The Politics of Public Administration Reform in Italy

This book provides a stimulating presentation of the Italian administrative system through an empirical and critical perspective on the processes of administrative reform at the national level. It focuses on some of the most recent changes developed during the years of austerity and fiscal crisis and offers an updated perspective on the attempts made by Italian governments to modernize national public administration through the 'new public management' and 'governance' paradigms. These frameworks have been suggested as models to enhance efficiency, transparency, accountability and public participation. The book studies international and supranational influence, policy diffusion, domestic politics and institutional dynamics, administrative traditions, and functional explanations-all determinants of policy outputs and outcomes, and possibly of policy learning as well. This book is the first to set out such a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis for non-Italian readers.

This book provides a stimulating presentation of the Italian administrative system through an empirical and critical perspective on the processes of administrative reform at the national level. It focuses on some of the most recent changes developed during the years of austerity and fiscal crisis and offers an updated perspective on the attempts made by Italian governments to modernize national public administration through the ‘new public management’ and ‘governance’ paradigms. These frameworks have been suggested as models to enhance efficiency, transparency, accountability and public participation. The book studies international and supranational influence, policy diffusion, domestic politics and institutional dynamics, administrative traditions, and functional explanations—all determinants of policy outputs and outcomes, and possibly of policy learning as well. This book is the first to set out such a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis for non-Italian readers.

1. Introduction: the puzzle of administrative change.- 2. Pressures to reform and the impact of the fiscal crisis.- 3. Restyling public-management-inspired reforms.- 4. Fighting corruption.- 5. Obstacles to performance evaluation and improvement.- 6. Conclusions: Still risking implementation gaps.