International Public Management Review
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Performance measurement systems in local authorities: A Systematic Literature Review
Full text linkThis study provides a comprehensive analysis of performance measurement systems in local authorities through a systematic review of international literature. Addressing two specific research questions, it employs a rigorous methodology, analyzing articles sourced from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Data were processed using MySRL and Bibliometrix software, enabling both descriptive and thematic analyses. The findings highlight emerging priorities in public sector performance evaluation, particularly: (1) gender diversity, (2) sustainability, (3) digitalization, and (4) the context of developing countries. This review provides theoretical and practical insights, by systematically synthesizing existing studies and identifying research gaps and offering actionable insights for public managers aiming to enhance organizational evaluation systems and drive improvements in local authorities
Challenges and opportunities of environmental sustainability in the public management of school canteen service. Assessment of European practices
Full text link To-date public procurement is responsible for 15% to worldwide Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions. Within this sector, the average meal provided in school canteen service is responsible for 1.305 kg CO2-eq, mostly due to food preparation impact, in particular meat production from livestock. Under these perspectives towards a Green Public Procurement represents an essential strategy to support the reduction of GHG emissions related to government activities. Particularly, shifting from a high-impact school canteen service to a greener one is necessary. This paper analyzes some models of school canteen services provided in a sample of public European schools, included the Italian ones, for highlighting the several approaches of environmental sustainability, food policies and public procurement programs adopted by municipalities. Specifically, this study compared the models of school canteen services adopted by some local authorities and the environmental performance achieved, outlining also the reduction of GHG emissions documented by some European countries. In conclusion, the combination of procurement models, food policies and environmental sustainability approaches can support public authorities in the administration of a meal in line with human health, environmental sustainability and economic return, without compromising without compromising the supply chain
The efficiency score as an indicator of the appropriateness of public spending. A pilot study in Italian Metropolitan Cities.
Full text linkThe management of economic and financial resources is a topic of great interest within public administrations. Measuring the efficiency of public resource utilization is complex because the analysis of processes through planning, programming, and control systems varies depending on the diverse needs of the community. Recently, the concept of public value has led to the testing of measurement systems aimed at achieving synthetic values capable of guiding decision governance towards the optimal use of resources. The criterion of efficiency in public administrations is more problematic than it may appear because efficiency has become synonymous with cost minimization. It is known that such an example does not represent efficiency because what sense would it make to minimize costs in the production of a service for something that is not desired? The notion of efficiency requires a relationship between means (inputs) and ends (outputs/outcomes). The goal of this work is to identify the relationships between means and ends to introduce synthetic indicators, "efficiency scores," of public spending based on the budget data of Italian "metropolitan cities" over the period 2019-2022. The results represent a new evaluation metric to support decision-makers in achieving strategic objectives over time
Resistance to change: implementing smart working in Italian public administrations
Full text linkThis research explores the opportunities and challenges of smart working in Italian public administration. Using the UTAUT model by Venkatesh et al. (2003), we analyze technological barriers and the impact of regulations on decision-making. We present two case studies of Italian public administrations under different ministries, where smart working adoption varies. One represents a typical case where remote work is possible, while the other is a deviant case where it is not. From a theoretical point of view, our results extend the Venkatesh model by contextualizing it to the Italian reality, and provide important insights in the Human Resource Management area. Our findings reveal that the nonadoption of smart working is not solely a technological issue but is significantly influenced by cultural barriers, such as distrust between managers and employees, as well as a perceived loss of managerial control. While employees are generally eager to embrace smart working to enhance work-life balance and productivity, these cultural barriers create resistance within organizations, and increase employees' turnover intentions. The practical contribution of the research is to provide policy-makers with the necessary tools to establish a labor law framework that highlights the efficiencies and inefficiencies emphasized within the specific contingencies of public administrations
Productization of Academic Research Services – A Framework for Business, Service, and Operational Models
Full text linkCollaboration in research between universities and industry is crucial for national development and innovation. However, as public organizations undergo restructuring and align with private sector advancements, navigating this transition can be challenging. Our approach aims to describe the essential components of academic service productization in response to new public management, aligning them with private sector needs. We adopted an integrative literature review, drawing from literature on new public management, public–private partnership logic, service-dominant logic, service design, design thinking, and service productization. Our framework, based on the objectives of the socio-economic learning economy—competence renewal, development acceleration, obtaining appropriate services, and increasing awareness and trust—forms the basis of our analysis. The main contribution lies in a framework that delineates the connection between business, service, and operational models. This study posits that new public management-oriented universities should consider private partners as co-creators in research and design service models that optimize processes for efficient collaboration. To ensure mutual understanding of research service deliverables and achieve joint desired outcomes, the productized operating model needs to be established to scale the delivery of service items
Understanding the Quality of Administrative Action: Who and What Counts?
Full text linkTo understand the quality of administrative action, it is crucial to incorporate the perspectives of those affected. This paper introduces and demonstrates a method for identifying stakeholders based on their urgency, legitimacy, and power, and examines stakeholders' interests using theories from motivational psychology. In the context of constitutive administrative acts, stakeholders were identified as applicants, third parties, public managers, elected officials, and the legislature. A combination of user experience sampling, interviews, and legal source reviews was used to determine stakeholders’ urgencies, motives, and values, highlighting common priorities and potential conflicts. This approach advances the conceptualization and measurement of good administration
Between National Guidance and Local Autonomy: Competence-Based Immigration Policy in Finland
Full text linkThis article examines the multi-level governance of competence-based immigration (CBI) in the Finnish context. International talent attraction and retention strategies going beyond traditional immigration policies have become an economic imperative for many countries, but cities interpret and implement the desired national policy in a varied manner. Using qualitative, empirical data from interviews with governmental and case city representatives, this article analyses the CBI approaches adopted by three case cities at the time of considerable policy changes in Finland. The results indicate that the cities’ policy objectives are well aligned with the national policy, but their strategies to reach the objectives vary greatly, as does the involvement of the regional CBI ecosystem as a whole. National institutions are not considered capable enough to support cities sufficiently, and this combined with challenges in resource allocation have become a sore point in the current CBI development in Finland
Coordination of Social Complexity Through Public Policies
Full text linkSocial complexity assumes the interrelation of different actors and systems with marked autonomy to define their own interests and operating procedures. In this context, social coordination models are developed that combine the autonomy of actors and systems with coherence around objectives. Based on examples, the article reviews the current issues of coordinating complexity through public policies, models of policy networks, and the role played by social representation in public policy. We conclude that the high reflexivity of these models allows, even with limitations, the combination of the principles of autonomy and coherence in the operation of public policies
Inter-municipal cooperation performance measurement: a critical literature review and research agenda
Full text linkInter-municipal cooperation (IMC) is a popular policy lacking appropriate performance measurement. This paper critically examines academic literature on the performance measurement of inter-municipal cooperation. It suggests a starting point for new evaluation research specific to IMC. Relevant papers are analysed to identify and explore potential research paths and formulate an agenda. The main criticality tackled by this review regards the "measurement for the sake of measurement" mindset, which leads to unbalance towards quantitative data, which is insufficient to reflect the complexities of public administration. Starting from the results, we posit a research agenda for further investigation of the performance of local shared services.
 
Increasing motivation and performance. Evidence from the misleading use of rewards in the public sector
Full text linkPurpose
This paper investigates the use of monetary and non-monetary rewards in the public sector and explores their relationship with managers' performance and motivation.
Design methodology approach
A questionnaire had been administered to a sample of public sector managers of all Italian municipalities with over 50,000 inhabitants. We randomly selected 30% of the population and we received 240 usable questionnaires (response rate of about 40%). Motivation has been measured on the framework of SDT with 3 items for each dimension (intrinsic and extrinsic) tested on a five-point Likert scale. We measured performance with 3 items tested on a five-point Likert scale. To test the relationships among the variables, a confirmatory factor analysis has been performed.
Findings
Existing monetary rewards seem not to be associated with job quality, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation. Job quality is positively related to verbal recognition for performance.
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are both positively related to being given more autonomy/power, and extrinsic motivation also to being involved in the definition of objectives for the following year, as non-monetary rewards.
Originality/value
Reward systems are widely considered one of the cornerstones of the managerialized public sector. Though, robust studies investigating the actual rewarding practices and the effectiveness of monetary and non-monetary incentives are still limited