The participants at this conference observed that, irrespective of the kind of institutional set-up a particular country may have, the public administration is the bridge between administrators and the administered. An efficient and modern public administration ceases to be a mere cost and becomes an asset for the productive system and a means for improving the quality of life of citizens and families.
The Italian public administration labors under the burden of a historical choice that was not thought through but imposed, which saw a Bourbon model prevail over Piedmontese, Lombard or Austro-Hungarian models, also in existence following the unification of the country. The administrative model chosen has, over the centuries, created a system that is all too often influenced by the political sphere, in which career paths have not always reflected merit. Thus, a pyramid-like structure has emerged, where those at the top are not always of the required caliber, whilst those at the bottom are demoralized and very often careless and inattentive. Businesses and families, who in the past ignored the costs of such inefficiencies because they were sure to be compensated for by competitive devaluations and inflation, are today no longer in a position to tolerate the inadequacies of the State.
Thus, if the privatization of public assets and services is to be avoided, the public administration must be modernized through the introduction of two market options, namely, “exit” and “voice”, or rather, competition and satisfaction. The real challenge is determining how these options should be introduced; everything else, including the optimization of resources, the enhancement and motivation of human capital, the measurement of productivity, and simplification and transparency processes – in other words, all that is missing today – will follow on its own.
There are essentially two means available to ensure the introduction of these options. The first is the recently passed enabling law that was the product of significant bipartisan agreement and will permit policymakers to regulate with respect to certain fundamental matters such as transparency, disciplinary measures, management and so on.
The second means is Innovation and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT has made it possible to introduce the first form of competition (or “exit” option), the so-called Reti Amiche (or Friendly Networks), which offer an alternative avenue for accessing the same services provided by public administration offices. The introduction of emoticons has, on the other hand, effectively facilitated the “voice” option, that is, the ability for citizens to instantly express their level of satisfaction with public services they receive.
However, the real litmus test will be the regulations produced under the enabling law and their ability to significantly impact on certain malpractices. The second hurdle will be to effectively thwart the resistance of those who – at all levels of the bureaucratic machine – see change as a threat to entrenched interests of any kind.
The participants concluded that the time has passed for hesitation and opposition to reforms for its own sake. The time has come to act swiftly, taking advantage of a set of circumstances within society and politics that may never be repeated, to achieve the changes long sought after by governments of both persuasions. In the end, the public administration will only become a catalyst for the country’s growth and attract the best resources available, starting with young people, if the reforms undertaken are of a genuine and long-lasting nature.