Statistical Analysis of Liability for Damage Caused to the Public Administration

The article analyzes the findings of a research project on judgments issued by the Italian Court of Auditors regarding liability for damage caused to the Public Administration. The creation of a database of the Court of Auditors’ decisions has contributed to the understanding of both how the institution functions and the approach it adopts in individual cases. One of the findings was that the Court appears to have some difficulty in achieving a balance between its role as a guarantor and its purpose in acting as a deterrent, partly because of legislation that is unclear and asystematic. The conclusion is that legal analysis and government action increasingly require statistical interpretation of the relevant phenomena, especially with regard to litigation.