Italy¡¯s national anti-corruption chief has vowed to wage war on nepotism and cronyism in the country¡¯s universities.

¡°We are going to tackle this problem head-on and involve the ministry of education, universities and research, university rectors, faculty and students,¡± Raffaele Cantone told the Italian daily newspaper in an interview in September.

As well as tackling nepotism, Italy¡¯s system of scholarly patronage, which helps well-connected and corrupt academics known as ¡°barons¡±, must be ¡°relegated to the past", said Mr Cantone, head of Italy¡¯s National Anti-Corruption Authority, which is best known for its prosecutions of Camorra bosses and corrupt local politicians.

¡°Introducing meritocracy and transparency and wiping out nepotism and the ¡®barons¡¯ is surely the best way to burnish the image, credibility and prestige of Italy¡¯s universities,¡± said the former anti-Mafia prosecutor, whose comments were reported by Indian business news site .

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¡°In this way, we may convince the government and parliament to earmark more funds for higher education,¡± added the ex-Naples magistrate.

A series of ¡°concrete¡± proposals for universities will feature in the national anti-corruption authority's programme of work for 2017, Mr Cantone told La Repubblica.

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¡°We don't need new [anti-corruption] laws but want those that already exist to be applied rigorously to ensure maximum transparency in the vital choices made by the academic community in the interests of Italy,¡± he said.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com