and the country continues to worsen its rank concerning the most important indicators of growth and socio-economic development. Looking at a long run perspective, the Italian model of economic development and productive specialisation persists and increases its weaknesses, while a few well-known criticalities of the institutional system remain relevant. At the same time, the issue of the feasible economic policies cannot be overlooked: as a matter of fact, it remains the cornerstone within the broader debate on the EU austerity orientation. Disappointingly, this debate is often characterised by ideological positions – sometimes related to mere party’s marketing strategies - thereby loosing adherence to the socio-economic facts and figures. In this work, we reconsider the debate on the economic crises and the structural decline, by examining a comprehensive range of medium-term socio-economic indicators. The main aim is to carry out a reality-check for the received wisdom, and to point to the main conditions for re-launching the country’s economy.