Le Unioni di Comuni: un progetto di cambiamento per l'amministrazione locale

The relentless change in public sector needs the implementation of innovative models for a performance improvement. The aim of the research is to investigate the Union of Municipalities, one of the possible juridical tools provided by Italian law. In particular, the Union of Municipalities is a local organization – a second level organization – made up by two or more municipalities usually neighbouring in order to exercise multiple services in associated form. The research develops in a two stages design of analysis: the first one concerns the mapping of Unions of Municipalities in Italy; the second one focuses on two case studies – chosen by a criterion sampling mode – passing through an analysis of regions in which they are located. The research points out heterogeneous features of the phenomenon, getting to identify good practices connected to different – but equally effective – strategic levers of organization. The identified good practices seem to take shape into two organization models of the Union of Municipalities: the first one is based on managerial elements and the second one on institutional elements; therefore results outline two different views of the same phenomenon.