Key Findings
- City size is not a predictor of performance: Florence, Palermo, and Genoa show strong overall performance, reinforcing that institutional capacity rather than city size is the main driver of regulatory outcomes.
- City performance varies across the five business regulatory areas. Reggio Calabria performs best in Business Entry, Cagliari in Business Location, Ancona in Utility Services, Genoa in Dispute Resolution, and Palermo in Business Insolvency.
- Utility Services is consistently the strongest-performing topic nationwide. All cities score above 83 points, with Ancona leading thanks to a strong regulatory framework and advanced digital services; the gap between the highest and lowest scores remains small.
- Dispute Resolution and Business Location show the most room for improvement, with average scores of 61.5 and 70.4 respectively. Business Entry and Business Insolvency show effective procedures and consistent service standards. Business Entry scores are nearly aligned across cities, while Business Insolvency shows wider variation—from Palermo (78.9) to Reggio Calabria (65.7).
- Across pillars, regulatory frameworks (Pillar I) are stronger than service delivery (Pillar II) and operational efficiency (Pillar III). The largest disparities appear in Pillar III, highlighting differences in how regulations are implemented and services are delivered at the local level.
