Gloria Fiorani

New development: The crisis and European local government reforms

This article highlights the main reform trajectories put in place in French, Italian, German and Portuguese local governments during the recent crisis and identifies a number of important trends: for example increasing centralization of decision-making powers away from local governments. The authors explain why local governments have an opportunity to use reforms during the crisis to strategically reposition their value proposition.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND EVALUATION OF LARGE-SCALE EVENTS IN A MULTISTAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE: THE CASE OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY

Large-scale events, which are characterized by a dynamic complexity involving different national public administrations and institutional levels, require a special attention in selecting adequate project management and event management systems, and in designing and implementing multistakeholder management and engagement techniques. They also require the adoption of innovative managerial tools, as well as the introduction of performance evaluation systems linked to an inter-institutional cooperation and collaboration setting (performance management at macro level). Using a multidisciplinary approach (public management and governance, political science, administrative science), this chapter analyzes the case of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, focusing on its outcomes in terms of inter-institutional and collaborative governance, cross-sector collaboration and joined-up government.

Fostering Sustainable Development and Entrepreneurship: The New Role of University

Sustainable development is a global objective to overcome the economic, environment and society crises worldwide. The research aims are twofold: (i) Explores the proactive and dynamic model of the university’s education system, focusing on the new role played by the School of Economics in the promotion of economic, social and environmental sustainability, and how this goes beyond, in stimulating bottom–up social entrepreneurship ideas through students engagement; (ii) Provides a descriptive analysis of innovative laboratories modules, by studying and mapping the best project proposals initiated by the student. Finally, it presents a case study analysis on waste management (UniRecycling) project, scaling up objectives, stakeholder mapping, activities and the expected results. The findings show the new role played by School of Economics, along with other partner institutions, in supporting the student’s engagement in practice-oriented workshops that enable the transfer of knowledge, skills, and self – development. The implications of the research to be developed show that a dynamic bottom-up model of learning and dissemination of sustainable and entrepreneurial should aim to sensitise students to be active and create project ideas for social and environmental entrepreneurship and build and strengthen the local territorial networks, to contribute to the creation of a system of services attentive to responsible and sustainable entrepreneurial development.