ABSTRACT

This introduction presents some key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents descriptions of the specific characteristics of the public anti-corruption organizations, such as their institutional setup, their constitutional independence from the branches of power, the approach they take, and the scope of their operations within the country's public and private sectors. It describes the Italian Anti-Corruption Authority's main flow of action, which actively involves the country's entire public sector, including public administration and state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The book looks at a description of the basic mechanism—and the theory of change thereby implied—via an excursus on the Authority's statutory and organizational history since 2009. It details the Italian Authority's inner workings and offers a perspective on possible future strategies. The book presents the entire universe in which the Italian Authority operates, from a general view of the country, to public administration, including SOEs and other organizations that are subject to the Authority's supervision.