L'associazionismo intercomunale. L'esperienza delle Unioni di Comuni nelle Marche.

Italian law permits some forms of partnership among local councils; one of them is called ‘Unioni di Comuni’. This contribution describe the structural characteristics of the ‘Unioni di Comuni’, its administration of public policy and its provision of services as they emerge in the Marche region. By means of balance sheets, it is offered a further insight in the activity of a chosen case study. It emerges that the number of Unioni, of local councils and citizens involved is growing over last years; the same pattern emerges as to the number of services that local councils assign to Unione. Local councils mainly allocate essential function and primary public services to Unione (such as, “polizia pubblica”); less commonly, Unione manages services related to bureaucracy. Unione sometimes just replaces local councils in the provision of the services but more often it offers new services or improves the quality of the existing ones. Consequently, we hardly observe relevant cost saving in the government of a given function. Finally, even if state and regional financial incentives cannot be disregarded, the main source of financial support to Unione is the local councils contribution.