An Introduction to Italy
Italy was the centre of the Roman world from their conquest of it in the third century BC until the barbarian conquest of the fifth century AD; of the Roman Catholic world from the fourth century onwards; and of the Renaissance from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. As such, it holds a central place in the history, religion, science and culture of the modern world. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Italy
1 current Italian job:
GOVERNMENT: Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic
AREA: 301,338 sq km
POPULATION: 60,813,326 (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: Italian
Some business and general info
The Market Research Industry
Trade and Industry in Italy
Legal tender in the town is the Swiss franc but the euro is widely accepted, while the townsfolk are Italian citizens but obey Swiss customs duties and have Swiss car registrations.
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Italy was the centre of the Roman world from their conquest of it in the third century BC until the barbarian conquest of the fifth century AD; of the Roman Catholic world from the fourth century onwards; and of the Renaissance from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. As such, it holds a central place in the history, religion, science and culture of the modern world.
Between the sixth century AD and the nineteenth, Italy was fragmented into a number of small territories - it was re-united by the efforts of the statesman'Cavour and the March of Garibaldi in 1860-61, dallied briefly with colonialism and fascism, and since WWII has gone through phases of rapid growth (until the 1960s); and economic crisis (until the early 1980s). Recovery followed, but at the cost of running up huge debts - politics remains fragmented and the only real constants have been right-wing magnate Silvio Berlusconi, PM for eight of the last eleven years; corruption, exemplified by the organised crime of the Mafia but pervading many organisations and walks of life; division - whether between extreme left and right in politics, or poor south and rich north; and......lets face it, style. Italians write great operas, and sing them very well; make and wear great clothes; cook and eat good food; and design and build Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Even if they are running Greece close - and some say leading - for the biggest economic problems and biggest potential threat to the Euro, you have to hope technocratic fixer PM Mario Monti can turn Italy round, and doesnt end up like his predecessor, leaving the post amid a crowd of people singing the Hallelujah chorus.
GDP: $1.847 trillion (2010 est.); $30,464 per capita
Religions Christian (great majority Roman Catholic) 91.6%; None 5.8%; Islam 1.9%; Others 0.7%
Currency: Euro
Telephone Code: + 39
MR Association(s):
Associazione Italiana per gli Studi di Marketing (AISM)
Italy is the 7th largest research market in the world, and the 4th largest in Europe. 84 percent of MR turnover comes from domestic clients and 16 percent from international. According to the ESOMAR Global Prices Study 2012 the country was the 16th most expensive for carrying out research.
Source: ESOMAR
Italy has a free market economy, in the world top ten by GDP, and is a founding member of the G8, the Eurozone and the OECD. Previously an agrarian economy, it transformed rapidly after WWII into one of the world's most industrialised nations, and maintains a low unemployment rate despite the current crisis.
Its the world's largest wine producer, and noted of course for its fashions and its cars as well as for electrical and other industrial products. It suffers from a marked north-south divide, a lack of raw materials (it imports almost 90% of its energy) and political instability, with the average PM, Berlusconi excluded, lasting around a year the last makes reform difficult. In the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom, it country ranked last in the Eurozone and it still receives development assistance from the EU. It also suffers from corruption, bureaucracy and low investment in R&D. According to stats from business association the Confesercenti, organized crime represents the largest segment of the Italian economy with EUR 90 billion in receipts around 7% of GDP.
Exports ($522 bn in 2011) include engineering products, textiles, vehicles and transport equipment, food, minerals and metals, with Germany (13% in 2009), France (11.6%), the US (6%), Spain (5.9%) and the UK (5.2%) its biggest markets. 2011 imports were $556.4 bn, with Germany again the leading partner (16.1% in 2009) and France and China supplying about as much again between them. The list is similar to export' but with the notable addition of energy products.
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laurence@mrweb.com
