A significant strand of the recent literature endorses the thesis that “excessive” regulation (or a heavy administrative burden on firms) damages competition and growth. The Italian system has a poor ranking both in anti-competitive regulations (see the OECD product market regulations...

Local public services have been the object of a significant reform process since the beginning of the 1990s. The effects of the measures are uniformly considered unsatisfactory. In the paper we provide some evidence – partly based on new ad-hoc surveys – on the degree of implementation of...