Abstract

Public policies aimed at countering the decline of Inland Areas were launched in a more structured waywith the 2014 National Reform Program (NRP) and defined in the 2014-2020 Partnership Agreement. On that occasion, a mapping of the entire national territory was prepared, identifying the municipalities belonging to the Inland Areas. This strategy has been enhanced and renewed for the new programming cycle of structural funds 2021-2027, with an update of the mapping of Inland Areas. The research aims to analyse the policy for Inland Areas within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), with specific reference to social infrastructure interventions. The analysis allows for the actual share of resources allocated to the municipalities of Inland Areas in Southern Italy based on the projects approved for funding. It examines the capacity for participation and success in the project proposals submitted by the municipalities of Inland Areas (Intermediate, Peripheral, and Ultra-peripheral municipalities), comparing the two macro areas – Central-North and Southern of Italy. A regional-level comparison is carried out regarding the capacity of municipalities to submit projects as implementing entities. A further aspect investigated relates the internal staffing of the Municipalities involved with the number and amounts of approved projects, considering the phases and times of implementation timelines by project type. The research has an empirical approach with a specific territorial detail.