La prospettiva storica. L’evoluzione di lungo periodo delle statistiche sull’inattività

This essay traces the historical development of statistical approaches to inactivity in Italy from unification to the post-war period, arguing that the category of the “inactive population” was shaped by broader changes in labour relations, welfare provision, and social structures. By examining population censuses alongside Istat labour force surveys, the study shows how official statistics both reflected and contributed to changing understandings of work and non-work. Early censuses, which lacked a clear notion of inactivity, reveal a predominantly rural society in which family labour, informal employment, and blurred occupational boundaries made rigid classifications difficult to sustain. From the post-war decades onwards, the expansion of industrial employment, compulsory education, and social security systems encouraged a more systematic distinction between employment, unemployment, and inactivity. Special attention is paid to the 1971 Istat survey on persons outside the labour force, which marked a turning point by investigating the reasons behind non-participation in paid work and by highlighting forms of discouraged labour supply. More broadly, the essay suggests that the history of inactivity offers a useful lens through which to analyse the changing relationship between labour markets, social policy, and citizenship in modern Italy.