Some structural aspects of the Southern problem: the complementarity of “emigration” and industrialization

In the recent debate in Italy regarding its Southern policy, the view taken by most “Southernists” was that “emigration” to the North is not a factor helping to promote industrial development in the South itself, but merely a substitute for such development. Conversely, the present article argues that in certain circumstances, such as with the Italian Mezzogiorno, the relief of population pressure in an area can have a positive role in facilitating that area’s economic development. The author sets out in rough quantitative terms the aspects of the Southern problem which make it appear that a redistribution of population between South and North is in fact a necessary part of the solution. JEL: O14, O52