The article examines regional policies in Italy after the end of the "intervento straordinario". After illustrating the changes in the legal and operating framework of the regional policies, the paper then uses a range of different data to perform an initial assessment of their results.

Public incentives have often been criticized for being ineffective, but there is still a lack of specific, rigorous analyses to either support or debunk that claim. In fact, no evidence has been provided so far on the role and effectiveness of financial incentives for outward...