Author Description

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List Of Figures -- List Of Tables -- Introduction: Why A Book In English On Italy's Decline? -- Part I Meritocracy And Decline -- 1. In A Nutshell -- 1.1 What Is Meritocracy? -- 1.2 Meritocracy And Equality Of Opportunity -- 1.3 The Enemies Of Meritocracy: Vested Interests And Lobbies -- 1.4 Meritocracy And Moral Standards -- 1.5 Why Did Growth Stall In Italy? -- 1.6 Meritocracy Versus Connections And Lobbies -- 1.7 Historical Legacies And Social Capital 1.8 The Interplay Of Social Capital And Meritocracy -- 1.9 Egalitarianism And The 'long '68' -- 1.10 The 1975 Wage Indexation Accord, Inflation, And Debt -- 2. Italy's Decline: Stylised Facts -- 2.1 Half A Century Of Crises -- 2.2 The 1970s: Inflation -- 2.3 The 1980s: Public Debt -- 2.4 The 1990s: Crisis And Hope -- 2.5 The New Millennium: The Two Original Sins -- 2.6 From The Gfc And The Sovereign Debt Crisis To Ngeu -- 2.7 Italy, The Sick Nation Of The Advanced World -- 2.8 The Facts About Growth And Productivity -- 2.9 Why Low Productivity? -- 2.10 Facts About The Debt And The Budget 2.11 Methodology -- 2.12 The Prosperity Index -- 2.13 Appropriate Use Of International Rankings -- 2.14 Italy's Ranking -- Part Ii Comparative Evidence: Society -- 3. Legacies Of A Troubled History -- 3.1 Low Mutual Trust -- 3.2 Historical Legacy And Trust -- 3.3 Democratic Legitimacy And Meritocracy -- 3.4 Some Unpleasant Truths About Smes -- 4. Lobbies In Government -- 4.1 Trust And Governance -- 4.2 Difficult Transitions Of Power: Berlusconi And The 'red Togas' -- 4.3 The Rise And Fall Of Populism -- 4.4 The Government, Ubiquitous And Untraceable -- 4.5 Lobbying By Rule-makers 4.6 Attempts At Institutional Reforms -- 4.7 Powerful Lobbies: Magistrates -- 4.8 Is Italy Corrupt? -- 5. Lobbies In Education -- 5.1 Low Level Of Education -- 5.2 Egalitarianism For Whom? -- 5.3 Funding Of Universities -- 5.4 Ranking Of Universities -- 5.5 Att