Italy & Germany in turbulent times
The crises of the decade 2011-2022 magnified the divergence between Italy’s and Germany’s economic performance and created tensions in their relationship at EU level. After the economic crisis and the refugee crisis, the Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine added other major strains on both economies, causing increases in the price of energy and the need to revise well-established trade relations. This volume looks at the effects of these multiple crises on several aspects of the political and economic systems of Italy and Germany. It aims to interpret the changes in the internal dynamics of the two political systems as well as to measure similarities and dissimilarities in the magnitude and timing of these changes. Finally, it aims to understand if and how these changes have impacted the relationship between the two countries and their role as inspirers and catalysts of change within the EU context. By looking at the variegated effects of the recent sequence of crises on the institutional, political and economic settings of both countries with a view to evaluate the nature and evolution of relations between Germany and Italy at a very volatile historical juncture, the volume seeks to provide interpretative tools to analyze the challenges to come.