LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND CO-PRODUCTION LABORATORY

Local governments, third-sector associations, as well as increasingly private market enterprises, have tended in recent times to use principles and practices of co-planning and co-production of public goods, which involve political decision-makers, stakeholders, and civil society representatives, to ensure effective programs, actions, and policies to meet the needs of the community.
Especially in the European context, new governance approaches of public-private networks have been experimented, based on the logic of meta-governance, participatory processes and the co-responsibility and direct involvement of social actors.
The workshop - which adopts a strong experimental and participatory approach according to the principle of learning by doing - offers students the opportunity to simulate, acting as a research team, the design of policies for local authorities, through the main methodologies of social research in support of participatory processes.
The workshop thus presents itself as an ideal complement to the knowledge learned in different contexts of the course of study (from sociological and legal aspects to data analysis and economic profiles), allowing students to put their skills to the test.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- recognize the elements of complexity underlying local authority governance
- experience the design of a local policy
- involve local actors in design and evaluation processes
- use social research techniques that support participatory processes: in deep interview, focus group, brainstorming, concept mapping & ethnographic observation.

None. However, it is expected that participants will be willing to participate, collaborate, and work in teams.

- Introduction to the meta-governance approach
- From bureaucracy to empowerment (potentialization)
- Co-production and participatory processes
- Social research techniques supporting participation

- Andersen, N. Å., & Pors, J. G. (2016). Public management in transition: The orchestration of potentiality (1st ed.). Bristol University Press. Chapters: 1-3-4-5-6-7-8-10.
- Bertin G. (2011), Con-sensus method. Ricerca sociale e costruzione di senso, FrancoAngeli, Milano (facoltativo).
- Other products available on the Moodle platform.

Oral exam: a personal paper is to be presented and discussed. The paper could be the product of the work of a group, but the assessment will be on the individual contribution. During the discussion, not only the skills acquired but also the argumentative and critical analysis skills will be assessed.

written and oral

Regarding how marks will be awarded, regardless of whether attending or not:

1. points in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and ability to understand the course content;
- limited ability to interpret data, making independent judgments;
- sufficient communication skills, about the use of written language and specialist language relating to public policy.

2. points in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- fair knowledge and ability to understand the course content;
- discrete ability to interpret data, making autonomous judgements;
- fair communication skills, about the use of written language and specialist language relating to public policy.

3. points in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- good or very good knowledge and understanding of the course content;
- good or very good ability to interpret data, making independent judgments;
- good or very good communication skills, about the use of written language and specialist language relating to public policy.

Summa cum laude will be awarded in the presence of excellent knowledge and skills.

The Course will be 'laboratory-based', with the first part devoted to the theoretical topics, and the next parts to the activity of co-design and co-production of a local policy. The laboratory phase is based on the use of research techniques to support participatory processes. Experts will be invited to share experiences of participatory research and co-production of local policies.
In class, students will get to try out the methods they learned in theory.

Italian

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development