(L’Unione (non) fa la forza? Alcune evidenze preliminari sull’associazionismo comunale in Italia) Is there strength in unity? Some preliminary evidence on inter-municipal cooperation in Italy

Stronger together? Assessing the causal effect of inter‐municipal cooperation on the efficiency of small Italian municipalities

“…They respectively suggest that contra to expectations, local administrations part of inter‐municipal authorities show higher per‐capita expenditures and lower quality in the provision of public services than independent municipalities. Manestra et al (2018) argue that municipal unions are associated to reduced spending in only a limited set of spending categories and that such effects require years to mature. Giacomini et al (2018) explore potential mechanisms behind the higher/lower successfulness of MU, but rely on the perception of reform adopters to measure the effects of cooperation.…”

“…Over the years—and especially following the Constitutional reform of 2001, which has strengthened the role of Regions as pivots of local governance—, regional governments have been endowed with significant regulatory powers in implementing the national general legislation regarding IMC, as well as with a strong role in monitoring and evaluating processes linked to municipal cooperation. Between 2011 and 2016, in particular, different regions have implemented regulations which are not always fully homogeneous (Manestra et al, 2018). There is therefore regional policy heterogeneity over regulation and the specific types of incentives adopted to foster IMC (see Manestra et al, 2018, for a detailed discussion of regional differences).…”

“…Between 2011 and 2016, in particular, different regions have implemented regulations which are not always fully homogeneous (Manestra et al, 2018). There is therefore regional policy heterogeneity over regulation and the specific types of incentives adopted to foster IMC (see Manestra et al, 2018, for a detailed discussion of regional differences). This implies that in the empirical analysis we will have to take into account this regional heterogeneity).…”

“…This implies that in the empirical analysis we will have to take into account this regional heterogeneity). Overall, however, almost all Ordinary‐statute Regions have legislated to comply with the national government requirements (Manestra et al, 2018). Similarly, while the nature and amounts vary across regions, in most cases regional governments have set up incentives toward unionization, mostly in the form of direct financial contributions (Manestra et al, 2018).…”

“…The analysis adds to the growing efforts interested in identifying the effects of IMC (Allers & de Greef, 2018; Bel & Warner, 2015; Breuillé et al, 2018; Di Porto et al, 2017; Ferraresi et al, 2018; Ivaldi et al, 2016; Manestra et al, 2018). Our results, which are robust to a host of sensitivity checks and alternative estimators, fail to find any strong or statistically significant effect of IMC on local efficiency.…”