Underdevelopment in Southern Italy: Traditional Setbacks and Modern Solutions

The intention of this paper is to identify the economic problems facing the nation-state of Italy, in regards to the current underdevelopment of the southern regions over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The nation-state of ltaly has had complex problems facing it throughout its ever long history on the divided Italian peninsula, as well as its brief history as a unified nation-state. Many complex problems have been solved over time, but a few such problems still linger: underdevelopment and poverty. These problems revolve around the underdeveloped south and how it affects the Italian nation as a whole. Basically, underdevelopment and poverty in Southern Italy isn\u27t caused by a lack of funding, but by geographical hindrance, poorly designed and improper use of fiscal policies, crime and internal corruption, and the traditional southern lifestyle. These factors are the true culprits behind the backwardness of Southern Italy in historical times, as well as modem times