30350 - Public administration and public policy analysis

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Politics Administration and Organization (cod. 8784)

Learning outcomes

Students will be able to: - get to know the main theoretical perspective which are useful to examine administrative reforms and welfare reforms in comparative perspective in the very last decades; - to master the most modern tools and techniques to evaluate public bureaucracies performance and results; - are able to deeply analyse the main disfunctions of the public sector with respect to the private one; - are finally able to link and examine the characteristics of bureaucratic arrangements in the different national contexts with public policies which are implemented.

Course contents

The course is divided into two parts for a total of 40 hours: the first one examines in closer detail the analysis of administrative and institutional reforms in Italy and other European countries, with a focus on changes affecting the organization of the P.A., center-periphery relations and in particular the crisis-driven state retrenchmen and rationalization measures. The second one deals with the analysis of public polices and the main theoretical perspectives which are useful to examine and understand reform processes. 

Readings/Bibliography

Compulsory readings

  1. G. Capano, S. Piattoni, F. Raniolo, L. Verzichelli (2014), Manuale di scienza politica, Il Mulino, Amministrazione e burocrazie Capitolo 8
  2. G. Capano e E. Gualmini (2011), Le pubbliche amministrazioni in Italia, Bologna, Il Mulino, Introduzione + CAPITOLI 1, 4, 7
  3. Bobbio, L., Pomatto, G. e Ravazzi, S. (2017), Le politiche pubbliche. Problemi, soluzioni, incertezze, conflitti. Milano: Mondadori, I CAPITOLI: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9

Le altre letture obbligatorie (qui di seguito elencate) sono raccolte in una dispensa e rese disponibili presso la copisteria in via Broccaindosso all'inizio delle lezioni.

Bonazzi T. (2008), Henry Mintzberg: le cinque configurazioni organizzative, in Storia del pensiero organizzativo, pp. 301-309, Milano, Franco Angeli.

Vecchi G. (2018), La valutazione delle performance negli uffici giudiziari come strumento di politica pubblica, Milano, Franco Angeli. Capitolo 1 (Il monitoraggio e la valutazione nel settore giudiziario. Da problema a strumento di politica pubblica)

T. Christensen (2012), "Post-NPM and changing public governance", in Meiji Journal of Political Science and Economics, vol. 1/2012, pp. 1-11.

S. Bolgherini e C. Dallara (2016), a cura di, La retorica della razionalizzazione. Il settore pubblico italiano negli anni dell'austerity, Bologna, Istituto Cattaneo - Collana Misure, CAPITOLI 1, 4, 5, 8

S. Bolgherini, M. Casula e M. Marotta (2018), Il dilemma del riordino. Unioni e fusioni dei comuni italiani, Bologna, Il Mulino. INTRODUZIONE + CAPITOLO 1

M. Cerruto; G. Citroni, C. Dallara, Il «contracting out» come problema di organizzazione, amministrazione e policy, in «AMMINISTRARE», 2017, XLVII, pp. 373 - 403

 

Suggested readings

M. De Vries e J. Nemec (2013), "Public sector reform: an overview
of recent literature and research on NPM and alternative paths", in International Journal of Public Sector Management, n. 1/2013, pp. 4-16

C.M. Weible, P. Sabatier e K. McQueen (2009) "Themes and Variations: Taking Stock of the Advocacy Coalition Framework", in Policy Studies Journal n. 1, pp. 121-140.

Zahariadis, N. (2007),‘The multiple streams framework’ in P. Sabatier(ed), Theories of the Policy Process, Cambridge MA: Westview.

P. Pierson (2004) "Introduction", in Politics in time, Princeton University Press, pp. 1-16.

P. Hall (1993) "Policy paradigms, social learning, and the state", in Comparative Politics n. 3, pp. 275–296

G. Tsebelis (1995) "Decision Making in Political Systems: Veto Players in Presidentialism, Parliamentarism, Multicameralism and Multipartyism", in British Journal of Political Science n.3, pp. 289-325.

F. Di Mascio e A. Natalini (2016) "LA RIFORMA DELLA PUBBLICA AMMINISTRAZIONE: CENTRALIZZAZIONE E RICOMPOSIZIONE DELL’UNITÀ AMMINISTRATIVA", in M. Carbone e S. Piattoni (a cura di), Politica in Italia 2016, Bologna, Il Mulino, pp. 166-182.

M. Di Giulio e S. Profeti (2016), "Eppur si muove? Il riordino territoriale oltre la crisi", in Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, n. 3/2016, pp. 311-340.

S. Bolgherini, A. Lippi e S. Maset (2016), "In mezzo al guado. La governance subregionale fra «vecchie» province e «nuove» aree vaste", in Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, n. 3/2016, pp. 341-372

G. Citroni, G. Falcone e T. Galanti (2016), "Chi vivrà vedrà. Le arene metropolitane tra Legge Delrio e referendum costituzionale", in Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, n. 3/2016, pp. 373-398.

Teaching methods

Being included in a postgraduate program, the course will be mainly centered on students' direct participation and involvement. Students should read the material suggested by the teacher before each class, in order to actively participate in the discussion.

Each thematic unit will be summed up and regularly made available on the Alma digital library web site . Students will thus be able to download class material every week.

Class attendance is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

The exam is written. It consists of FIVE open-ended questions and it lasts max 2 hours. Course program is the same independently of class attendance.

Evaluation will take into account: a) the knowledge of course topics; b) the capacity to use properly the methodological and theoretical instruments presented during the course; c) the ability to master an appropriate scientific language with reference to social sciences in general and public policies in particular. For students regularly attending class, active in-class participation will be taken into account too, which could contribute to increase the final grade (max 10%).

Teaching tools

- Power point presentations.

- Papers presentation and discussion.

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

Office hours

See the website of Cristina Dallara

SDGs

Sustainable cities

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.