Administrative reforms in the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan: a selective approach to bridge the capacity gap

The article investigates the impact of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, complemented by changes in the composition of government at the domestic level, on the patterns of administrative reforms in Italy. We draw on research arguments that rest on historical institutionalism, which constitutes an established approach to the study of administrative reforms. We elaborate on how history has connected well-established patterns of administrative reform to the design and governance of the NRRP measures that aim to provide better public services. We find the strongest support for the research arguments derived from the reactive approach to policy sequencing, entailing the co-existence of pre-pandemic patterns and innovative policy features.