New instruments of Control over public Corruption: the Italian Reform to restore Transparency and Accountability

The paper analyses recent Italian legislation on the matter of fighting corruption (Law 190/2012) and on administrative transparency (Leg. Dec. 33/2013), describing the new principles introduced, implications on the regulatory system and administrative organisation previously in force, and a number of the critical areas. Specifically, the paper points out how the fight against corruption and illegality must be achieved not through the "culture of performance", which occasionally emerges in the new provisions, but rather through the development of various elements (also present in the new legislation) such as the training and education of public workers and civil society, and differentiation in the measures taken, depending on the administrations involved.