Decentralisation and interregional redistribution in the Italian education system

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the potential impact of the reform designed to decentralise public education in Italy, currently under discussion, on interregional redistribution. The central government has always played a prominent financial and administrative role in the provision of compulsory education in Italy. This has had a strong redistributive effect on per-capita GDP across the regions of the country. The current fiscal decentralisation reform may well involve the education sector, as regional and local authorities are granted greater autonomy with regard to the provision and funding of educational services. Starting from certain plausible assumptions regarding the forthcoming fiscal powers, decentralisation and the expenditure levels set by the central government, this paper evaluates how these changes may affect the degree of interregional redistribution accomplished by the education system. © 2012 Taylor & Francis.