LA POLITICA ORDINARIA E DI COESIONE NELLE REGIONI ITALIANE: UNA VALUTAZIONE SETTORIALE SUL FUNZIONAMENTO DEL PRINCIPIO DI ADDIZIONALITA'

This paper analyses the degree of additionality of the Cohesion Policy to ordinary domestic spending in the Italian NUTS-2 regions during the last two programming periods (2007-2013 and 2014-2020). The European Commission has established that the Structural Funds must not be used to replace the disbursement of the Member States to the regions. However, the treatment could distort the allocative choices of the national policy maker. The main element of novelty is the ex-post panel evaluation of cohesion funds’ additionality to the Ordinary Policy through a sectoral breakdown of spending, controlling for the potential endogeneity of the cohesion variable. The sectoral approach allows us to assess whether there are substantial differences between the sectors of intervention in the complementarity, substitutability or neutrality of the Regional Policy. Our policy variables are computed, for the first time, by combining data from Conti pubblici territoriali and Opencoesione, by eliminating from the total regionalised expenditure those specifically addressed to regional development. The main evidence shows heterogeneity and graduality in the additionality of cohesion funds on ordinary ones and that the treatment has an impact on the allocation of ordinary funds.