Above all on the eve of the new budget maneuver, let's face it: how many of the "non-experts" have repeatedly asked themselves the question of why it is very difficult to find an agreement between the statements of politicians and the relative critical observations formulated by economists, often without finding a satisfactory answer? Certainly not a few.
On the other hand, the book published by the Mill "No meal is free - Why politicians and economists don't get along", helps us validly to answer this (for many unmentionable) question, a book of small dimensions, but with considerable conceptual depth, as well as with a particularly enjoyable style. its author, Lorenzo Forni, professor of Economic Policy at the University of Padua and Secretary General of Prometeia, clarifies to the reader his intentions and his objective right from the start with two statements that leave no room for doubt.
The first statement: "Too many times have I seen economic policy do damage and impose unnecessary costs on the populations of different countries". The second: “Almost always the damage inflicted by choices of economic policy arise from distorted beliefs about how a country's economy works”.
These are two statements that form the indispensable starting point for a good understanding of the structure of this book which revolves around two crucial points: the importance of the macroeconomic policy mix (monetary, fiscal and exchange) for the purpose of stabilizing a country; the need, wanting to increase the rate of development, to resort to different levers from those just mentioned, using tools related to educational issues, entry into the labor market, protection of the territory, health, research and infrastructural investments.
Another aspect that certainly makes the reading of this book easy, even for those not accustomed to economic issues, is the type of analysis conducted by the author Forni with reference to concrete experiences, both in emerging countries and in other economies. advanced. Furthermore, the Appendix of the chronological references of the economic crises of the various countries from 1970 to the present day is very useful in this context.
We cannot, then, fail to remember that there is in the book a specific chapter dedicated to the Italian reality with its endogenous evils, its weaknesses and its rigidities that synthetically offers the reader a very effective picture of their impact on the socio-economic conditions of our country.
Reading these pages, one understands, therefore, that at the root of the failures of the often astonishing promises of the political class in the face of growing social needs there is the lack of awareness (or in some cases the negligence) of the budget constraints, constraints that no one can escape. Anyone wishing to delve into this aspect will find bread for their teeth in the other Appendix, the one which illustrates in a clear and effective way, resorting to the support of easy-to-understand mathematical formalizations, the aforementioned budget constraints and the limited room for maneuver related to them.
Ultimately, what is the lesson that can be drawn from this book intended for meditation, both of the "insiders" of both areas concerned - politics and economics - and of those who want to acquire awareness of some fundamental mechanisms of the where did they fall?
I believe that the fundamental didactic message of this booklet can be identified in theindeferrability of marking a change of pace compared to the experiential realities that have materialized so far. A reality in which the enticing promises formulated by the political class are inevitably followed by the frustration of the failures linked to their economic unsustainability. Here then is revealed the meaning of the statement contained in the title of the book according to which no meal is free: that is, sooner or later, someone will have to foot the bill anyway!
Finally, as regards the characteristics of the path to achieve the change of pace, they are indicated by the author of the book with great clarity: on the one hand less use of transitory economic interventions implemented through public spending; on the other, a simultaneous greater use of those tools with a high impact of economic reactivity mentioned above capable of promoting real, sustainable and lasting growth of the country.
