73220 - Local Public Services Policies

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, students are expected to know the various options and policy instruments for the management and delivery of local public services; they will be able to analyse and understand the governance mechanisms typical of the various organisational arrangements, and in particular the role played by local governments in the selection of management models, in the establishment of public-private relations, and in the promotion of mechanisms of democratic control and accountability; they will also be able to critically reflect upon possible innovations for the improvement of such services.

Course contents

The course aims to provide an overview of the methods and tools currently available to public administrations for the management and delivery of local public services, as well as the implications of different organizational solutions on local governance and territorial representation systems.

The first module (20 hours) will be dedicated to a conceptual introduction, an analysis of the legacy in the field of public services and the main paradigms of administrative action, and an overview of the possible organizational solutions currently available to local authorities (direct management, wholly or partially municipally-owned companies, public-private partnerships, concessions to fully private entities, inter-municipal cooperation, co-production).

The second module (20 hours) will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of local public service governance, with particular attention to public-private relations and the dynamics that connect administrations, service providers, stakeholders, and citizens/users at the local level. Specific case studies, based on territorial experiences in planning, design, and management, will be examined and discussed to explore the complexity of regulatory and oversight mechanisms, as well as the impact on political consensus and service performance.

Readings/Bibliography

N.B. All required readings (except for books not available online) will be made available at the beginning of the course on the virtual platform: virtuale.unibo.it.

FIRST PART

· C. Pollitt e G. Bouckaert, “Comparative public management reform: an introduction to the key debates”, in Public management reform : a comparative analysis - into the age of austerity, by Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckaert. - Fourth editionNew York : Oxford University Press, [2017].

· M. Bianco e P. Sestito (a cura di), I servizi pubblici locali, (solo Introduzione + capitoli 1 e 2), Bologna, Il Mulino 2010.

· G. Citroni, M. Cerruto e C. Dallara, Il «contracting out» come problema di organizzazione, amministrazione e policy, in Amministrare, n. 3/2017, pp. 373-403.

· G. Citroni, A. Lippi e S. Profeti, Politica e politiche delle società partecipate. Le aziende dei comuni come unità di analisi della democrazia locale, in Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica, n. 1/2013, pp. 29-55.

· S. Iommi (2017), Associazionismo e fusioni di Comuni Punti di forza e criticità delle politiche di incentivo, IRPET Luglio 2017 - ISBN 978-88-6517-082-3.

· T. Nabatchi, A. Sancino e M. Scilla (2017), Varieties of Participation in Public Services: The Who, When, and What of Coproduction, in Public Administration Review, vol. 77, n.5, pp. 766–776.

· S. Profeti e V. Tarditi (2019), Le pratiche collaborative per la co-produzione di beni e servizi: quale ruolo per gli Enti locali?, in Le Istituzioni del Federalismo, n. 4/2019.

· G. Citroni e A. Lippi (2009), Pubblico e privato nella governance dei rifiuti in Italia, in Rivista Italiana di Politiche Pubbliche, n. 1, pp. 71-108.

Second part

G. Pasqui (2022), Gli irregolari. Suggestioni da Ivan Illich, Albert Hirschman e Charles Lindblom per la pianificazione a venire. Franco Angeli.

P. Sendra e R. Sennett (2020), Progettare il disordine. Idee per la città del XXI secolo. Treccani.

Green book Utilitatis 2025 GREEN BOOK 2025 – Fondazione Utilitatis consulenza tecnica alle imprese

Blue book Utilitatis 2025 BLUE BOOK 2025 – Fondazione Utilitatis consulenza tecnica alle imprese.

L. Bobbio (a cura di) (2004), A più voci. Amministrazioni pubbliche, imprese, associazioni e cittadini nei processi decisionali inclusivi.

N.B. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY ATTENDED PUBLIC POLICY ANALYSIS COURSES, INDEPENDENT READING OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TEXTS IS RECOMMENDED

Bruno Dente Le decisioni di policy, il Mulino Bologna 2011, fino a capitolo 8.

Luigi Bobbio, Gianfranco Pomatto, Stefania Ravazzi Le politiche pubbliche Problemi, soluzioni, incertezze, conflitti, Mondadori education spa Milano 2024, in particolare i capitoli 4, 5, 6, 7 e 8.

OTHER RECOMMENDED READING, AS WELL AS VARIOUS MATERIALS REFERRED TO DURING THE LECTURES, WILL BE ILLUSTRATED ON VIRTUALE.UNIBO.IT.

Teaching methods

Lessons of the teacher, as well as in-class seminars and teamworks on specific case studies. Class attendance is strongly recommended.

Assessment methods

Attending students: Students who attend the course regularly (at least 70% of classes) will have the option to split the exam into two parts:

• A written test at the end of the first module (2 open-ended questions), aimed at assessing:
  a) knowledge of the concepts and notions learned;
  b) appropriateness of the language used;
  c) ability to critically discuss the topics covered.

• The assessment for the second module will be structured as follows:
  30% participation in class and group work;
  30% preparation of an individual in-depth paper;
  40% oral discussion of the individual paper, with reference to the readings assigned in the second part of the course.

The final grade will be the average of the scores obtained in the two parts.

Non-attenders: for those who do not attend the course regularly or who do not intend to take advantage of the opportunities reserved for attending students, the exam will be written and will consist of 4 open questions designed to assess: a) knowledge of the concepts and terms studied during the course, b) appropriateness of the language used, and c) ability to discuss critically the various topics covered.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISORDERS AND/OR TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT DISABILITIES

Please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Evaluation grid:

18-22: sufficient preparation and ability to analyse, sufficient knowledge of the topics covered by the course, formulation of answers in correct language;
23-26: technically adequate preparation and ability to analyse, good knowledge of the topics covered by the course, adequate knowledge of specific terminology
27-29: very good preparation and ability to analyse, thorough knowledge of the topics covered by the course, mastering of specific terminology;
30-30L: excellent preparation and ability to analyse, in-depth knowledge of the topics covered by the course, ability to integrate answers with own knowledge and elaboration, mastering of specific terminology.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint presentations; videos; newspaper articles.

Office hours

See the website of Stefania Profeti

See the website of Antonio Dondi