“Robbery Made the Kingdom of Italy, Misery Will Unmake It”

2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-403
Author(s):  
Maria Stella Chiaruttini

Abstract This contribution analyses the nineteenth-century debate on one of the most hotly debated topics of Italian history: public debt and taxation. Starting in the 1850s, fiscal policies were weaponised by liberal nationalist elites and their opponents alike to promote their contrary worldviews by arguing over the merits of national unification and a parliamentary system on the basis of their fiscal outcomes. First Piedmont, then unified Italy, were eagerly expected by Catholics and Bourbon legitimists to default on their debts as a result of their moral and fiscal profligacy, while liberals were concerned about popular support for the national cause in a context of rising taxes. Southern Italy in particular was very vocal in denouncing its perceived fiscal mistreatment by the Italian government, an accusation the North rejected by portraying Southerners as unpatriotic tax evaders. Today, these narratives are re-emerging not only in public debates questioning the Risorgimento as the nation’s founding myth but also in the discourse about European integration.

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantin Antonakis

The appearance of the new parliamentary life within the european parliament elected by direct universal franchise in june 1979. The first two turns of office saw the emergence of new political currents of european size. Via the ups and downs of european integration and the economic questions which are the community's member one concern, the new political european parliamentary game, determined by national interests and the decline of the ideological factor, comes to the fore. At least that's what the political powers of the north and south of the community put forward based on their national choices. Whereas the parliament demands an important role in the institutional system, the new european political system is looking more and more like the american model.


Author(s):  
Seher Gulsah Topuz ◽  
Taner Sekmen

In this chapter, the relationship between public debt and economic growth is examined for OECD countries. In order to determine this relationship, the data between 2002 and 2016 is analyzed using panel threshold regression methods. The findings of the study suggest that the relationship between public debt and economic growth is linear. The public debt threshold is estimated at 99.75% for OECD countries but it is statistically insignificant. While the public debt to GDP ratio is both below and above this threshold, the effect of public debt on economic growth is negative and statistically significant. There is no evidence of the existence of a non-linear relationship between public debt and economic growth. These findings are expected to guide policymakers in the implementation of fiscal policies.


Author(s):  
Veronica West-Harling

After a brief recall of Italian history from late antiquity to 750, this chapter provides a city-by-city history from the end of the Exarchate to 1000. The history of Rome follows the Lombard crises and the end of Byzantine rule, Frankish/Carolingian domination, the events of the Kingdom of Italy, aristocratic rule, and the attempted Ottonian control over the city. Ravenna’s three narrative strands are the aftermath of the autocephaly conflict, the anti-papal policies of most archbishops throughout the Byzantine then Carolingian period, and lastly the renewed prestige of the city under the Ottonian emperors. For Venice, the narrative follows the origins (imagined and probable) of the city, its succession of ducal families, and its attempt always to create a balance between its official Byzantine dependence and its grounding in the north Adriatic space


1958 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-231
Author(s):  
Lincoln Gordon

Despite the oft-quoted language of Article II of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO was not designed as an institution for economic collaboration among its members. It has not in fact acted as such an institution. Every initiative toward investing it with direct economic functions has run into a blind alley.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Marhold

The European Union is lacking a “founding myth”? Not at all, here it is – and, in fact, it is no myth, but a real story: The destiny of European integration took shape on 9 May 1950, with the declaration of the French Foreign Minister Schuman, who launched the European Coal and Steel Community. The events of these days can be retraced hour per hour, the actors gain life and profile. The solution is revolutionary: It is the first “breach in national sovereignty”. This would become the path towards today’s EU. – The story once told, there is a lot to be learnt: What was the relation between the wish of the Western Allies to bind (West-)Germany into the Western Bloc and the Franco-German desire to ensure peace? What was the relation between the economy and (high) politics? What about the relation between structural constraints and personal political leadership – would other politicians than Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer have decided otherwise? This book tells the story of 9 May, our “Europe Day”, and reflects on its meaning.


Subject Italy-China relations. Significance On March 23, Italy became the first G7 country officially to endorse China’s global infrastructure and connectivity project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). However, Italy’s populist government is itself divided on engagement with the BRI; the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) views it as a timely opportunity to boost Italy’s struggling economy and deliver populist fiscal policies, while the far-right League is concerned lest it lead to Chinese ‘colonisation’ of some of Italy’s ports. Ultimately, the extent of the engagement will be determined by: voter concerns; the longevity of the current government; and which party holds the balance of power over coming years. Impacts Italy will pursue closer relations with Washington than Beijing. Rome’s BRI endorsement could be used as bargaining power to sell Italian government bonds to China. Development of Italian ports will bolster connectivity with Africa.


2010 ◽  
Vol 211 ◽  
pp. F22-F24

The North American economies are expected to recover pre-crisis levels of output earlier than most of their European counterparts. The resilience of these economies is partly a reflection of factors underlying the trend rate of capacity growth. Population projections in North America are favourable for medium-term growth prospects, partly due to policies that tend to encourage highly skilled inward migration. At the same time, the US is one of few countries that maintained strong productivity growth during the downturn (at a significant cost in terms of employment), allowing an increase in US productivity levels relative to the other major economies. In addition, the relatively rapid recovery expected in the North American economies reflects more aggressive fiscal policies in the US and Canada than in most European economies, as well as credit easing undertaken by the Federal Reserve, which has kept corporate borrowing costs low relative to levels in the UK and Euro Area. Canada and Mexico have also benefitted from the recovery in the oil price, which eases budgetary pressures in particular.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Brindisi ◽  
Anna Maria Zicari ◽  
Giuseppe Fabio Parisi ◽  
Lucia Diaferio ◽  
Cristina Indolfi ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundThe role of allergic sensitization seems to be protective against SARS CoV2 infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate, using online surveys, the impact of COVID-19 on Italian allergic children, comparing the prevalence of AR and asthma symptoms between the first and second pandemic wave.MethodsBoth surveys were emailed to Italian pediatricians in April 2020 (first survey) and in March 2021 (second survey). The first one was related to the impact of COVID-19 and the most frequently reported symptoms. The second one was superimposed on the previous one, taking into account some additional aspects in the management of disease.ResultsA total of 99 pediatricians participated in the first survey and 267 in the second one. The first survey showed that, asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence was mostly between 0-20% throughout the country. The second survey showed a lower prevalence of both diseases nationwide in comparison to the first one. Comparing the two surveys, statistically significant differences were reported only in the distribution of asthma prevalence in Southern Italy while no differences were highlighted in the North and in the Center. Finally regarding allergic rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence, no differences were noticed nationwide.ConclusionsAllergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma, if under control, did not represent risk factors for the susceptibility to SARS CoV2. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to continue therapies during COVID-19 outbreak, according to the international guidelines. However, being COVID-19 a new disease, actual knowledge will undergo continuous improvements over time.


Author(s):  
Servet Akyol

The objective of this paper is to study the economic and social results of the post-crisis fiscal policies concerning the Balkan States that are members of the EU. The global crisis, which broke out in the US in 2008, had a deep effect on both developed and developing countries. Until today different policies have been put on the agenda in order to eliminate or alleviate the impacts of the crisis. In this context, bailout and stimulus packages were firstly implemented. Stimulus packages were replaced by austerity policies because of the increasing public debt and budget deficit after 2010. Fiscal policy focused on reducing the debts instead of supporting the economic activities. This study is based on historical and descriptive method. It examines the development of post-crisis fiscal policies in the Balkan States that are members of the EU. In this study, public expenditure, public debt, public deficit and unemployment rate are used as the main indicators. The effects of fiscal policy will be compared between countries. This study also suggests that although the crisis resulted from financial sector, burden of crisis was transferred to public sector. Moreover, in many countries, because of its increasing deficit and debt burden, public sector became depended on financial sector that was rescued before. After the crisis, fiscal policies has led to significant economic and social costs in the Balkan States that are members of the EU.


1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (98) ◽  
pp. 111-121
Author(s):  
Isaia Sales

The dominating role of the state in the failed economic and social integration of the Mezzogiorno into the modern and developed northern part of the country since the creation of the Italian union is analysed. The mutation of the 'southern' to the'northern question' constitutes one of the most recent phenomena in Italian history which threatens the concept of national unity. Therefore, a new contract between the North and the South is necessary to combat the backwardness of the Mezzogiorno. This also requires a new quality of state and not its withdrawal from social life.


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