Functional Reforms in Italian Employment Policies: Institutional Impact at the Macro and Micro Level

This article explores the institutional impact of Italy’s administrative decentralization of employment policies since the mid-1990s, by focusing on the Lombardy region. These reforms have produced significant shifts in terms of transfer of responsibilities from the national to the regional level, liberalization, and participation of private actors. By relying on two case studies—the regional public agency in charge of coordination of employment policies and a private provider of employment services—the reforms’ implications in terms of reorganization and stakeholder participation are explored. The results point to a required shift in terms of strategy, organization, and operations for both institutions.