Italy / From Town Halls to the Market: Local Privatisations

Testo disponibile solo in lingua inglese.
This essay breaks down into three parts. The first analyses the changing relationship between citizens and the public sector, framing privatisations in a historical context and revealing similarities and differences between what happened in the past and what is happening now in the different European countries. The second addresses the Italian context. The term "public services" tends to confuse "products" (the service provided) with "producers" (the service provider). This analysis of the process of privatisation seeks to emphasise differences by focusing attention on provider agencies as opposed to services provided. It also seeks to distinguish between the principal sectors within the general category of local public agencies and to define their future scenario. The last part of the essay draws conclusions on the future prospects of local privatisations in Italy.