On January 13, 2017 the Bank of Italy hosted a conference in honour of Professor Riccardo Faini, who passed away ten years ago. The conference, entitled ‘Italy’s lost productivity and how to get it back,’ organized together with the Associazione Marco Fanno and the Centro Studi Luca d’Agliano, dealt with the long-standing issue of sluggish Italian productivity.
In his introductory remarks Governor Ignazio Visco, citing the debate that began in the mid-2000s on Italy’s economic decline to which Riccardo Faini made a significant contribution, covered the main weaknesses of the Italian economy and highlighted the importance of pressing ahead with the reform effort that started in 2011.
The five papers presented over the course of the conference’s two sessions (productivity and trade) underscored that the growing availability of historical data has helped provide a better understanding of the root causes of low productivity growth.
The programme, the Governor’s remarks and the five papers presented are now available in the Other Conference Proceedings section of this website.
The panel’s discussion focused on debating policy issues, with the participation of Tito Boeri (Inps), Giampaolo Galli (Member of Parliament), Luca Paolazzi (Confindustria) and Salvatore Rossi (Bank of Italy). The Minister of Economy and Finance, Pier Carlo Padoan, delivered the closing remarks.
