Good Italy, Bad Italy: Why Italy Must Conquer Its Demons to Face the Future PDF
Preview Good Italy, Bad Italy: Why Italy Must Conquer Its Demons to Face the Future
Why Italy Must Conquer It Demons to Face the Future BILL EMMOTT GOOD ITALY, BAD ITALY BILL EMMOTT Not long ago Italy was Europe’s highly-touted emerging economy, a society that blended dynamism and super-fast growth with a lifestyle that was the envy of all. Now it is viewed as a major threat to the future of the Euro, indeed to the European Union as a whole. Italy’s political system is shorn of credibility as it struggles to deal with huge public debts and anaemic levels of economic growth. Young people are emigrating in droves, frustrated at the lack of opportunity, while older people stubbornly cling to their rights and privileges, fearful of an uncertain future. In this lively, up-to-the-minute book, Bill Emmott explains how Italy sank to this low point, how Italians feel about it, and what can be done to return the country to more prosperous and more democratic times. With the aid of numerous personal interviews, Emmott analyses “Bad Italy”—the land of disgraced Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, an inadequate justice system, an economy dominated by special interests and continuing corruption—against its contrasting foil “Good Italy”—the home of long-sighted, responsible entrepreneurs, truth-seekers, meritocrats and countless citizens determined to push back the country’s mafias. GOOD ITALY, BAD ITALY GOOD ITALY BAD ITALY Why Italy Must Conquer Its Demons to Face the Future BILL EMMOTT YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW HAVEN AND LONDON Copyright © 2012 Bill Emmott The right of Bill Emmott to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. An earlier, Italian-language version of this book was published under the title Forza, Italia: Come Ripartire dopo Berlusconi by Rizzoli in 2010. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press) without written permission from the publishers. For information about this and other Yale University Press publications, please contact: U.S. Office: [email protected] yalebooks.com Europe Office: [email protected] wttuv.yalebooks.co.uk Set in Janson MT by IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd Cartoons by Peter Schrank; charts by Adam Meara Printed in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Emmott, Bill. Good Italy, bad Italy : why Italy must conquer its demons to face the future/Bill Emmott. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-300-18630-7 (cl: alk. paper) L Italy—Politics and government—1994- 2. Italy—Economic conditions—1994- 3. Italy—Social conditions—1994- 4. Italy—Economic policy. 5. Political corruption—Italy. 6. Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009. 7. Berlusconi, Silvio, 1936- I. Title. DG583.5.E66 2012 945.093—dc23 2012007652 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 MIX Paper from For Carol
The list of books you might like
