Can Austerity Lead to Recentralisation? Italian Local Government during the Economic Crisis

Abstract:

The relationship between the remarkable changes that have occurred at the local level and the overlapping crises affecting Italy in recent years has yet to be fully tackled by political scientists. This article aims to contribute to the debate by arguing that anti-crisis measures have also produced structural effects that may actually weaken Italian local autonomies, suggesting the existence of an ongoing recentralisation. Several major questions are addressed: is such a trend inversion (from decentralisation to recentralisation) really taking place? Which dimensions should be analysed to detect it? What outcomes and effects have these measures provoked in Italian local government?