Tough Times for an Italian Think Tank - The "Economic Policy Study Centre" (Ceep) from its foundation to the end of the First Republic (1973-1992)

The paper deals with the experience of Centro Studi di Politica Economica - Ceep (Economic Policy Study Center) from its constitution in Turin in 1973 up to the early 1990s. The paper begins with some considerations on certain statutory, practical and organizational aspects of this Centre, together with its publishing initiatives involving various economic journals. Thereafter, the author analyses the special case of Giorgio La Malfa as head of Ceep and, at the same time, Minister for the Budget in the Italian Governments during the period 1980-1982. In the last part of the paper, the author describes the interesting annual debates arganized by Ceep on the topics of Italian budget deficits and the growing public debt as from 1988 up to 1992. In the course of the paper, the author offers various considerations on the influence this think tank exerted on the policy-decision process during its life.