00888 - Administration Science

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student: knows the basic theoretical and analytical tools to understand and interpret the main evolutionary stages of Italian public administrations, intended both as complex organizations and as relevant actors in public decision-making processes and contemporary political systems; will be able to examine the main structural and functioning characteristics of the bureaucracies belonging to the different sectors and at the different territorial levels, together with the most recent reform measures.

Course contents

The approach used during the course favors the empirical instrumentation of the 'political science of administration', but does not neglect the contribution of other disciplines that have significantly contributed to the knowledge of the administrative phenomenon (in particular, the sociology of organization, law, public management). Through a rigorous, but necessarily selective path, the spectrum of topics investigated during the course allows the student to have a broad understanding of the characteristics of public administrations in Italy and in a comparative perspective, as well as on the trajectories of change in progress. The course is divided into five logical parts: 1) the definition and articulation of public administrations; 2) the presentation of the main interpretative theories (Weber, NPM, governance); 3) analysis of public administration management methods (public strategic planning, performance management and evaluation, ethics and policies to combat corruption); 4) the analysis of how and with whom public administrations interact (state models, relations: between public administrations; between public administrations and investee companies; between public administrations and private enterprises; between public administrations and non-profit companies); 5) discussion of reform and innovation processes with a future-oriented look (smart cities and sharing economy in public services, new organizational models and personnel management policies, etc.), also by virtue of the new challenges posed to Italian public administrations from the COVID-19 epidemic.

Readings/Bibliography

Andrea Lippi. 2022. Modelli di amministrazione pubblica. Bologna, Il Mulino (only the Chapters indicated by the instructor on virtuale.unibo.it)

Francesco Longo, Alex Turrini, Giovanni Fattore, Maria Cucciniello, Elisa Ricciuti. 2018. Management pubblico. Egea, Milano (con esclusione dei capitoli 6-7-8-10-19)

Martino Mazzoleni, Indirizzo politico e gestione tecnica: sfere separate? Il caso della politica urbanistica locale in Lombardia, in "Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, Rivista quadrimestrale" 3/2020, pp. 371-401, doi: 10.1483/98734

Mattia Casula, Andrea Terlizzi, Federico Toth, I servizi sanitari regionali alla prova del COVID-19, in "Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, Rivista quadrimestrale" 3/2020, pp. 307-336, doi: 10.1483/98732

Fabrizio Di Mascio, Sauro Angeletti, Alessandro Natalini, Lo smart working nelle pubbliche amministrazioni centrali ai tempi del COVID-19, in "Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, Rivista quadrimestrale" 1/2021, pp. 95-125, doi: 10.1483/100375

Profeti S., Tarditi V., Le pratiche collaborative per la co-produzione di beni e servizi: quale ruolo per gli Enti locali?, in «Le Istituzioni del federalismo», 2019, 4, pp. 861 - 89

Slides and additional readings prepared by the instructor

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. Presentation of case studies, with also the participation of external experts. Class attendance is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

Oral exam. For the students attending classes with regularity: one written exam at the end of the first part (mid-term exam) and another one at the end of the course.

Teaching tools

- Power point presentations.

- Papers presentation and discussion.

- Other tools such as electronic databases, newspaper articles etc.

Office hours

See the website of Mattia Casula

See the website of