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Public debt and growth in Italy:Analysis and policy proposals

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  • Daniele, SCHILIRO'

Abstract

The Italian economy is characterized by a considerable amount of public debt and low growth for over a decade. This is a key issue both at a theoretical and policy level. The relationship between public debt and economic growth is widely discussed in the economic literature, since in many countries spending is rising faster than income, leading to widening budget deficits and higher levels of debt. However, the empirical literature generally highlighted the heterogeneity of the debt-growth nexus. This paper summarizes four working papers written by the author in the period from 2007 to 2014, where the structural problems of the Italian economy are identified, and the critical aspects related to Italy high debt and its low growth is emphasized. The contribution aims at discussing possible policy actions to address the Italian structural problems in the current situation. In particular, the paper underlines the importance of a long-term strategy for growth, to boost productivity and the potential growth of the Italian economy. In addition, it focuses on fiscal policy emphasizing the strategic role both of spending optimization and of tax collections through, for instance, digitizing the tax collection process in order to contribute to the long-term sustainability of sovereign Italian debt.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniele, SCHILIRO', 2019. "Public debt and growth in Italy:Analysis and policy proposals," MPRA Paper 97950, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Nov 2019.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:97950
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    12. Daniele, Schilirò, 2009. "L’Italia e il problema della crescita dopo l’euro [Italy and the problem of growth after the euro]," MPRA Paper 81985, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    16. Schilirò, Daniele, 2010. "L’economia italiana e la crisi globale: crescita, disoccupazione e debito pubblico [The Italian economy and the global crisis: growth,unemployment and public debt]," MPRA Paper 57546, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Schilirò, Daniele, 2007. "La crescita in Italia dopo l’euro: quali riforme? [Growth in Italy after the euro: which reforms?]," MPRA Paper 39482, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    21. Schilirò, Daniele, 2016. "Rules, Imbalances and Growth in the Eurozone," MPRA Paper 75641, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Schilirò, Daniele, 2020. "COVID-19 crisis and the public debt issue:The case of Italy," MPRA Paper 103997, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Nov 2020.
    2. Schilirò, Daniele, 2024. "Public debt and demography. An analysis of the Italian case," MPRA Paper 121958, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Schilirò, Daniele, 2024. "L’ economia politica, la crescita e l’euro in una prospettiva storica [Political economy, growth and the euro in historical perspective]," MPRA Paper 123132, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • F36 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Financial Aspects of Economic Integration
    • H62 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Deficit; Surplus
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General

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