In this paper we document the changes in the functioning of the Italian civil justice system in the current decade. We highlight that the measures undertaken in recent years have helped to reduce the number of new cases and, therefore, the number of pending cases. However, the number of resolved civil cases has also decreased, following the decline in new cases. On the basis of the available data, this pattern does not seem to be explained by the increased complexity of cases judges have to handle. The length of proceedings remains very long, with significant differences between courts, which may reflect, among other things, organizational inefficiencies. The empirical evidence suggests that the recent geographical reorganization of the court system does not seem to have yet improved the system's efficiency, but has contributed to the decline in the new ordinary cases.
Published in 2019 in: C. Dell’Aringa e P. Guerrieri (eds.), Inclusione, produttività e crescita. Un’agenda per l’Italia, il Mulino, 2019, pp. 665-689.
