The recent debate on Italy's unsatisfactory economic performance has been focused on the increasing competitive pressures exerted by foreign firms localized in low-wage developing countries and specialized in products where Italy used to hold a comparative advantage. This paper aims at...

Broad differences in life expectancy are observed across countries and socio-demographic groups. This paper reviews the evidence for Italy on the level and development of these inequalities and discusses the strength and possible determinants of the relationship between life expectancy and education

The essay reviews the different notions of returns to education ordinarily used in the economic policy debate and provides estimates of the quantitative importance of each. Investment in education is profitable both for individuals and for society even from the strictly economic standpoint; and...