Riformisti di qua, conservatori di là? Contro il riformismo unico

Reformists here, conservatives there! Against «one reformism fits all»
The debate on how to reform the italian economis system in order to improve its performances, especially in terms of economic growth, is almost monopolized by the idea that what is needed is a more market oriented culture. The exact meaning of this recipe is not at all clear. However its hard core can be singled out: it is the idea that insecurity, both in the labour market and in the social protection system, is by now a necessary condition for economic growth. The strength of this model is quite often considered to be the fact that it performed very well in some other contry. The main purpose of the essay is to show the weak foundations of such a claim and to offer an alternative conception of economic reformism that takes into account the distinguishing features of the italian economic system and the most prominent obstacles to its further development, so to avoid the mistakes in the idea that others’ models can be successfully replicated thanks to some structural reform. The paper addresses also other questions related to the idea that a sort of «neutral reformism» independent from the values, that should distinguish different political sides, is possibile.