Programming and Control in the Public Sector

The course analyzes the main issues concerning accountability of public services management and it is structured in two parts. First, an overview of the main international trends leading to the recent public management reforms aimed to foster public sector productivity and national competitiveness. Analysis of the failures of traditional audit procedures will pave the way to the raison d´être of recent innovations and institutional changes. Second, the attention focuses on the main approaches and tools of programming and controlling public services delivery. In particular, specific but conceptually linked analyses deal with:

- Public budget cycle and audit as methods aimed to foster financial accountability and accommodate for political accountability;
- Program budgeting as a means to complement the traditional line-item budget and link it to both performance management and policy analysis;
- Performance management and program evaluation as methods aimed to foster operational accountability and rational decision-making.

The course will heavily draw from international and national cases to substantiate theories, conceptual models, and methods.

Teaching method
Regular classes provide a sound theoretical framework enriched with the analysis of several case studies. The course foresees intense class participation and a group assignment through which students will challenge their analytical and communication skills.

Textbooks
O.E. Hughes, Public Management and Administration: An introduction, Palgrave, 2003.
C. Pollit, G. Bouckaert, Public Management Reforms: A comparative analysis, Oxford University Press, 2002.
J.M. Kelly, W.C. Rivenbark, Performance budgeting for state and local government, M.E.Sharpe, 2003.