Citizenship with variable geography: The discomfort of living in the South

This contribution focuses on the persistence of territorial inequalities in many dimensions of people's quality of life as a peculiar aspect of the civilisation-decivilisation process in today's Italy. Emphasis is given to the relevance of beyond-GDP North-South divide which often encroaches on the sphere of citizenship rights in terms of the degree to which the population enjoys essential public services. This paper provides evidence that internal disparities are often wider and more persistent in Italy than in other European countries. It is made clear that, albeit territorial divergences have undoubtedly worsened as a result of the exogenous shocks of recent years, as regards Italy, the intensification of within-country inequalities has been influenced by both selective and restrictive policies, on one hand, and the particular structure of the Italian welfare system, on the other: the former have hit the weakest and most public-spending-dependent southern regions hardest, while the latter have protected predominantly segments of society and economy which are more present in more advanced areas.