Scientific Coordinator: Stefania Profeti
Starting with the opposition between bureaucratic administration and contract-based and regulatory administration, the project aims to explore: 1) the prevalence of contractual instruments in Italian local administrations; 2) the main changes, in terms of organization, made to support the ability to employ such instruments; 3) the effects of contractual instruments on the politics and policies of local administrations in terms of responsiveness and accountability (and the possible lack of expertise in their use). The research focuses on three policy sectors: local public services (specifically transport and urban waste), social services (assistance to the elderly and the disabled and early childhood care), and energy policies. The survey initially covers all the provincial capitals and is then extended to a smaller number of municipalities for detailed case studies.