Some structural aspects of the Southern problem: the complementarity of “emigration” and industrialization

Abstract

In the recent debate in Italy regarding its Southern policy, the view taken by most “Southernists” was that “emigration” to the North is not a factor helping to promote industrial development in the South itself, but merely a substitute for such development. Conversely, the present article argues that in certain circumstances, such as with the Italian Mezzogiorno, the relief of population pressure in an area can have a positive role in facilitating that area’s economic development. The author sets out in rough quantitative terms the aspects of the Southern problem which make it appear that a redistribution of population between South and North is in fact a necessary part of the solution.

JEL: O14, O52