Common Properties and Municipalities: institutional

In recent historical periods, Italian Common Properties have faced some attempts to weaken their institutional role, because of their assumed inability to promote technological and economic development in the forestry and agricultural sectors. More recently, both national and regional institutional reforms led to a renewed recognition of their position in rural development. In North-East Italy the Veneto Region undertook a set of initiatives to sustain such a policy process, and new Common Properties, managing mainly forest and range lands, have been created when local citizens have been able to demonstrate their original tenure rights before the Napoleonic land property reform. However, the real commitment to the ambitious requests of the regional law and the actual forest management activities carried out by Common Properties are a matter of discussion: contrasting results emerged from recent surveys organized within the EC-funded NEWFOREX and INTEGRAL projects, with different levels of environmental services provision. Efficiency, inclusivity, transparency of new Common Properties are affected by patchy and different local dynamics. In some cases institutional conflicts exist between Municipalities and Common Properties and a better coordination between these local institutions should be promoted. This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of motivations and concrete actions of Common Property leaders, collected through a semi-structured questionnaire proposed to the representatives of those Common Properties located in the same areas where a recent parallel survey has been conducted for Municipalities. The degree of cooperation between Municipalities and Common Properties is therefore assessed, trying to understand whether reported institutional conflicts can be considered sporadic or more structural situations.