Giuliana Palumbo

Productivity growth in Italy: a tale of a slow-motion change

Productivity is the main factor holding back long-term economic growth in Italy. Since the second half of the 1990s, productivity growth has been feeble both by historical standards and compared with the other main euro area countries. Understanding the reasons for such a performance and finding the most effective policy levers is crucial to increase Italy’s potential growth rate. Against this background, we provide a detailed analysis of the data and a critical review of the available empirical evidence to identify both the structural weaknesses limiting productivity growth and the strengths of the Italian productive system that may support it looking forward. Since the end of the 1990s and more intensively since the second half of 2011, the reform effort has been particularly effective in the regulation of product and labor markets and industrial policy. On other factors which are very relevant for productivity dynamics, the reform action has been less effective so far.

La Giustizia Civile in Italia: Le Recenti Evoluzioni (Civil Justice in Italy: Recent Trends)

Italian Abstract: Il lavoro documenta l’evoluzione del funzionamento della giustizia civile nel decennio in corso, evidenziando come le misure adottate negli ultimi anni abbiano contribuito a deflazionare il nuovo contenzioso e, quindi, il carico dei pendenti. Anche il numero dei procedimenti definiti annualmente si è però ridotto nel decennio, mostrando una dinamica assimilabile a quella dei procedimenti iscritti; sulla base dei dati disponibili, tale fenomeno non sembra imputabile a una ricomposizione dei carichi di lavoro a favore di procedimenti caratterizzati da maggiore complessità. La durata dei procedimenti resta molto elevata, con differenze significative tra tribunali, che possono riflettere anche disfunzioni di natura organizzativa. L’evidenza suggerisce che la recente revisione della geografia giudiziaria non avrebbe ancora prodotto miglioramenti sotto il profilo della capacità di smaltimento degli uffici, ma avrebbe invece contribuito al calo del contenzioso ordinario nelle aree interessate. English Abstract: In this paper we document the changes in the functioning of the Italian civil justice system in the current decade. We highlight that the measures undertaken in recent years have helped to reduce the number of new cases and, therefore, the number of pending cases. However, the number of resolved civil cases has also decreased, following the decline in new cases. On the basis of the available data, this pattern does not seem to be explained by the increased complexity of cases judges have to handle. The length of proceedings remains very long, with significant differences between courts, which may reflect, among other things, organizational inefficiencies. The empirical evidence suggests that the recent geographical reorganization of the court system does not seem to have yet improved the system’s efficiency, but has contributed to the decline in the new ordinary cases.

Small Claims Litigation in Italy

Despite accounting for a significant fraction of total litigation in Italy, small claims litigation has so far received little attention. Using a Ministry of Justice database that contains information disaggregated by subject matter, the paper provides a thorough description of the time trend and geographical distribution of small claims litigation in Italy in the period 2001-2008. Further, it empirically evaluates the impact of different socio-economic variables on litigation. We find evidence of a strong increase in appeals against administrative sanctions, while the number of civil proceedings remained stable. Litigation rates are higher in the Centre and Southern regions. More interestingly, for claims on movables and claims for damages caused by circulation of vehicles, they are strongly concentrated in some provinces. Our results provide support to existing anecdotal evidence about opportunistic behaviour in the use of courts.