This book is one of three volumes that provide a systematic overview of public administration, public management and public governance in Italy. This second volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach to introduce readers to the ways in which public administration in Italy has been studied by various disciplines since the conception of the modern Italian state more than 150 years ago, including administrative law, management, economics, psychology, political science and public policy. The book also assesses key traits regarding the training, recruitment and regulation of public employment in Italy, as well as the role of oversight and judiciary bodies in the practice of public servants’ work. Contributors comprise some of the leading historians, political scientists, lawyers, social scientists and public management scholars from Italy, some of whom have also held key posts in the Italian public sector. It will appeal to students and scholars of public administration, public management and public governance, as well as practitioners with an interest in Italy.
1. Introduction rationale for the book, theoretical framework, unfolding
of the sections and themes.- Part 1: The study of PA in Italy as
interdisciplinary science: key disciplines and selected functional
themes.- 2. Law, administrative law and the debate on Kelsens pure theory of
law vs. juridical realism in Italy.- 3. Budgeting and accounting and their
reform in Italy.- 4. Controlling Public Expenditure: the practice of spending
reviews, the role of the General Accounts Office (RGS), the Office for
Forecast for the State Budget and the Court of Auditors.- 5. Performance
management, accountability and transparency in Italy.- 6. Management theory
and the Italian school of public management.- 7. Public policy and PA reform
as a policy: policy cycles, antecedents and consequences in Italy.- 8. Better
regulation in Italy.- 9. Social psychology and applications to PA problems in
Italy.- 10. Digitisation of Italian PA.- 11. Big Data and AI: applications
and impact on PA in Italy.- 12. The procurement function in Italy.- 13.
Crisis governance and management in Italy.- Part 2: The professions of PA in
Italy: Perspectives.- 14. Features of public employment and the education and
training of public servants in Italy.- 15. Italian Public Employment between
laws and labour contracts.- 16. Trade unions and PA.- 17. Professionals in
public services and profiling the public manager in Italy.- 18. Trends in
personnel management in Italy.- 19. Competency management and organisational
design in Italian PA.- 20. Public Leadership and territorial leadership in
Italian governments.- 21. The Judiciary and administrative action.-
22.
Conclusion: taking stock of the case of Italy for advancing the science and
the profession of PA in Italy.
Edoardo Ongaro is Professor of Public Management at The Open University, UK.
Carla Barbati was Professor of Administrative Law at IULM University, Italy and Councillor of State of Italy.
Fabrizio Di Mascio is Professor of Political Science at the University of Turin, Italy.
Francesco Longo is Associate Professor of Public and Health Care Management at Bocconi University, and Senior Professor at the SDA Bocconi School of Management, Italy.
Alessandro Natalini is Professor of Political Science at LUMSA University, Italy.
