Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

2003 Category 3: Italy
Europe and North America
Italy
2003 Category 3 Winner
Efficiency in the Administrations (PADEA)
(Riforme e Innovazioni nella pubblica amministrazione)
Department for Public Administration, Italy
Description
Creating a Department open to innovation in public administration.
The Problem
Public administration reforms in Italy were centralized and did not address the needs
of citizens and businesses.
The Solution
The Department for Public Administration was set up in 1983 as part of the Prime Minister’s
Office in response to the modernization needs of the Italian public administration.
Renamed “Public Administration Department for Efficiency in the Administration”
(PADEA) in 2001, the department is responsible for innovation and efficiency in
public administration.
Although the administrative system has seen some reforms in the past decade, changes
in the institutional and administrative environment increased the demand for further
reform. For example, the European Union has assumed several important administrative
functions, while others have been transferred from the state to the regional
and local bodies. At the same time, the need to improve the conditions of the private
sector and the marketplace has been growing.
In response to these challenges, PADEA has gradually been transformed into a facilitator
for cooperation between administrative institutions, and a centre for administrative
innovation. Today, PADEA is committed to continuing the dialogue with
various governmental agencies. The general objective for all stakeholders is to
achieve a consensus and bring about innovation in a smooth, organic way.
PADEA has sponsored three different projects aimed at creating a network of operators,
who actively collaborate for the improvement of public administration and
services. The operators compare and share good practices and are encouraged to
adopt the latest management techniques used in the private sector. PADEA has created
a knowledge management and diffusion system through websites dedicated to
the three main projects, where the interested parties obtain information and exchange
experiences:
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