150 years of the Italian economy, 1861–2010

Abstract

Abstract This article sets the background for the contributions collected in this issue, comments on the statistical data and discusses the chronology of Italy's economic history in a long-term macroeconomic perspective. The following topics are addressed: the rise in productive capacity; structural change and the periodization of challenges and responses. Data concerning the main macroeconomic indicators are collected in a short Appendix, together with concise information about their sources.