Public sector reform trajectories: A complexity-embracing perspective

IMPACT

Making the context and trajectory of reforms more comprehensible is essential for public decision-makers when it comes to assessing programme robustness and strengthening future efforts. The article argues for a shift from ‘reducing complexity’ to ‘embracing complexity’ to be adopted by local decision-makers to develop a more pragmatic implementation strategy.

ABSTRACT

To understand the divergent outcomes of the same centrally-defined reform programme means addressing the complexity of implementation. Italy’s local government reform programme highlights the shaping role of contextual elements in the rollout of programmes within multi-level systems. The authors emphasize the need for a pragmatic approach to the ‘implementation puzzle’—one that leverages the local variables and that enables self-organized responses. Decision-makers should strategically engage with the complexity of multi-level institutional systems.

KEYWORDS:

• Complexity
• local government reform
• inter-municipal co-operation (IMC)
• multi-level governance
• pragmatic municipalism

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Public Money & Management’s editors and anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments on earlier versions of this article. Authors’ names are listed alphabetically indicating equal contribution to the research.