DIRITTO AMMINISTRATIVO

The course aims to provide students with fundamental knowledge of the law governing public administrations, develop their legal skills with particular reference to the public administration system, enable them to understand how public administrations operate and are organised, and help them identify the relationships between the political system, institutional structures, and the economic and social spheres. The course also aims to examine the main reforms introduced in the administrative sector and provide students with the skills required for professional practice in these fields.

More specifically, by the end of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding: Acquire basic knowledge of the constitutional framework governing public administrations, the law applicable to public administrations, the administrative system and its main reforms, and the European dimension of public administration, thereby developing the ability to understand administrative phenomena from a legal perspective.

Applying knowledge and understanding: Understand the fundamental principles underpinning the administrative system; correctly interpret statutory and regulatory texts; draft and understand the content of legal and administrative instruments and agreements; make use of legal remedies; apply the acquired legal knowledge to specific practical cases; and, more generally, develop the skills required to work within and in cooperation with public administrations.

Making informed judgments and developing critical thinking: Critically analyse administrative phenomena and formulate legal arguments; independently integrate legal knowledge with knowledge from other disciplines; and assess the complexity of issues affecting public administrations. Students will develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and acquire the tools needed to understand ongoing social and institutional changes and developments in the regulatory framework, as well as to devise effective solutions to practical cases.

Communication skills: Communicate the findings of legal analyses and their implications clearly and persuasively, providing appropriate justifications in practical contexts, including when addressing non-specialist audiences. Students will also be able to participate in discussions and case analyses using terminology appropriate to institutional and professional settings.

Learning skills: Independently identify opportunities to deepen their knowledge, particularly by conducting research through the consultation of books, specialist journals and databases, drafting reports, and participating in discussions and debates.

Lectures, in-class case discussions, guest presentations and discussions with experts.

Students are expected to have a basic knowledge of public law and constitutional law.

Attendance is recommended but not compulsory.

The course introduces students to the study of administrative law, examining its historical development and fundamental principles, the main sources of law, the constitutional framework governing public administrations, and the impact of European Union regulation on the national administrative system.

The course will also examine different models of public administration, the organisational structure of public authorities, and the instruments through which public administrations exercise their functions. It will further address the legal remedies available to private parties in their dealings with public authorities, with the aim of developing a critical understanding of the role of administrative law in the functioning of public institutions and in society.

In addition to supplementary readings on specific topics indicated during the course, students may refer to the following textbook:

Marcello Clarich, Manuale di diritto amministrativo, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2026.

The final assessment consists of an oral examination covering the entire course syllabus. Students must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles and legal institutions relevant to the subject.

Students must be able to independently analyse relevant legal sources and case law, use the technical and legal terminology of the discipline correctly, and construct legal arguments while identifying connections between the legal institutions under examination. They must thereby demonstrate that they have acquired the methodological skills required to address and solve practical cases.

The oral examination is graded on a scale of 0 to 30. The following criteria will be taken into account:

• Knowledge and understanding of legal institutions.
• Appropriate use of legal terminology.
• Ability to apply legal principles and institutions to practical cases.

Only students who attend the course may take the intermediate written examination, which consists of 10 multiple-choice questions and 2 open-ended questions on topics covered during lectures.

Students who attend the course but receive a failing grade in the intermediate written examination must take the oral examination covering the entire course syllabus.

Students who attend the course may decline the grade obtained in the written examination and instead take the oral examination covering the entire course syllabus.

The grade obtained in the written examination remains valid for the summer and autumn examination sessions.

During the oral examination, all students will be required to examine and discuss a practical case. Students are free to choose the case. For example, it may concern a judgment or a legislative or administrative act discussed during lectures or covered in the recommended textbook.

All students must register for the oral examination through the official examination booking system.

By way of example only, the examination may begin with one of the following topics:

• The principle of legality.
• Administrative proceedings.
• Public bodies.
• Access to administrative documents.
• Administrative appeals.