Introduzione. La regolazione sociale dell'economia nel capitalismo mediterraneo

Similarities in the development of capitalism in Southern European countries define national systems of social regulation of the economy sharing significant traits. The category of Mediterranean capitalism allows to take into account those peculiarities within the debate on the varieties of capitalism, avoiding a too polarised framing of the issue; also, if confronted with the European level of regulation, the category seems to be a useful analytical tool to interpret the evolution of the process of European integration. The introduction proceeds briefly presenting, in their main lines of argument, the book essays: those of the first part, directly related to the issue of Mediterranean capitalism, and those of the second part, considering other research issues.