Italy has had a very interesting relationship with social democracy. After World War II it seemed that social democracy would indeed persist throughout Europe and solve all the problems of the European nations. However, Italy was a state that had figured out a way to make money quickly using the resources it had around it. The flame of socialism and social democracy burned brightly in Italy in the last half of the 20th century, but it also burned rapidly, dying out in the 1990s. There are still remnants of social democracy in Italy, albeit through benefits to citizens, but on an economic level Italy's resistance quickly gave way leaving Italy falling behind its EU counterparts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe Italian economy has been somewhat stagnant since World War II. After the Second World War, Italy experienced what was called an “economic miracle”. It was then that Italy began producing all the goods we know to be “Italian,” such as shoes, leather goods, and luxury cars. Italy had also created super highways that allowed the country to become an industrial nation. Today the Italian economy is strong and successful in the engineering sectors, but the lack of raw material production forces the state to have to import materials to keep up with its exports. Italy is one of the few states that has not managed to recover the economic levels of 10 years ago. The Italian government tends to blame the problems on the single currency (the euro), but in reality the economic problems are deeper than simply the euro. One problem is the lack of modern industrialization. As mentioned above, Italy produces many high-end products, but many of these goods are generally family-owned. These types of companies are the big “bread winners” in Italy and are left to compete with real industries elsewhere. Another problem with the Italian economy is that Italy is economically divided between the north and the south. Southern Italy is economically behind the North. This is because the South has always been an agriculture-based economy and this is the main reason for the economic disparities in the country. In the EU the average number of agricultural workers is 5% and in Italy 3.6% of the population works on the land. The Italian government also has an alarming debt. He says the spending plans will help support the economic situation and create growth. However, Italy has the second highest GDP-to-GDP ratio, spending 3.7% of GDP on interest rates. In Italy, citizens receive benefits in the areas of healthcare, education and family assistance. Regarding healthcare in Italy there is an institution called the National Health Service, or SSN. This system is a universal system created to provide universal healthcare to all Italian citizens. Education is also guaranteed to Italians aged 6 to 18. One thing that is important to note is that although students are provided free education, students are not provided free transportation. However, free education allows students to attend primary and secondary school and receive a diploma to continue their studies if they wish. Unfortunately, Italy has one of the highest dropout rates because students are “forced” to continue the same professional path as their parents. The benefits of family policies are also available to Italian citizens. In Italy, maternity leave lasts a total of five months, two before giving birth and three after. At..