The effects of the reform of the judicial map on the functioning of civil justice

The paper evaluates the impact of the reform of the judicial map on the functioning of Italian civil justice. Between 2013 and 2014, several small first-instance courts and all branch offices were abolished and merged, resulting in a significant increase in the size of the courts and the scale of civil justice provision. Our findings suggest that the reform caused a reduction in the demand for justice, likely due to the higher costs associated with the increased distance from the courts. This effect was concentrated in areas where the claimant has more discretion in deciding whether to proceed with a case or can easily use alternative dispute resolution procedures. On the supply side, the reform increased the number of resolved cases and shortened their length. These improvements affected more complex matters and the courts that were initially less efficient, which benefited most from the increases in scale and specialization.