A new article by Laura Polverari, 'Policy Rhetoric versus Political Reality: Has the Italian State Given Up on the Mezzogiorno?' was recently published in Regional and Federal Studies (online publication 1 July 2013, DOI:10.1080/13597566.2013.801842).
The article, which traces the evolution of the nuova programmazione in Italy from 2007 to 2011, shows that notwithstanding a restated formal commitment to raise the Mezzogiorno to a level similar to the rest of the country, the policy reality has been a substantial abandonment of this goal. The piece sheds light on some of the reasons behind the persistence of the Mezzogiorno problem, the challenges faced by redistributive policies in times of economic crisis, and the limits of the European Union's role as an external force to remove domestic blockages.
The article can be downloaded from this link..