Italy Comment
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Opinion PiecesItaly needs a serious debate about pensions
Italian policymakers are bent on indulging the relatively small but influential minority of Italians that is nearing retirement, but lament that the statutory retirement age of 67 is too high. The reform efforts of past years have been towards reducing the retirement age or increasing flexibility in retirement. The resources employed towards supporting second-pillar pensions have been next to none.
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Opinion PiecesTeamwork in rugby and Italian pensions
A peculiar parallel can be drawn between the Italian second-pillar pension industry and the country’s national rugby union team and its supporters, which every year since 2000 gets excited about the Six Nations Championship.
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Opinion PiecesLessons learned from Berlusconi’s pension reforms
To some, the death of Silvio Berlusconi on 12 June this year, is the end of an era for Italian politics. Berlusconi was the longest-serving prime minister in the history of the republic and a highly controversial figure, at home and abroad. He can be described as the first modern European populist leader.
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Opinion PiecesMeloni grapples with Italy’s pension woes
Reforms usually follow general elections, regardless of the political system. Italy is no different. The most generous country in Europe in terms of pension payments, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Italy spends the equivalent of 15.6% of GDP on pensions.
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Opinion PiecesItaly’s far-right government won’t bring about great changes
The largely anticipated outcome of the Italian election was a strong mandate for the centre-right coalition. This would hardly be a new scenario, were it not for the fact that this time the chosen leader is Giorgia Meloni of Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), a right-wing party with historical links with fascism.
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Opinion PiecesGreen ambitions to drive recovery
Last month, Italy announced its first foray into the hot market of green bonds by raising a record €8.5bn (see page 9).
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Opinion Pieces‘Whatever it takes’ may not be enough
Italy has another new government; the 67th since 1946. An argument over the management of EU COVID-19 recovery funds led to the appointment of Mario Draghi, the former president of the European Central Bank (ECB), as prime minister. He is after all credited with saving the euro-zone by pledging to do “whatever it takes” during the 2012 debt crisis.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from a country in crisis
Empty streets and squares are not a usual sight in Italy, a country whose people love to socialise. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic has even taught Italians to make orderly queues outside supermarkets. The reality is that while Italians are not good at prevention, they are outstanding at reacting to emergency situations, thanks to their experience dealing with earthquakes and other natural disasters.
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FeaturesDon’t turn a blind eye to Italian politics
This month’s Italian general election might seem another non-event from an investment standpoint, but it has long-term significance
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Features
The political dimension of Italy's pensions
Pensions and politics are seldom friends. Politicians, more often than not, seek short-term policy impact; pension systems take time and patience to develop. This tension is unravelling in Italy
