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By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the main concepts and methods of Public Administration as a discipline, with specific reference to complex organisations such as public administrations, and will be able to analyse and examine in depth their internal dimensions (human resources, organisational structures, regulatory constraints, procedures, etc.) as well as the processes that shape performance and managerialism in the public sector.
Furthermore, students will be acquainted with the theoretical and empirical tools for the study of public policy and of the various stages of the policy-making process: from agenda setting to decision-making, and from implementation to evaluation.

In line with the Dublin Descriptors, students will be able to:
Knowledge and understanding: know the main theories and concepts of Public Administration and public organisation theory, policy processes and governance models, understanding the structural, behavioural and functional dimensions of public administrations within the framework of open systems.
Applying knowledge and understanding: apply theoretical and methodological tools to the analysis of administrative and decision-making processes, critically interpreting organisational dynamics, the logics of action of institutional actors, and the stages of formulation, implementation and evaluation of public policies.
Making judgements: develop independent skills in analysing and assessing organisational and administrative issues, formulating critical judgements on institutional performance, the effectiveness of public policies, and the interactions between administrations, institutions and governance networks.
Communication skills: use the specialised language of the discipline to communicate analyses and assessments of organisational processes and public policies, producing reports and well-argued contributions in a clear and scientifically sound manner.
Learning skills: develop the ability to explore topics relating to public organisation, governance and policy analysis independently and from an interdisciplinary perspective, conducting bibliographic research and keeping continuously up to date on administrative and institutional processes.

Lectures, seminars and hands-on workshop activities.

Basic knowledge of political science, organisation theory and Public Administration. Students who feel they need to strengthen their background knowledge are encouraged to contact the lecturer, who will provide them with suitable material for this purpose.

Not compulsory but recommended. Non-attending students are in any case encouraged to contact the lecturer for clarification regarding the syllabus, assessment methods or participation in any planned teaching activities.

The course in Public Administration and Public Policy builds on basic knowledge of the public administrative phenomenon, approached from the perspective of systems theory.
Part I - Theory of Administrative Organisations: Public administrations as complex organisations and as "administrative structures"; Intra-systemic factors/variables (organisational models, procedures and models for simplifying work processes, organisational culture and climate); Inter-systemic factors/variables, relating to the interaction with the organisational environment; The performance of public organisations.
Part II - Public Policy Analysis: The "administrative processes" of public administrations as complex organisations; The distribution of powers and responsibilities in multi-level and multi-actor governance processes; The stages of the policy cycle (agenda setting, decision-making, implementation, evaluation and performance); Social policy.

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Non-attending students will take a single final oral examination covering both parts of the syllabus.
Attending students, on the other hand, may opt for an alternative format by taking the mid-term tests scheduled at the end of each of the two teaching blocks, which correspond to the two parts into which the course syllabus is divided.
To pass the examination, students must demonstrate that they are able to describe or summarise the concepts and methods of Public Administration and public policy analysis using appropriate terminology, as well as to interpret and apply them to real-world cases, with particular reference to the various case studies examined during the course.

In detail:
Fail: Lack of the minimum required knowledge of the main course content. No or poor ability to communicate using discipline-specific language and to apply theories, concepts and tools to the real-world cases analysed, with particular reference to the various fields of analysis considered.
Grade 18-20: Limited knowledge of the main course content. Barely sufficient ability to communicate using discipline-specific language, to apply theories, concepts and tools, and to illustrate the real-world cases analysed.
Grade 21-23: More than sufficient knowledge of several areas of the course content. Fair ability to communicate using discipline-specific language and to apply theories, concepts and tools to the real-world cases analysed.
Grade 24-26: Good knowledge of the course content. Sound ability to communicate using discipline-specific language and to apply theories, concepts and tools to the real-world cases analysed.
Grade 27-29: Advanced knowledge of the course content. Command of the discipline's terminology and very good ability to apply theories, concepts and tools to the real-world cases analysed.
Grade 30-30 cum laude: In-depth knowledge of the course content. Full command of the discipline's terminology and excellent ability to apply theories, concepts and tools to the real-world cases analysed. Marked ability to reflect critically on the different theoretical and methodological approaches and to interpret the phenomena under study independently and originally.