From Nationalization to Neoliberalism: Territorial Development and City Marketing in Brindisi

What is it about?

This chapter addresses the relationship between economic policies and political ideologies. Drawing on contemporary and historical material from the province of Brindisi, in Southeast Italy, it links the local dimension to processes at regional, national, and international levels. The diachronic analysis brings out the impact of two apparently contrasting dynamics of structural adjustment. On the one hand, it shows how vested political interests have influenced both the post-unification national policies for the development of the South and the post-World War II agreements on the alleged national control of the economy. On the other hand, it addresses the effects of the modified Bretton Woods Accords, which, instead of facilitating investment in this region, have resulted in environmental degradation, competition among cities, and further economic downturn.

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