An interesting point from this article is that maybe if the government (Italian or American) did what it's supposed to do, maybe these businesses wouldn't have to seek loans elsewhere. However, if this is the case, it seems that "the mafia" may be the very ones keeping the economy going....at least in the small business sector.

----We only have to look back to 2008 to get an idea of how the mafia is going to react to this crisis. Back then they showed their significant power and influence by using their huge stockpiles of capital to buy out or “rescue” companies that were going bust. After the pandemic is over, the same is expected to happen in Italy, and for that matter, anywhere in the world organized crime is active.

“The mafia is sure to offer credit and capital to entrepreneurs struggling with the pandemic. It happened back in 2008 with the financial crisis. Italy will have to deal with criminal organizations and as a government, we will have to do everything we can to fight it,” says Nicola Morra, a senator and the chairman of the parliamentary anti-mafia commission.-------