This paper studies the effects on local public transport of the reform begun in the late nineties, using data from a recent Bank of Italy survey. There are still substantial differences across Italy's regions, and the level of efficiency is far from the original aims of the reform. Although...

This paper outlines the evolution of the regulatory framework for the supply of local public utilities, social and health services since the early nineties. That framework is rendered complex by frequent legislative reforms, the overlap of general rules and specific rules for some services, and...

The paper summarizes the framework used in a research project on local public services carried out by Bank of Italy researchers. It discusses motivations, characteristics, results and general lessons of the project, whose sector-specific results are detailed in individual papers. The project was...

High-speed Internet, or broadband, access is an essential infrastructure that has been proven to stimulate competition, productivity and growth and it is considered the engine of the so called knowledge-information economy. In this paper, we first provide a technical survey of the standard...

The paper investigates the organization of the Italian water sector in the light of the reforms of public utilities. The aim is to examine the degree of implementation of the water sector reform (the so-called Galli Law of 1994) and assess the performance of operators through a study of their...

The purpose of this work is to describe the present conditions and possible development of telecommunication networks in Italy, with particular reference to new generation networks. We review the main technological solutions adopted from a cross-country perspective and investigate the...

Italian Abstract: Con la riforma del Titolo V della Costituzione del 2001 è stata realizzata una profonda revisione dell'assetto costituzionale secondo un orientamento federalista, che ha determinato – tra le altre cose – un ampio trasferimento di competenze legislative alle Regioni. Il...

A series of reforms passed in Italy in 2010 reduced the expected duration of registration and startup procedures for new businesses. Previous research has found that procedural simplifications of this nature have a positive impact on the selection of firm entry in the short run and consequently...

Italian Abstract: La necessità di incrementare il livello di efficienza dell'azione amministrativa ha spinto il legislatore italiano, a partire dagli anni novanta, ad estendere alla Pubblica amministrazione alcuni strumenti gestionali tipici delle realtà aziendalistiche, in linea con le...