Social trust, a concept that is admittedly hard to measure, seems unusually low in Italy—one reason, perhaps, why family firms have always played such a big part in the economy. And respect for the rules, and even the law, never high, appears to have fallen further in recent years. Both tax evasion and illegal building, encouraged by repeated amnesties, seem to be on the rise. Organised crime and corruption remain entrenched, especially in the south.
