2016/2017

2017/2018

DM270

SPS/09 (SOCIOLOGY OF ECONOMICS AND LABOUR)

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC POLICIES

PERCORSO COMUNE

2°

1st semester (02/10/2017 - 16/12/2017)

6

40 lesson hours

Italian

ORAL TEST

VAIRA MASSIMILIANO (titolare) - 6 ECTS

No specific prerequisite is requested, although at least a basic knowledge in Sociology is useful.

The course offers an approach to public administration organizations derived from Sociology of organizations. Consequently, it aims at providing students with theoretical and conceptual tools by which should allow them to understand the organizational structures, the functioning logics and the change dynamics of public administration organizations as complex organizations.
At the end of the course, students should not have only learnt concepts and theories, but above all an apparatus of analytical and interpretative tools by which operate and intervene competently within various organizations belonging to the public administration sector

Accordingly to aims exposed, the course’s program is structured in the following seven topics:
1) Definition of public administration, its general functions and different types of organizations belonging to the sector;
2) Bureaucracy as basic organizational form of public administration and its operational logics;
3) Types of bureaucracy: mechanical and professional bureaucracy;
4) Not only bureaucracy: organizational models and structures plurality;
5) The New Public Management: beyond the bureaucratic model?
6) Bureaucracy “rediscovered”;
7) How public administration organizations change.

Lessons will be delivered through the traditional in-front lecture. Yet, students are encouraged to actively participate to lesson by some occasions of reflection and discussion on specific topics and aspects, drawn from real cases suitable to be analyzed through exposed theories and concepts.

Didactic material, both for attending and not attending students, to prepare the examination is a lecture note edited by the teacher which can be purchased at the photocopy shop of CLU bookstore.

The exam, both for attending and not attending students, is a oral examination by which assess and verify both the learning of studied contents, the specialized vocabulary, skills in presenting them appropriately and the skills in understanding and analyzing organizational phenomena related to public administration.

Although the lecture note and the exam are the same for attending and not attending students, the latter are invited to contact the teacher for a talk in order to evaluate whether any gaps are to be filled.