UNESCO sites as public goods: comparative experiences in Italy

The inclusion of a site in the UNESCO World Heritage List is a“recognition” that can be interpreted as alocal public good. This paper analyzes theeffectiveness of the UNESCO recognition in promoting tourism and, more generally,local economic development. We document relevant performance differences acrossItalian UNESCO sites. We argue that the relevant key factor is the ability of generatingadditional public goods, starting from the process of recognition. The most recentapproach of UNESCO in selecting the sites to include in its list underlines theimportance of the immaterial culture embedded in the sites, and the role of localcommunities in their relationships with the environment and heritage: this isinterpreted as a sign of the importance which has to be due to the generation ofcommon goods for making the UNESCO recognition an effective tool to preserveheritage and to use it to promote economic, social and cultural development.