Activities

The Local Government LAB aims to improve the efficiency of Local Administrations (Municipalities, Regional Governments, and so on) and to enhance public institutions, actively involving their stakeholders (citizens, companies, associations, etc.).

For that purpose we assess performance, transparency and integrity of PAs and we do it through a scientific model, created by Fondazione Etica: the Public Rating.

Our methodology’s main innovativeness is that:

• it adopts the citizens’ point of view, since they are stakeholders and also “shareholders” of PA.
• it considers both qualitative and quantitative data regarding performance.
• the evaluation process doesn’t need a direct collaboration and consensus by a PA .
• it identifies a reference benchmark each year among PAs.
• it involves citizens, facilitating participation and inclusion.

The Public Rating also:

• evaluates the actual transparency;
• predicts default risk;
• compares local and national Governments, driving a sane competition among them;
• drives incentive processes, rewarding the most virtuous Administrations;
• implements the latest regulations regarding Pas;
• provides for alerts about corruption;
• helps to rebuild citizens’ trust towards institutions;
• facilitates consensus-gaining.

It provides a diagnostic tool for local Governemnts, supporting their understanding of where and how to improve.

More specifically, the Public Rating represents an instrument for:

 

1.Efficiency and improvement of PA’s performance.

A local Government, for example, can be helped in the improvement of its services from the outside, through an external and independent evaluation, with particular attention given to its stakeholders – i.e. citizens, companies and associations.
Performance is evaluated considering not only economic and financial aspects, but also qualitative ones, such as governance, relationship with citizens/users, and relationship with supplier companies.

2. Spending Review

The aim of the Public Rating is not to give marks, but to establish a reference benchmark in order to help the national Government understand the best way to allocate public money through an incentive system: local Governements which work better deserve more money.
The performance evaluation of a local Government is compared to the previous year’s evaluation in order to show the achievements reached, and it is also compared with evaluations of other local Governments to establish a reference benchmark.
Because of this incentivizing comparison, local Governments will be more competitive, since the national Government might invest more in those that get positive Rating results, avoiding linear cuts and recognizing merits.

3. Transparency and anti-corruption
The Rating system evaluates the actual transparency of a PA, not only the formal transparency. Transparency has a key role in the fight against corruption, preventing and detecting suspicious activities. Therefore, the Public Rating can be described as a diagnostic instrument that highlights weaknesses and strengths of a Government.

4. Civic engagement and social inclusion
Public Rating is an instrument which promotes active participation of citizens, who are asked to give information about their Government. Thus, it is an instrument of civic engagement.

Therefore, among the advantages a local Government could gain from the Public Rating is the consent of citizens, who cannot tolerate any more waste of public money, inefficient public services, and bribery scandals. Public Rating strengthens the collaboration between citizens and Administrations.

We support Municipalities such as Grosseto, Cuneo, Milano, Follonica etc.., and Regions such as Regione Toscana.
In particular we support them in the following ways:
Annual Report, which includes a final rating.
Comparison with other local Governments and analysis of the evaluations made over the years.
Active support for Governments.
Guidelines and provisions on efficiency, transparency, and anti-corruption.

 

---

---

 

Publications:
-Nè smart nè open, intanto città [Simply cities], P. Caporossi, Rubbettino Ed., 2018;
-I dossier metropolitani, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, 2017.
-Come rendere efficienti e trasparenti le amministrazioni pubbliche [How to make PAs transparent and efficient] , P.Caporossi, Rubbettino Ed., 2017;
-Il diritto dei cittadini a riusare spazi abbandonati [The citizens’ right to riuse abandoned spaces], Aa.Vv., 2016;
-Il Federalismo che già c’è. La politica letta nei bilanci dei Comuni [Federalism. How local governments spend public money], P. Caporossi and G. Gitti eds, 2011;
-Italia disorganizzata. Incapaci cronici in un mondo complesso, con P. Pellizzetti, collana Libelli vecchi e nuovi di Critica liberale, Dedalo, Bari 2006, 149 pp
-L’esternalizzazione strategica nelle amministrazioni pubbliche (a cura di), collana Analisi e strumenti per l’innovazione, Programma Cantieri, Dipartimento della Funzione Pubblica, Rubbettino, Soveria Mannelli 2006.

 

Web sites:
www.ratingpubblico.it
www.fondazionetica.it