Servaas Storm in New York Times on corona

The lockdown of Italy's industrial heart because of the corona virus has heightened fears of disruption in the global supply chain. Italy's economy has not grown in two decades. As one of 19 countries that share the euro currency, Italy must abide by strict rules on public spending, further limiting growth and making its companies especially dependent on trade. “Because of the austerity that is ingrained into Italian economic policy, the domestic market is not growing,” said Servaas Storm, an economist at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. “So firms that want to grow have to do it through exports.” 

• Read the article: ‘Not Just an Italian Problem’: Coronavirus Threatens Europe’s Economy
  New York Times, 26 February 2020