Maria Tullia Galanti

Apprentice Sorcerers. Evaluating the Programme Theory of Regulatory Governance in Italian Public Utilities

Following the framework of program theory evaluation, the authors evaluate the process and the impact of regulatory design in Italian Local Public Utilities (LPU) from the 1990s onwards, with regard to three different sectors: water supply and sanitation, municipal waste management and disposal, and local public transport. The focus is primarily on the municipal level, given its pivotal role in the system of governance of LPU in the Italian context. After discussing the theory of change behind the LPU reforms and analysing its intended and unintended consequences, the ‘Apprentice Sorcerers’ conclude suggesting a softer approach for future reforms of LPU in Italy based on a more committed steering by the central government, and more flexible management arrangements at the local level.

Italian state-owned enterprises after decades of reforms: Still public?

The present paper analyzes the top ten Italian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) over the period 2004-2013, after both their corporate organization and their markets have been deeply reformed. We question whether SOEs’ strategies are more profit or public oriented. The authors find that, on average, the management and performance of the Italian SOEs has improved and it holds the comparison with private and public European industry peers. Still, remarkable divergences persist among Italian in terms of performance and orientation towards markets or public values, largely depending on the intensity of the reforms they went through. Listed SOEs operating in liberalized markets are largely profitable and distribute dividends. They have expanded their business internationally, though cross-border MA they provide universal services, they often incur in economic losses, which are partly covered by taxpayers.

Facilitating coproduction: the role of leadership in coproduction initiatives in the UK

Abstract The concept of coproduction primarily refers to direct user involvement in the production of services. This paper identifies the main dimensions of this broad and at times fuzzy concept and focuses on types and styles of leadership that can emerge from, and sustain, effective coproduction practice. We do so by carrying out a narrative review of cases of coproduction in the UK, with a focus on the role of citizens, bureaucrats and, specifically, local politicians, to unpick how the latter can facilitate or hinder coproductive processes. The analysis distances itself from a traditional understanding of leadership to examine relational dynamics rather than organisation structures as the key variable of leadership within coproductive practices.

Enablers and Time: How Context Shapes Entrepreneurship in Institutional and Policy Change

Scholars in institutional theory and policy process are rediscovering the importance of agency in accounting for change of different forms, intensities and origins. In particular, scholars increasingly acknowledge the need to go beyond perspectives that advocate the supremacy of approaches based on structure over accounts of situated agency, and vice versa. It seems more fruitful to think about change as the result of interaction between the two, to try to understand how structure and agency mutually influence each other (Garud, Hardy, & Maguire, 2007, pp. 690–691; see also Bakir & Jarvis this volume).

Un nuovo "ircocervo". Privatizzazioni, regolazione e ibridizzazione nelle aziende multi-utility italiane

Il processo di privatizzazione che ha coinvolto le aziende municipalizzate in Italia a partire dagli anni ’90 ha portato alla formazione di compagnie multi-utility quotate in Borsa ma con maggioranza di capitale in mano dei Comuni che operano in mercati ad alta densita (e incertezza) regolativa. Questo nuovo assetto ha creato incentivi misti per le nuove aziende, e l’emergere di modelli di governance e strategie d’impresa molto diverse e talvolta inconsistenti.