Public Spending in Italy : Policies to Enhance Its Effectiveness

This paper aims to identify structural reforms for better public spending management in Italy –in turn a critical need in view of the country's high debt and tax burdens, notwithstanding significant progress in the past decade. The analysis proceeds on two distinct levels. At the central government level, a misallocation of public resources is suggested by excessive pension spending against inadequate spending in infrastructure, labour market and human capital areas, as well as by high and inefficient government employment. These problems can be traced in large part to the incentive structures built into the public institutions charged with the planning, implementation, and control of spending policies. The main recommended policy actions are to pursue further pension reform while strengthening other income transfers, make the budget process more transparent and accountable, undertake deeper reform of the public administration, and to make greater use of market instruments in areas ...