Studies in Public and Non-Profit Governance – serie

The first volume of the series aims to give an outline of the state of the art and the most recent research being done on public and non profit governance at the international level (with particular emphasis in Europe). The focus of the volume is mainly on the "organizational" governance that still remains "a neglected area of governance" both in the public and in the non-profit sector. The volume includes two groups of chapters aimed at examining the recent trends and the future directions of the public and non-profit governance research. One group of chapters addresses broad issues of how to conceptualize and research 'governance' in public and non-profit organizations. The second group of chapters deals with recent trends of research on governance mechanisms through empirical studies, including contingency and behavioural studies on public and non-profit boards, studies on participative governance mechanisms such as stakeholder involvement and citizens' participation and studies on governance codification.

This volume addresses emerging issues in public and non-profit governance research. Established concepts and theoretical issues are presented by established scholars in the governance, management and administration fields. These are set alongside highlighted emerging themes, and they're practicality illustrated through specific case examples. All papers in this volume have been double blind peer reviewed. Topics addressed include: The concept of board in the public sector, how to foster knowledge-intensive collaboration in the public sector, the development of the governance of regulatory networks, empirical research on non-profit boards, the relationship between governance and strategy in foundations, volunteer management and measurement systems.

This volume aims to shed light on how public service value is identified, managed, measured and reported. The concept of public value has been increasingly associated with the process of modernisation and in recent years the debate has shifted away from 'what' to 'how' public value is conceptualised and practiced. How the public sector can meet the communities' expectations is particularly relevant in light of the Global Financial Crisis. At present, many governments are involved in reform aimed at improving the effectiveness, efficiency and economy of operations, and improving the quality of public services. Examining the effectiveness of these reforms and understanding the gap between the expectations of society and the resources available for public services is an important but under-explored topic. The chapters are the result of a series of conferences and workshops on public value held in 2012 and 2013. There are 20 papers, covering a range of topics, including theoretical reflections, practical case studies and empirical observations aimed at understanding the concept of public value.

This volume accesses governance in public and non-profit organizations. Building on and challenging recent research in this area, this volume critically examines the contextual, behavioural and historical factors of governance.

Studies in Public and Non-Profit Governance (SPNPG) publishes double-blind peer reviewed articles in a growing area of governance research. The series focuses on the 'micro' level of governance in public and non-profit sector. Compared to the wider debate on corporate governance in the private sector and to the literature on the 'macro' and 'meso' levels of governance in the public sector, the organizational (micro) level of governance remains a neglected area of governance in the public and non-profit sector. Therefore, governance systems, mechanisms and roles are primarily investigated at organizational level. SPNPG allows for the establishment of an engaged community of researchers very active in the field. It aims to contribute to the definition of the theoretical components that assign an innovation role to governance systems in public and non profit organizations. It also highlights the opportunity for a deeper analysis of governance mechanisms in their relationships with both the external (stakeholders) actors and the internal (management) actors and address the conditions which enable governance mechanisms to effectively cover their own roles.

The complex and ever-evolving relationship between the public sector and civil society at large is high on the policy and political agenda for the transformation of administrative and socio-economic systems in most developed countries. In this context, citizen associations, private businesses and non-profit organizations play a crucial role as potential actors of collaborative governance arrangements for both the prioritization and direct provision of public interest services. These settings are increasingly seen as powerful policy tools by which States may not only address issues related to the expenditure constraints which, in the current public financial situation, contingently limit and condition the direct delivery of such services by public institutions. They are also viewed as an opportunity for a definitive shift from traditional models of public administration in the sense that policies may be better designed, articulated, and governed through a collaborative approach, while service provision could be enhanced in terms of proximity, representativeness and innovativeness. This book assesses these cross-sectoral relations across the public sector from a variety of contexts. Chapters consider public service design, public governance systems, philanthropy, housing policies, performance management and a number of other issues across national and comparative settings.

The concept of hybridity, although well developed in various research areas, is relatively new in the management field, where “organisational hybridity” refers to organisations that combine managerial features, value systems and institutional logics of different sectors (market, state, civil society). Hybrid organisations have traditionally been compared with private, public and non-profit ones, by considering goal ambiguity, governance, organisational structures, personnel and purchasing processes, and work-related attitudes and values. This research has led to substantial evidence on relevant differences between hybrid and other organisations. Hybridisation has also become a permanent feature in today’s welfare system. New Public Management and welfare state reforms of the mid 1990s contributed to the emergence of hybrid organisations, with neo-institutional theory also attributed to this phenomenon. Considering the hybrid phenomenon as a whole, little is known about governance and controls, especially with regard to accountability mechanisms and issues such as the prevention of corruption. Even less is known when we consider the main variables of hybridity to be mixed ownership, competing institutional logics, multiplicity of funding arrangements, and public and private forms of financial and social control. This book seeks to answer the unsolved questions related to hybrid organisations. It does so by adopting a multifaceted approach along its ten chapters, which focus on different national contexts, including the UK, Italy, Australia, and Sweden, as well as global organisations. The authors consider policy sectors including humanitarian aid, local transport, healthcare, and welfare services.