Publication: Assessing Italy’s Severino Law: impacts on corruption control and inequality
Authors
Laura Policardo ; Edgar Sanchez-Carrera ; López Gómez, Laura
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Publisher
Springer Nature
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10368-025-00687-3
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
The evaluation of public policies is an increasingly important issue that demands
greater attention. This study examines the impact of the Severino Law (2012) on
corruption control and inequality in Italy. Using a robust quantitative approach
for the period 2002–2022, we apply diference-in-diferences (DiD), the synthetic
control method (SCM), and a multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS)
model. Our fndings indicate that while the law signifcantly improved corruption
control—albeit with a delayed efect—it did not reduce inequality as anticipated,
which instead continued to rise. This outcome stands in contrast to the predictions of
much of the empirical literature. The results suggest that the direct efects of corruption control on inequality can be highly idiosyncratic and do not operate in a linear
or isolated manner. Rather, they depend on the extent to which corrupt behaviors
are reduced and on the presence of complementary policies beyond anti-corruption
reforms to efectively address structural inequality.
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Citation
Lopez-Gomez, L., Policardo, L. & Sanchez-Carrera, E.J. Assessing Italy’s Severino Law: impacts on corruption control and inequality. Int Econ Econ Policy 22, 60 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10368-025-00687-3
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