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On February 22nd, Florentine mayor and Democratic Party (DP) leader Matteo Renzi became the youngest Italian prime minister. Renzi, who is thirty-nine years old, has promised a series of reforms to shake up Italy’s dysfunctional political and economic culture. While never holding office on a national scale, Renzi believes that he can use his first 100 days in office to get Italy moving again and restore it to its proper place as one of the major powers on the European continent. However, old political and economic habits die hard and political observers, which include some of those in Renzi’s own party, feel that he is all flash and no substance. Considering the fact that Italy is the third largest economy in the eurozone and that its economy has not fared well over the last two decades, Renzi comes at a crucial time in Italian history. A successful administration could put Italy back on the road to economic growth and a more stable political system, but a failure could dishearten the Italian population and lead to populist leaders taking power from either the political left or the right.
This topic brief will summarize Italy’s political and economic problems, discuss the reforms that Renzi has proposed, and evaluate whether he will succeed in reforming Italy.
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