Planning in cold-war Italy

Planning ideas and practices were established and spread quickly in different situations in post-war Europe. No matter the definition of this obscure and manifold concept, the utopia of rationality inherent in the planning was founded on the conviction that the economy could be anticipated and guided according to collective interest and economic development. The cold war, therefore, was a time of a broad affirmation of planning which, disseminated internationally by a class of experts and technicians, was the key instrument agreed on, both scientifically and politically, to promote growth in backward areas and underdeveloped countries. The Italian case, having been thoroughly studied and discussed at a domestic level but not always sufficiently appraised in international studies, may be able to contribute a useful element to the overall picture, precisely due to the key role played by this country, and southern Europe, in the Atlantic and Mediterranean balances.