Is re-scaling bouncing back? The recentralization of Cohesion Policy in Italy

This article examines the recent reform of Cohesion Policy in Italy . It analyses the various measures introduced with the stated goal of enhancing policy effectiveness, which have concentrated power over regional policy and prompted a recentralization of Cohesion Policy governance from regional to national authorities. The article argues that this re-centralization forms part of a broader process that began in 2011 and represents a continuation of the ‘Lisbonisation’ of Cohesion Policy. It also situates this development within what may be described as a ‘bouncing back’ of the rescaling process initiated in the 1980s. This trend reflects the stronger role assumed by EU Member States following the crises of the past fifteen years and has been further reinforced by the European Union’s new economic policy agenda, including industrial policy. At the same time, however, it poses a challenge to the EU’s multilevel governance system.