The gap between incomes has been widening for decades now and Italy is one of the countries where this trend is being felt most strongly. The reason? "The inequality of opportunity," writes the World Bank in a study published today entitled Towards a new social contract. In other words, personal success largely depends on factors that have nothing to do with personal abilities or professional skills. Rather, the place of birth, the socio-cultural level of the family and – still today – gender are decisive.
This is a problem that has distant roots. According to the World Bank, the income inequality gap between Italy and other major European countries started to widen as early as the XNUMXs. In recent decades, inequality has also increased in France and Germany, but much less than in our country.
As Maurizio Bussolo, an economist at the international institution responsible for the economic analysis of Europe and Central Asia, explains to Il Sole 24 Ore, "in the XNUMXs the level of income inequality in Italy was close to that of Japan, i.e. relatively Bass. Today, after just two and a half generations, the level has increased significantly and is similar to that recorded in Chile".
To prevent income polarization from worsening further - by increasing the consensus enjoyed by extremist parties - the World Bank is proposing three ways. First of all, work flexibility should be associated with greater social protection on the employment front. Then it is essential that the universality of welfare services and the expansion of the tax base are guaranteed with the reduction of taxes on labor and the increase of those on capital income.
However, the World Bank also notes that of the 23 countries in the world where inequality is lower, 23 are in Europe or Central Asia.
