Gianni Toniolo is Research Professor of Economics at Duke University, Professor of Political Science at LUISS (Roma) and Research Fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research in London. His research has been published in a number of academic journals and he has authored several books, including The World Economy between the Wars (Oxford University Press, 2008)

Foreword
Map: Italy, 1861
Map: Italy, present day
Part I - Aggregate Growth and Policy
1. An Overview of Italy's Economic Growth : Gianni Toniolo
2. Italy and the First Age Globalization, 1861-1940: Harold James and Kevin H. O'Rourke
3. The Golden Age and the Second Globalization in Italy: Nicholas Crafts and Marco Magnani
4. Italy, Germany and Japan: From Economic Miracles to Virtual Stagnation: Andrea Boltho
5. The Italian Economy Seen from Abroad: Marcello de Cecco
Part II - Sources of Growth and Welfare
6. National Accounts, 1861-2011: Alberto Baffigi
7. Productivity: Stephen N. Broadberry, Claire Giordano, and Francesco Zollino
8. Standards of Living: Andrea Brandolini and Giovanni Vecchi
9. Human Capital: Giuseppe. Bertola and Paolo Sestito
10. Migrations: Matteo Gomellini and Cormac O' Grada
11. Democratization and Civic Capital: Luigi Guiso and Paolo Pinotti
Part III - International Competitiveness
12. A Long-Run Perspective on Comparative Advantage: Giovanni Federico and Nikolaus Wolf
13. Real exchange Rates, Trade, and Growth: Virginia Di Nino, Barry Eichengreen, and Massimo Sbracia
14. Innovation and Foreign Technology: Federico Barbiellini Amidei, John Cantwell, and Anna Spadavecchia
15. Old and New Italian Manufacturing Multinational Firms: Fabrizio Onida, Giuseppe Berta, and Mario Perugini
Part IV - Firms, Banks, and the State
16. Techonology, Firm Size and Entrepreneurship: Franco Amatori, Matteo Bugamelli, and Andrea Colli
17. Resource allocation by the Banking System: Stefano Battilossi, Alfrado Gigliobianco, and Giuseppe Marinelli
18. Public Debt and Economic Growth: Italy's First 150 Years: Fabrizio Balassone, Maura Francese, and Angelo Pace
19. Why the Administrative System is a Source of Competitive Disadvantage: Magda Bianco and Giulio Napolitano
Part V - The Regional Divide
20. Regional Convergence: Giovanni Iuzzolino, Guido Pellegrini, and Gianfranco Viesti
21. Regional Disparities: Internal Geography and External Trade: Brian A'Hearn and Anthony J. Venables
Data Appendix - Italy's National Accounts (1861-2010): Alberto Baffigi, Stephen N. Broadberry, Claire Giordano, and Francesco Zollino
Index

This Oxford Handbook provides a fresh overall view and interpretation of the modern economic growth of one of the largest European countries, whose economic history is less known internationally than that of other comparably large and successful economies. It will provide, for the first time, a comprehensive, quantitative "new economic history" of Italy.
The handbook offers an interpretation of the main successes and failures of the Italian economy at a macro level, the research--conducted by a large international team of scholars --contains entirely new quantitative results and interpretations, spanning the entire 150-year period since the unification of Italy, on a large number of issues. By providing a comprehensive view of the successes and failures of Italian firms, workers, and policy makers in responding to the challenges of the international business cycle, the book crucially shapes relevant questions on the reasons for the current unsatisfactory response of the Italian economy to the ongoing "second globalization." Most chapters of the handbook are co-authored by both an Italian and a foreign scholar.