Set up by the Italian central government and implemented in the areas of the country that are lagging behind, Obiettivi di Servizio is an innovative scheme designed to encourage local authorities to reach given targets for public service provision in the areas of education, childcare and elderly...

This short paper is fundamentally a reflection on the subject, a medium size Italian municipality, that one of Terni, with about 110.000 inhabitants (number rather stable from 2000), about 1.000 employees and a budget (2008) of €370 million. This municipality has 3 fully owned corporations,...