Drivers for the financial condition of local government: A comparative study between Italy and Spain

This paper aims to analyse the influence of socio-economic, political and financial factors on the financial condition of Italian and Spanish local governments in a comparative approach. The research is also aimed at understanding to what extent a model for the analysis of the financial condition can be generalized to different contexts. We assume that the financial condition is a multidimensional concept, with the results highlighting that while in Spain there is a high correlation between the long term financial and short term economic situations and an indicator can combine both dimensions, in Italy both dimensions are differentiated. There are also differences in the drivers of financial sustainability in both countries.