PNRR e divari territoriali tra previsione e attuazione

This article examines the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) as a legal and economic planning instrument aimed at reducing territorial disparities, with particular focus on Southern Italy. The analysis follows a dual approach: on the one hand, it explores the predictive dimension of the Plan, namely its methodological framework and declared objectives concerning territorial cohesion; on the other, it assesses the implementation phase through available data on progress, revisions, and operational difficulties. The contribution highlights how the PNRR introduces a paradigm shift in comparison with traditional cohesion policies, treating the reduction of territorial disparities not as an autonomous goal but as a cross-cutting and “non-negotiable constraint” embedded in all the Plan’s Missions. Nonetheless, the lack of a clear territorial allocation of resources and the limited administrative and planning capacity of regional and local authorities—especially in the Mezzogiorno—risk undermining the Plan’s effectiveness in addressing structural inequalities. The article ultimately reflects on the tensions between centralised governance, European constraints, and Italy’s constitutionally grounded polycentric system, questioning the PNRR’s actual capacity to achieve a lasting territorial rebalancing.