Implementing local partnerships : public incentives and invisible barriers

This article aims to shed light on the evaluation of public policies designed to incentivize partnering between municipalities. The increasing use of interorganisational arrangements to implement public programs poses yet another challenge for public managers and academics: that of developing an evaluation method for these initiatives. The variety of intermunicipal arrangements implemented in Lombardy analyzed and reported in this article highlights the influence of policy incentives on the capacity to create and maintain collaborative efforts in the context of local development. Our qualitative study extends the evaluation research on implementation but reaches mixed conclusions on what makes associative forms effective