Ateneo - UPO

The course examines public administrations and public policies in their concrete functioning, adopting a predominantly political science perspective, integrated with contributions from sociology. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which public administrations are structured, operate and change over time, with specific reference to the Italian case.

The course will therefore explore how institutional and organisational arrangements, power relations, administrative and professional cultures, and relations with other actors affect administrative action, helping to explain why formally defined decisions and policy directions may translate into different modes of implementation and different configurations of public policies and services.

Andrea Lippi, Modelli di amministrazioni pubbliche, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2022.
Brunetta Baldi, Giliberto Capano, Mattia Casula, Stefania Profeti, Amministrazioni pubbliche in Italia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2026.
Daniela Leonardi (2019), “Etichettare, valutare, scegliere. Spazi discrezionali in un disegno di intervento istituzionale”, Autonomie locali e servizi sociali, 2, pp. 305-323.
Paolo Rossi (2013), “La valenza istituzionale della discrezionalità organizzativa. Il caso della regolazione dell’accesso ai servizi socio-assistenziali”, Studi Organizzativi, 1, pp. 87-112.
Paolo Rossi, Teresa Bertotti (2019), “La costruzione «orizzontale» della discrezionalità nei servizi sociali, tra identità organizzative e meccanismi di integrazione delle Street-Level Bureaucracy”, Politiche Sociali, 3, pp. 447-468.
Rebecca Paraciani, Roberto Rizza (2020), “Ispettori del lavoro e street-level bureaucracy. Gestire le irregolarità lavorative tra spinte isomorfe e spazi discrezionali”, Polis, 3, pp. 597-620.

The course aims to provide theoretical and empirical tools for understanding and critically analysing the functioning of public administrations, considered as sites of intermediation between political decision-making and society. Particular attention will be devoted to the ways in which political directions and decisions are translated into administrative practices and services, and to how the institutional and organisational characteristics of public administrations affect this process.
The aim is to develop the ability to relate the formal design of policies to the concrete ways in which they are implemented, critically analysing both the mechanisms through which public administrations operate and the outcomes produced by public action.

No specific prerequisites are required.

Teaching methods The course includes lectures, group work and the discussion of empirical cases. In particular, the initial classes will be devoted to acquiring the main concepts and theoretical tools required for the study of public administrations; in subsequent classes, these tools will be applied to the analysis of empirical cases in order to understand how public policies are implemented by public administrations and take concrete form in services.
For some classes, students will be required to read academic articles in advance. These readings will provide the basis for classroom work and discussion.
The final two classes will be devoted to addressing any questions and requests for clarification and to the presentation and discussion of papers prepared by attending students.

The academic articles used for the analysis and discussion of empirical cases will be made available on the DIR platform.
Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or Special Educational Needs (SEN) are entitled to the arrangements and services provided by the University. Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) or Special Educational Needs (SEN) may request dedicated services and specific support tools by contacting the Staff for the Development and Coordination of Student Careers and Services and consulting the relevant page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studentidisabili-e-dsa. Once they have contacted the relevant University staff, students with disabilities, SLD or SEN may contact the course instructor regarding the adaptation of examination arrangements in relation to teaching and learning aspects.

Assessment will be based on an oral examination designed to evaluate students’ knowledge of the course content and their ability to use the concepts and analytical perspectives covered during the course to interpret the actual functioning of public administrations and the implementation of public policies.
The examination syllabus and required readings are the same for attending and non-attending students.
Attending students are defined as those who regularly participate in lectures and course activities, including classroom exercises and discussions. No minimum attendance percentage is required.
Attending students will have the option, but not the obligation, to prepare a short written paper analysing an empirical case, to be presented and discussed during the final classes. The paper will assess students’ ability to independently apply the analytical tools acquired during the course and may contribute up to 3 additional points to the mark obtained in the oral examination. Students who choose not to submit a paper will not be penalised.

Introductory classes
• Public administration, bureaucracy and administrative science
• Evolution and reforms of Italian public administration
• Structures, functions and processes of the main Italian public administrations
In-depth study and empirical analysis
• Institutional, organisational, power-related, cultural and ecological dimensions of administrative functioning
• Discretion of public officials and Street-Level Bureaucracy in the implementation of public policies
• Analysis and discussion of empirical cases concerning public policies and services in Italy
• Presentation and discussion of papers prepared by attending students

Ability to understand the functioning of public administrations and their role in the implementation of public policies. Ability to recognise and use different theoretical perspectives to analyse the institutional, organisational, power-related, cultural and ecological dimensions of administrative action. Ability to critically analyse empirical cases by relating implementation processes to the concrete form taken by public policies and services.