The Government Budget and the Italian Economy During the 1970s and 1980s: Causes of the Debt, Strategy for Recovery, and Prospects for Restructuring

In recent decades, the Italian phenomenon has often come under close scrutiny as specialists of the field attempted to understand the workings of an economic systerm perceived as being somewhat strange; foreign commentators in particular incessantly wavered between forewarnings of inevitable crises and decline, and resounding praise of unexpected and surprising succes. However, harsh and one-sided value judgements must be avoided if the Italian system is to be truly understood. Instead of glancing briefly at the cover and table of contents, one must carefully scan each page of Italy’s complex, intricate and often contradictory development.