Papers by Andrea Lorenzo Capussela
Il Politico, Jun 7, 2021
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il Mulino, 2021
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Economia e istituzioni negli anni della ricostruzione, 2017
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Andrea Capussela discusses the many paradoxes of Kosovo’s special court, which was supposed to in... more Andrea Capussela discusses the many paradoxes of Kosovo’s special court, which was supposed to investigate and deliberate upon the serious human rights abuses during and after the 1998-1999 war – and asks six questions.
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IEMed: Mediterranean yearbook, 2016
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The rise of populism and ‘illiberal democracies’ are often viewed as a reaction to the failure of... more The rise of populism and ‘illiberal democracies’ are often viewed as a reaction to the failure of liberal capitalism to meet the needs of citizens. For Andrea Lorenzo Capussela, the liberal conception of freedom as ‘non-interference’ may lie at the heart of this equation. He suggests that a republican notion of freedom as ‘non domination’ might be more useful in addressing the problems of contemporary capitalism
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Oxford Scholarship Online
This chapter reviews the 1964–79 period, during which the social tensions accumulated over the pr... more This chapter reviews the 1964–79 period, during which the social tensions accumulated over the previous decades erupted, a wave of political violence without parallel in Europe shook the country, and the steep rise of labour’s bargaining power caused a persistent wage shock. Political consensus was sustained by spending policies aimed at particularistic inclusion, leading to both a fragmented welfare system and growing budget deficits, which were largely monetized. Driven also by a challenging international environment, macroeconomic disequilibria accumulated. Although the country’s institutions were increasingly inappropriate, TFP growth and Italy’s convergence to the productivity frontier nonetheless continued, sustained also by the rise of industrial districts. Several mutually reinforcing vicious circles set in, however: the collusion between political and economic elites intensified, clientelism and corruption rose, organized crime strengthened, and after two decades of converg...
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The Italian government has outlined a number of policies aimed at reforming Italy’s labour market... more The Italian government has outlined a number of policies aimed at reforming Italy’s labour market, with the proposals receiving final approval in the Italian Senate on 3 December. Andrea Lorenzo Capussela and Vito Intini assess whether the reforms, which have proved controversial, will actually have the desired effect in generating economic growth and employment. They write that while increasing the flexibility of the Italian labour market may be desirable, the rigidity of the labour market is not the biggest obstacle to growth in the country. They argue instead that the quality of Italy’s political institutions and governance standards should be the key focus of reform efforts.
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London School of Economics and Political Science, Mar 8, 2021
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A disagreement over legal time-limits threatened to bring down Italy's government until a... more A disagreement over legal time-limits threatened to bring down Italy's government until a deal was reached on 8 November. Andrea Lorenzo Capussela explains why this seemingly minor issue created tension between the parties in the ruling coalition, and why the underlying debate matters more for the country's future than recent discussions over Italy's budget deficit.
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Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018
This chapter reviews the evolution of Italy’s social order between the political unification of t... more This chapter reviews the evolution of Italy’s social order between the political unification of the peninsula, achieved in 1861, and the end of Fascism, in 1943. It follows the country’s convergence to Europe’s early industrializers, which accelerated near the end of the nineteenth century and was assisted by appropriate institutional reforms. In the presence of a large anti-systemic opposition the country’s social order opened up only modestly and hesitantly, however, and in the early 1920s its elites preferred Fascism to democratization. Under this regime the progress made by political institutions during the liberal period was reversed, convergence slowed down markedly, and the divergence of the South from the rest of Italy peaked. The chapter underlines the essential continuity of the country’s social order and elites between the liberal epoch and Fascism.
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Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018
This chapter summarizes the main analyses of Italy’s economic decline, discusses their limitation... more This chapter summarizes the main analyses of Italy’s economic decline, discusses their limitations, and sketches the interpretation offered in this book. The discussion is set in the framework of Schumpeterian growth theory. It moves from the observation that during the 1980s Italy’s TFP performance began to diverge from that of its peers, andG that growth has been stagnant since the early 1990s. The existing interpretations identify the proximate causes of the country’s decline, not its deeper ones, nor do they satisfactorily explain why an unprecedented wave of structural reforms failed to reverse it. This chapter advances the hypothesis, explored in the book, that its deeper causes lie in the political economy of growth, for innovation and economic creative destruction can be hindered if political creative destruction is limited and the ensuing systemic constraints undermine institutional reform.
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Oxford Scholarship Online, 2018
This chapter completes the theoretical framework of the book by juxtaposing institutional economi... more This chapter completes the theoretical framework of the book by juxtaposing institutional economics with the literature on the collective action problem, social norms, culture, and ideas. It discusses the foundations of the collective action problem and the role of institutions—formal (laws) and informal (social norms)—in overcoming it. It links these studies with those on social capital, civicness, and the origins of generalized inter-personal trust. It criticizes the view—frequent in analyses of Italy—that a society’s culture is an independent obstacle to its development, and argues conversely that institutions, civicness, trust, and culture are part of the extant social order, and co-evolve. It ends with a discussion of the role of ideas, which are freer from the grip of the extant equilibrium and can lead elites, distributional coalitions, and ordinary citizens and firms to revise their assessment of their own interests and support efficiency-enhancing reforms.
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<p>This chapter reviews the evolution of Italy's social order and institutions between ... more <p>This chapter reviews the evolution of Italy's social order and institutions between the end of Fascism, in 1943, and the early 1950s. The peninsula was a battlefield for two years, during 1943–5. War and resistance shook Italy's social order, and the post-war years saw the emergence of a democratic republic based on a progressive constitution. Reconstruction was rapid, and laid the basis for the country's full industrialization. The ideological cleavage traced by Marxism, however, which split the anti-fascist coalition, and the political repercussions of the Cold War eased the efforts of the pre-war elites to constrain the opening up of the social order and undermine the newly adopted political institutions. An episode of collective action in the rural South nonetheless showed the potential of well-designed reforms sustained by effective organizations. The chapter concludes that during the 1950s electoral democracy consolidated, but Italy remained distant from the liberal democracy paradigm.</p>
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Kosovo and Serbia have recently discussed an exchange of territory, with some commentators sugges... more Kosovo and Serbia have recently discussed an exchange of territory, with some commentators suggesting a deal on a 'land swap' might be imminent. Andrea Lorenzo Capussela writes that while critics have rightly decried the plan as a redrawing of borders along ethnic lines, they neglect the fact that Kosovo itself is the product of a unilateral, ethnicity-based partition. He proposes a different approach for understanding the issue.
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<p>This chapter reviews the 1980–2017 period, during which, having reached the peak of its ... more <p>This chapter reviews the 1980–2017 period, during which, having reached the peak of its convergence to the productivity frontier, Italy's decline began and progressively accelerated. Its proximate cause was the dynamic of TFP. Its deeper roots lie in the vicious circles that set in during the previous decades, which led society onto an inefficient equilibrium. This spiral was interrupted in 1992–4, when debt-financed deficit spending exhausted its possibilities and systemic corruption was unveiled. The opportunity for an equilibrium shift opened by this shock was missed, however, and the spiral resumed its progress and further deepened. Efforts to reform Italy's inappropriate institutions largely failed, corruption increased, and political accountability declined. The country reached the crisis of 2008 already enfeebled, and suffered the deepest and longest peace-time recession of its history. Despite the rupture of 2011–13 few signs suggest that an equilibrium shift is forthcoming.</p>
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The coalition that has just taken office in Rome did not begin well. But as Andrea Capussela writ... more The coalition that has just taken office in Rome did not begin well. But as Andrea Capussela writes, among its proposals is a plan to strengthen the rule of law, which could improve Italy's unfair and inefficient system. Its opponents lie not only among the country's establishment, however: tension also exists within the coalition between the Five Star Movement and the League. These obstacles can only be overcome through an open political battle, which could lead the coalition to a more productive path.
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Papers by Andrea Lorenzo Capussela