Abstract

The economic crisis of 2008 caused the most important consequences in Southern Italy and the cost of the crisis was very high. In Southern Italy, it led to a fall in investment, a sharp decline in the manufacturing sector, a high rate of unemployment, the growth of poverty threshold, the reactivation of migratory flows, especially of young graduates, and a high population decline. However, in Southern Italy there are still potential resources to exploit. In particular, there are "public goods for competitiveness and social cohesion" to be placed at the centre of regional development policies. According to the author, the real problem is not only focused on the economic goals to be achieved, but on the political and institutional conditions needed to encourage a healthy economic entrepreneurship.