Course 2023-2024 a.y.

This course allows to understand the complexity of decision-making processes in the public sector, with a focus on implications due to different governance models, multiple stakeholders, and public-private relations.

In particular, the course provides tools, competences and skills:

1. to understand, critically discuss and design public governance models as well as decision-making and policy-making processes to support strategic choices of public interest and/or relevance (first part of the course + group assignment);
2. To manage collaborative governance opportunities and public services contracts for implementing policies in the public interest with a shared value perspective for sustainable goals (second part of the course).

• Explain the evolution of the models of governing.
• Define and describe public as well as collaborative governance.
• Identify solutions and levers to successfully manage public governance.

• Design and to organize multi-stakeholder decision making processes.
• Critically discuss (both individually and in team) public governance models.
• Develop teamwork and public speaking skills.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
• Group assignments
• Interactive class activities on campus/online (role playing, business game, simulation, online forum, instant polls)

The course uses lectures and a mix of class discussions, involving also practitioners able to bring to the class concrete public governance examples, case studies, incidents and simulations. The course will take into consideration both theroretical and real-life experiences that might highlight the reasons and conditions for success - even considering situations of failures that could give a clear understandign of what flow of decisions led to the unexpected (and unwanted) result.

Active participation to the class discussion will be stimulated.

• Group assignment: 40%
• Final written exam: 60%

For attending students, the first part of the course (prof. Brusati's part) is assessed through a group assignment aimed at assessing the ability of the students in apllying the analytical perspectives and skills acquired during the first part of the course (in particular on decision-making and policy-making processes).

The final written exam for attending student covers only prof. Otto’s part of the course.

The final written exam will last 1 hour and it will combine:

• 10 multiple choice questions (max 22 points: e.g. 8 questions of 2 points + 2 questions of 3 points)
• one open question that will combine “theoretical contents” and “Critical thinking” (max 10 points) 

All the questions will be focused on the topics / contents / methods analyzed and discussed in class.

The written exam assesses:

i) the students' understanding of the public governance concepts, tools and decision making processes/dynamics discussed during the second part of the course;

ii) students’ ability to apply the analytical tools discussed during the second part of the course and to propose management solutions in different situations / cases.

Attending students will have the possibility to take the final exam during the first two available exam dates.

The final written exam combines multiple choice questions + open questions.

Further instructions on the exam structure will be shared during the course and published on BB.

In order to pass the exam each part of the exam (group assignment and final written exam) have to be graded at least 18.

100% written exam.

Final written exam covering the entire course and all readings.

The final written exam will cover the entire program of the course and it will last 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) and it will combine:

• 10 multiple choice questions (max 22 points: e.g. 8 questions of 2 points + 2 questions of 3 points)
• two open question that will combine “theoretical contents” and “Critical thinking” (max 10 points)

The written exam assesses:

i) the students' understanding of the public governance concepts, tools and decision making processes/dynamics;

ii) students’ ability to apply the analytical tools discussed presented by the course and to propose management solutions in different situations / cases.

Required readings (articles, papers, slides used during lectures, etc) will be available online on Blackboard.

Mayntz R. (2006), From Government to Governance: Political Steering in Modern Societies, in F. Rubik, D. Scheer (eds.), Governance of Integrated Product Policy: In Search of Sustainable Production and Consumption, London: Greenleaf Publishing, 18-25.

Klijn E.-H., van Buuren A. and Edelenbos J. (2012), The Impact of Governance: A Normative and Empirical Discussion, in D. Levi-Faur (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Governance, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 294-308.

Rhodes, R.A.W. (1996), The new governance: governing without government, Political studies 44.4 (1996): 652-667.

Young E. and Quinn L. (2002), Chapter 5: The Policy Paper: Structural and Textual Elements, in Writing Effective Policy Papers, Budapest: Open Society Institute.

Peters, B.G. and Pierre J. (2012), Urban Governance, in P. John, K. Mossberger, and S.E. Clarke (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Urban Politics, C: Oxford University Press.

Woods, N. (2000), The challenge of good governance for the IMF and the World Bank themselves, World development 28:5, 823-841.

Kingdon J.W. (1995), Agendas, Alternatives and Public Policies, London: Longman, Chapter 8: The Policy Window, and Joining the Streams.

Stoker, G. (2019), Can the governance paradigm survive the rise of populism?, Policy & Politics 47:1, 3-18.

Bach D. (2015), Chapter 5: Nonmarket Strategy: A Politics and Public Policy Approach, in Lawton T.C., Rajwani T.S. (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Nonmarket Strategy, London: Routledge, 66-82.

Bach D., Allen D.B. (2010). “What Every CEO Needs to Know about Nonmarket Strategies”. MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Spring), pp. 41-48.

Donohue and Zeckhauser (2011), The Promise and Problems of Collaboration: chapter 1 - Private Roles for Public Goals, in Collaborative Governance, Princeton University Press.

Davis J., Tankha S. (2006). “The Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board”. Kennedy School of Government Case Program

Cohen S. and Eimicke W., “Defining Contracting and Contract Management” in The Responsible Contract Management, Part I, Ch. 1, p. 3-8 and p. 16-22.

Cohen S. and Eimicke W., “When Do You Contract, When Don’t You Contract, nd How Do You Find the Right Contractor?” in The Responsible Contract Management, Part II, Ch. 5, p. 91-103.

Cohen S. and Eimicke W., “Managing Contracts: The Skills You Need and What Can Go Wrong”” in The Responsible Contract Management, Part III, Ch. 7, p. 121-127.

Cohen S. and Eimicke W., “When Contracting Really Doesn’t Work”” in The Responsible Contract Management, Part III, Ch. 11, p. 187-192.

Porter M. E. and Kramer M. R. “Creating Shared Value”, Harvard Business Review, Jan-Feb 2011

Promoting the rights of every child: the IKEA – UNICEF partnership to prevent and combat child labor, The Case Center, SDA Bocconi