Un Paese disuguale: il divario civile in Italia

The paper explores different aspects of the «civic divide» among Italian regions by means of a number of recent statistical indicators. Relevant disparities still persist between Northern and Southern regions in Italy, especially regarding important dimensions of well-being and essential public goods enjoyed by citizens. We stress the importance of giving centrality in the public and academic debate, alongside the economic divide, to the «civic» disparities between the two sections of the Country in terms of availability of comparable qualitative and quantitative levels of essential public goods and civic rights. Albeit traditionally economists and policy makers have focused mainly on economic backwardness of the Southern regions, the paper surveys some important contributions by social scientists dealing with the question of the Italian civic divide as a fundamental one in order to assessing progress and improving the development of the Country as a whole.