Immigration Italian Style, 1977–2018

Over the last forty years, Europe has experienced two new migratory flows: exit from excommunist countries, entry into Mediterreanean countries, including Italy. The first part of the 21st century saw a immigration boom, and then subsequently, in the years of economic crisis that followed, a immigration bust, accompanied by a revival of emigration abroad. We show how this “stop and go” migrants of recent years are due to demographic and demand/supply labor market structural changes and the inability (or lack of will) of public authorities to govern entries from and exits abroad. Moreover, several particularities of Italian society (strong family ties, widespread home ownership, the abundance of small businesses) have shaped foreigner presence in Italy, in ways different than those seen in central and northern Europe. We distinguish also between the Center/North and the South/Islands of Italy, as the migratory histories of these two areas are quite different.