Year established: 2016
The Department of Economics and Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan hosts the Interuniversity Centre for Regional and Local Finance (CIFREL), whose administrative headquarters are located within the same Department. In addition to the University of Brescia (Department of Economics and Management), the Centre’s founding institutions include the University of Ferrara, the University of Milano-Bicocca, and the University of Turin.
The Centre pursues the following objectives:
- to develop and disseminate research not only in the field of local public finance, but also, more broadly, on topics related to public economics and political economy;
- to promote research excellence in these fields by bringing together scholars working on these topics at the participating universities and involving doctoral students and early-career researchers;
- to promote and organise scientific conferences, seminars, and round-table discussions on topics related to the Centre’s research objectives, including in cooperation with foreign universities, foundations, and public or private institutions;
- to promote and organise advanced training programmes for public and private bodies and institutions;
- to encourage initiatives aimed at disseminating and publishing the findings of the Centre’s research activities;
- to participate in national and international research programmes and projects.
The centre conducts both academic and policy-oriented research on key issues of public finance with a specific focus on multi-tiered levels of government. Researchers associated with the Centre are faculty members of the four universities with a keen interest in public economics and fiscal federalism.
The centre has a history of close collaboration with a variety of institutions, both private and public, and produced several reports to inform and evaluate policymaking, specifically concerning regional and local public finance in Italy and many other countries. Beyond their activities as members of the Centre and as academic professors, CIFREL researchers are actively involved in the public debate on economic themes with their contribution disseminated through a variety of media (tv, newspapers, online).