How successful was Mussolini's domestic policy in dealing with social problems faced by Italy?

Mussolini was very popular during the early and pre-war
years of his rule in Italy.   People often said that he "made the trains run on time" by
improving the mass transit and train systems in the country.  To combat widespread
unemployment, he began massive public works programs that built infrastructure, cleared
marshes and repaired roads.

He also started a very public,
well-framed campaign he called "The Battle for Grain", which created thousands of new
farms on land that used to be flooded, and this helped to assure Italy's near term food
independence.  Other programs designed to reclaim farmland from marsh ("The Battle for
Land") were left incomplete or were not successful.  Most peasants from the countryside
remained poor even with the large scale programs and the jobs they
brought.

One other program which had mixed results was the
"Gold for the Fatherland" initiative which was meant to encourage citizens to donate
gold to the government, which would then deposit it in national banks and stabilize
Italy's currency.

Overall, Mussolini's domestic policies
were, at best, somewhat successful.  Usually, they were heavily propagandized and
overambitious, as well as being overt attempts by his government to take direct control
of sectors of the economy.