Despite multiple policies to promote regional development in the post-war period, there remains a significant divide between Northern and Southern regions of Italy. In 2020, GDP per capita in the South (the ‘Mezzogiorno’) was only 55% of that in Northern…

Place-based policies in Italy have been largely ineffective in reducing regional disparities. This second in a two-column series argues that the policies have also had negative side effects, including increasing corruption, inefficient use of public funds…