Economic thought on the Mezzogiorno has radically changed in the last sixty years. Initially capital accumulation was considered the main problem of Southern Italy, and therefore policies to use resources from richer regions in the poorer ones were recommended. In more recent years the main focus has been on the idea that "institutions matter" and that aid policy to Southern Italy has reduced and not improved social capital, which is one of the main factors for the sound functioning of institutions. The four articles written by Barucci from 1970 to 2007 show how economic thought on the Mezzogiorno evolved. The first papers discuss policies based on capital accumulation. The last papers deal with the idea that good governance matters, and what policies could help good governance emerge in Southern Italy.
Keywords: Development, Mezzogiorno, Institutions, Social capital
Jel Code: O120, O430, O180