Introduction

Abstract

The unifying theme of all contributions in this volume is the comparison of the economic performance of two close neighbouring European countries, Italy and Austria. This comparison reflects on a variety of structural aspects, broadly defined, as they surfaced in a host of dynamic processes that took place in a period of dramatic changes in the overall economic environments. The contributions by Austrian as well as Italian researchers intend to analyse and interpret the observed historical facts from an overall, macro or aggregate economic level, but also in more detail, with a close look at structural issues and specific problem areas: the monetary sector, the balance of payments, the industrial sectors, and the labour markets. The changing economic structure of these two countries poses challenges from the perspective of economic methodology and the conduct of economic policy. Both aspects are covered in the volume.