International Public Management Review

Performance measurement systems in local authorities: A Systematic Literature Review

Carmelo Arena — 2025-06-06

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of performance measurement systems in local authorities through a systematic review of international literature. Addressing two specific research questions, it employs a rigorous methodology, analyzing articles sourced from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. Data were processed using MySRL and Bibliometrix software, enabling both descriptive and thematic analyses. The findings highlight emerging priorities in public sector performance evaluation, particularly: (1) gender diversity, (2) sustainability, (3) digitalization, and (4) the context of developing countries. This review provides theoretical and practical insights, by systematically synthesizing existing studies and identifying research gaps and offering actionable insights for public managers aiming to enhance organizational evaluation systems and drive improvements in local authorities.

Resistance to change: implementing smart working in Italian public administrations

Giuseppe Ceci — 2025-06-06

This research explores the opportunities and challenges of smart working in Italian public administration. Using the UTAUT model by Venkatesh et al. (2003), we analyze technological barriers and the impact of regulations on decision-making. We present two case studies of Italian public administrations under different ministries, where smart working adoption varies. One represents a typical case where remote work is possible, while the other is a deviant case where it is not. From a theoretical point of view, our results extend the Venkatesh model by contextualizing it to the Italian reality, and provide important insights in the Human Resource Management area. Our findings reveal that the nonadoption of smart working is not solely a technological issue but is significantly influenced by cultural barriers, such as distrust between managers and employees, as well as a perceived loss of managerial control. While employees are generally eager to embrace smart working to enhance work-life balance and productivity, these cultural barriers create resistance within organizations, and increase employees' turnover intentions. The practical contribution of the research is to provide policy-makers with the necessary tools to establish a labor law framework that highlights the efficiencies and inefficiencies emphasized within the specific contingencies of public administrations.

Challenges and opportunities of environmental sustainability in the public management of school canteen service. Assessment of European practices

Tiziana Crovella — 2025-06-06

To-date public procurement is responsible for 15% to worldwide Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions. Within this sector, the average meal provided in school canteen service is responsible for 1.305 kg CO2-eq, mostly due to food preparation impact, in particular meat production from livestock. Under these perspectives towards a Green Public Procurement represents an essential strategy to support the reduction of GHG emissions related to government activities. Particularly, shifting from a high-impact school canteen service to a greener one is necessary. This paper analyzes some models of school canteen services provided in a sample of public European schools, included the Italian ones, for highlighting the several approaches of environmental sustainability, food policies and public procurement programs adopted by municipalities. Specifically, this study compared the models of school canteen services adopted by some local authorities and the environmental performance achieved, outlining also the reduction of GHG emissions documented by some European countries. In conclusion, the combination of procurement models, food policies and environmental sustainability approaches can support public authorities in the administration of a meal in line with human health, environmental sustainability and economic return, without compromising without compromising the supply chain.

The efficiency score as an indicator of the appropriateness of public spending. A pilot study in Italian Metropolitan Cities.

Marco Benvenuto — 2025-06-06

The management of economic and financial resources is a topic of great interest within public administrations. Measuring the efficiency of public resource utilization is complex because the analysis of processes through planning, programming, and control systems varies depending on the diverse needs of the community. Recently, the concept of public value has led to the testing of measurement systems aimed at achieving synthetic values capable of guiding decision governance towards the optimal use of resources. The criterion of efficiency in public administrations is more problematic than it may appear because efficiency has become synonymous with cost minimization. It is known that such an example does not represent efficiency because what sense would it make to minimize costs in the production of a service for something that is not desired? The notion of efficiency requires a relationship between means (inputs) and ends (outputs/outcomes). The goal of this work is to identify the relationships between means and ends to introduce synthetic indicators, "efficiency scores," of public spending based on the budget data of Italian "metropolitan cities" over the period 2019-2022. The results represent a new evaluation metric to support decision-makers in achieving strategic objectives over time.