Italian Events Spinning Away From the Letta and Alfano Government
Political developments in Italy are happening faster than Prime Minister Letta can maneuver. The economy he is overseeing is the poster child of ECB President Draghi’s assessment of a weak, fragile...
View ArticleItaly: The King is Dead, Long Live the King
Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi has been formally offered the opportunity to see if he can put together a government that can win a vote of confidence> It is not much of an issue in the Chamber of...
View ArticleCould Mario Draghi Implementing QE at the ECB Possibly Help Matteo Renzi...
What a convoluted title! Still, the lack of formal elegance might just be compensated for by its communicative efficacy. The aim of the above header is to link two names in people’s minds, both of them...
View ArticleRenzi’s Day
The Chamber of Deputies approved the electoral reform bill that Renzi and Berlusconi had negotiated before Renzi squeezed out Letta to become Prime Minister of Italy. The bill goes to the Senate now....
View ArticleWages, Productivity and Employment in Italy: Tales From a Distorted Labor Market
Italy’s labour market productivity has been stagnating in the past decade despite numerous reforms. This column gives an explanation why this is so. By focusing exclusively on flexibility, past labour...
View ArticleWhich Options for Mr. Renzi to Revive Italy and Save the Euro?
Since 2008, Italy’s industrial production has shrunk 25 per cent. In the last quarter of 2013, while exports reached back to almost the same level as in 2007, household consumption was down by about 8...
View ArticleEurope’s Great Divide
In our previous post (here), we described post-electoral Europe’s stalemate in a European version of the “Impossible Triplet” sketched by Dani Rodrik to describe the dilemmas of globalization. We drew...
View ArticleFrom Grexit to Exitaly? Let’s Stop This Madness
If Berlin, Frankfurt and Bruxelles continue to say “no”, there won’t be alternatives to Grexit, and that’s the end of the euro as we know it. At that point the euro architecture will have failed (in...
View ArticleFiscal Debit Cards and Tax Credit Certificates: The Best Way to Boost...
A fiscal shock to Italy Recently on this blog, Brunello Rosa had submitted an interesting policy proposal to boost Italy’s GDP. Brunello’s proposal shares many analytical premises with the one we have...
View ArticleHunt for Alpha Succeeds if the Entrepreneur Attracts the Right Investors
From a speech given at the Olivetti day: “How to finance innovation and why it needs to be done.” Brescia, Italy, 16 October 2015 Italy is experiencing a period of extraordinary importance for its...
View ArticleItaly: Can Reforms Lift Growth Prospects?
Key takeaway – The Italian economy is large, relatively diversified and sturdy. Historically, growth has been driven by external factors (e.g.: the “economic miracle” after World War II) or political...
View ArticleItaly: Willingness to Reform Is the Issue, Not the Referendum
Source Key takeaway – Italy’s prospects are lacklustre and growth is stagnant. The political system is focused on privilege preservation, fostering populist feelings. Reforms are needed but – due to a...
View ArticleItalian Referendum: What to Expect?
photo: Bobby Hidy In spite of the widely spread expectations of prominent analysts, pollsters, and economists about the likely victory of the “Remain” (in the EU) campaign in the referendum held in...
View ArticleThe Rise of Anti-Establishment Italy
photo: Ewan Topping After the UK Brexit and the Trump triumph in the US, the rise of anti-establishment Italy is hardly a surprise. It is the effect of half a decade of failed austerity doctrines in...
View ArticleItaly’s Predicament is Europe’s Predicament
photo: Elliott Brown Durand and Villemot (2016) examine two increasingly likely Eurozone scenarios – a single country exit and the complete breakup – concluding that while both scenarios should be...
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