Italy’s slow growth in the 1990s: facts, explanations and prospects

This report investigates the sources of the dismal growth performance of Italy in the 1990s. Over the last decade, Italy experienced a marked economic slowdown, with real GDP growing by an annual average of only 1.2% , down from 2.2% in the 1980s and significantly lower than the average annual rate of 1.8% in the euro area. Moreover, the gap between Italy and the other EU countries has widened in the last few years.