Italy: Is there a way out of the woods?

Following recent market panic, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) decision to step in and buy Italian bonds has given Rome some breathing space. Market fears were driven by a frightfully simple prospect: if Italy, the EU’s fourth largest economy, goes, so does the euro.

To avoid the worst, Italy now has one, possibly final, chance to push for radical economic reform and break its chronic growth problem. Failing this, Silvio Berlusconi & Co. may have to plan for a future outside the singl...