Nessun titolo diapositiva

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Recruiting and training young public managers
at SSPA the Corso-concorso The Italian
model Changing Public Service in a Changing
Word Conference about Current Trends in
European Public Administration Budapest 24th
April 2009
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Index

• Recruiting and training PA after the crisis
• The Italian model
• The new Corso-concorso
• Systemic effects some data

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• The crisis calls for new governance different
  role of the State, new market regulation, better
  public administration
• 20 years of PA reforms (NPM) have shown that
• there is no unique solution, nor unique
  paradigm
• PA systems react differently to change,
  depending on national traditions, history and
  institutions (Fukuyama)
• PA reforms cannot be imposed by law (Italian
  experience)
• Human resources are crucial for better service
  delivery
• Recruitment training of young, professional,
  autonomous public managers are crucial to
  implement reforms and provide adequate answers to
  the crisis

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Recruitment and training systems (1)

• Public service delivery is positively affected by
• organizational culture and
• managerial autonomy
• (Demuzere, Bouckaert et al. 2008)
• These are influenced by
• Recruitment and training systems
• Relationships between political and
  administrative spheres

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Recruitment and training of managers (2)

• Traditional models
• 1. Career-based models of civil servants (France,
  Germany, Spain)
• Qualifications and tests to check knowledge.
  After a period of probation and training, public
  managers are recruited on permanent contracts.
• Strong esprit de corps,
• Generalist, independent
• Position models of managers (UK, Netherlands,
  Finland)
• Tests and interview to check if profiles and
  skills are suitable for the position. Flexible
  positions, fixed-term contracts, field training,
  short training modules.
• Managerial, more challenging, less esprit de
  corps
• More flexible/precarious, specialized

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New tools for recruiting training managers (1)

• Reforms in the 90s have introduced new tools
• New forms of recruitment
• Diffusion of fast stream competitive tests
  training for specialised and central public
  managers
• Diffusion of fixed-term contract to external
  managers
• 
  

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New tools for training managers (2)

• Professionalizing training contents
• Specialised competencies managerial skills
• relational skills
• Spreading of evaluation systems
• Traditional models tend to converge towards
  blended approaches (New Public Management,
  neo-weberian approach, mixed systems)

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Index

• Recruiting and training PA after the crisis
• The Italian model
• The new Corso-concorso
• Systemic effects some data

9
The Italian model (1)

• Italy has a blended model of recruiting
  training
• The corso-concorso is coupled with a system of
  career civil servants (based on seniority and
  hierarchy)

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The Italian model (2)

• Historically, PA faces 2 critical features
• institutional fragmentation and overlapping at
  different levels of government -State, regions,
  provinces, municipalities-
• territorial differences in terms of social
  background,
• culture, organization, administrative
  behaviours.
• This creates an unfavourable environment for
  implementing central government guidelines,
  reforms for the co-ordination of
  administrative actions.
• However

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The Italian model (3)

• However
• the principle of subsidiarity guarantees more
  flexibility
• to face crises (e.g. addressing migration flows)
• to address multi-level governance (required
  within the building process of the European
  Union)
• Flexibility is an asset, provided that.

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The Italian model (4)

• ../.. provided that a core of State young public
  managers is centrally recruited and trained on
  the basis of
• A systemic approach
• European values
• Accountability towards citizens and the State
• Strong competencies and skills
• Managerial autonomy
• This is the objective of the corso-consorso

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The Italian model (5)

• To break an established academic mould, with the
  help of an International Board High-Level of
  Experts

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The International Board of High-level Experts
Istvan TEPLAN KSZK Kormányzati Személyugyi
Szolgàltatç és Közigazgatàsi Képzési Központ
(Hungary)
Adam STEINHOUSE NSG National School of
Government. (United Kingdom)
John CULLEN, IPAEI Institute for Public
Administration and European Integration. (Ireland)
Hans-Edmund KUNSMANN, Baköv Bundesakademiefur
öffentliche Verwaltung. (Germany)
David WALKER EAS European Administrative
School (European Union)
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The Italian model (6)

• Since 1993 public managers have been selected
  through 2 main channels
• 2/3 of the vacancies covered by competitive
  examinations held by each Public Administration
  and followed by initial training at SSPA
• 1/3 of the vacancies covered through a
  competitive selection organised by SSPA including
  a 12-month training and followed by a final
  selective exam corso-concorso

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Strength

• The Corso-concorso helps guaranteeing
• merit selection, based however on a strict
  procedure
• potential to attract young talents in PA
• (although civil servants may participate as
  well)
• common values to managers (centralized training)
• flexibility of training contents (yearly defined
• e.g. 2008/09 International Board of High Level
  Experts)

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and critical issues

• The success of the corso-concorso method
• depends on
• the commitment of the PA Ministry to launch
  competitions on a regular basis
• co-ordination with Universities to guarantee
  adequate qualifications without reproducing
  academic training

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Index

• Recruiting and training PA after the crisis
• The Italian model
• The new Corso-concorso
• Systemic effects some data

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Teaching steps and structure
4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009

• Initial (limited) theoretical approach
• Simulations and case studies
• International experience
• Stage in different backgrounds (private
  companies, international organizations, etc.)

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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009

• Knowledge cannot be abandoned, but should be
  complemented
• requires blended training for managers
• Knowledge, vision values European values,
  global vision
• Skills competencies How to do it, how to get
  results
• Personal training Leadership, diversity, etc.
• Networking Mentors, Alumni, ESCS project

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Training covers a broad spectrum of areas
competences, including

• Economics public economy economic policy
  international, industrial, information and
  innovation economy statistics accounting and
  State budget
• Public organisation and management
  administrative sciences organisation sociology
  and psychology Public Administration
  organisation and economy
• Public institutions and public policies
  constitutional, public and administrative law
  public policies analysis international and
  foreign institutional systems

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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009

• Impact policies and analysis, legislative
  techniques procedure regulations of elected
  assemblies regional law drafting and
  simplification techniques regulatory impact
  analysis
• International and EU relations European and
  international law international organisations
  EU energy, cohesion, competition and finance
  policies
• Regulations and contracts public accounting
  economy and public contracts law public estate
  and services management
• Decision-making psychology of decision-making
  social psychology public ethics strategic
  decision-making

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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009

• Human resources management labour and social
  security law motivation and incentives training
  and change management performance evaluation
  techniques negotiation techniques
• Communication communication psychology and
  sociology marketing media techniques
• Political and institutions history
• Intensive English language course
• Team building with social psychologists
• Conferences and meetings with high-level
  experts, magistrates, professors and practitioners

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The SSPA 2008-2009 4Corso-concorso Some data

• Course duration 18 months (June08-December09),
  including 12-months in-class training a
  6-month stage (in a public, private or
  international institution/company)
• In itinere examinations (concorso), after 12
  months and at the end of the 18-month training
  period
• Based on competition final ranking will
  determine the choice of the future position in
  Public Administration

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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009 some data
Applications received Candidates admitted to
pre-selection tests C. admitted to written
examinations C. admitted to oral
examinations Final candidates selected
24,040 5,848 469 120 114
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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009 - some data

• New managers will be assigned to 16 Public
  Administrations Ministry of Economy (12
  persons), Ministry of Education (30 persons)
  Revenue Agency (17 persons) National institute
  of Social Insurance (15 persons), etc.

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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009 some data
Gender and age
Women Men
45 69
AGE Minimum 26 Average 33
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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009 some data
University degree
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4 Corso-concorso 2008-2009 some data
Geographical area of origin of selected candidates
Students come from 16 different
regions. Campania is the region with the highest
number of students (34).
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Contents

• Existing problems and prospects
• The Italian model
• The new corso-concorso
• Systemic effects some survey data

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Past editions of the corso-concorso some data (1)
87 participants
1 corso-concorso (1997-2000)
138 participants
2 corso-concorso (1999-2001)
3 corso-concorso (2004-2005)
93 participants
4 corso-concorso (2008-2009)
114 participants
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Past editions of the Corso-concorso some data (2)
Survey among SSPA alumni
The data presented here are the result of a
survey carried out among former students
Survey carried out on a sample representing 40
of all the first 3 editions of the Corso-concorso
alumni Interviews Mar 2008-Dec 2009
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SSPA alumni of the Corso-concorso some data (3)
Geographical area of origin
The data clearly show that the major part of
students came from central and southern Italy
The sample surveyed represents 40 of all
former corso-concorso students
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SSPA alumni of the Corso-concorso some data (4)
University degree
Most alumni have a degree in law while technical
or scientific degree are practically absent.
There is a high proportion of managers with a
postgraduate diploma (more than 64), most of
them having a master or followed a specialization
course.
The sample surveyed represents 40 of all
former corso-concorso students
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SSPA alumni of the Corso-concorso some data (5)
Previous employment
At least 63.3 of the students were already civil
servants when they accessed to a managerial
position. The attempt to introduce different
background and professional experiences in PA was
only partly successful.
The sample surveyed represents 40 of all
former corso-concorso students
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SSPA alumni of the Corso-concorso some data (6)
Assignment to public administrations
The Ministry of Finance and the National
Institute of social insurance (INPS) cover most
of the assignments with 27.6 and 18.2 of the
total respectively. They are followed by the
Prime Ministers Office (8.5) and the Ministry
of Justice (6.2).

The sample surveyed represents 40 of all
former corso-concorso students
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SSPA alumni of the Corso-concorso some data (7)
Mobility
Over 43 of the public managers interviewed
remained in the same administration. 31 moved
to another administration in another place at
least once and almost 25 changed administration
but stayed in the same territory at least once.
The sample surveyed represents 40 of all
former corso-concorso students
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SSPA alumni of the Corso-concorso some data (8)
Spoil system
The spoil system applied to 22 of
respondents. 16 of alumni were assigned to a
lower position, of which 11 following
presidential decree 150/1999 and 5 following law
145/2002.
The sample surveyed represents 40 of all
former corso-concorso students
Il campione dellindagine rappresenta il 40 di
tutti gli ex allievi dei corsi-concorso
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Systemic effects of the corso-concorso

• Set-up a group of managers with a strong common
  identity
• Lower average age of Italian managers
• (average 41 years old)