La Cassa per il Mezzogiorno nel Lazio

The history of territorial disparities is essential for understanding the dynamics of Italian economic development between the golden age and the globalization of the 2000s; consistent with the most up-to-date international literature, the Southern Question can therefore be included in a long-term analysis capable of highlighting the connections and inferences between national dynamics and global economic cycles. From this perspective, the events of the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno and its contribution to public policies addressing regional inequalities are essential for understanding the transition from the "double convergence" (between the South and the Center-North, and between Italy and Europe), characteristic of the golden age, to the "double divergence" (between the South and the rest of the country, and between Italy and the center of the global economic system) in recent years. The volume reconstructs these dynamics through the use of new quantitative sources on the interventions of the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno and AgenSud between 1950 and 1993, providing a more accurate territorial and sectoral breakdown of investments. After presenting a general overview of the Cassa's activities, these sources are used to outline the economic evolution of Lazio and to depict the "double frontier" that crossed this region between 1950 and 1993, caught between the need to catch up with the country's more advanced areas on one side, and to reduce the gaps between the Capital and the southern provinces on the other. The volume concludes by opening new research hypotheses on the effectiveness of the Cassa's investments for business history and on the legacy of the extraordinary intervention, acknowledging how the condition of the South is increasingly regaining its centrality as a major national issue, concerning not only the country's economy but also its social and democratic stability.