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Professor Edoardo Ongaro

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Professor of Public Management
  • The Faculty of Business & Law
  • The Open University Business School
  • Department for Public Leadership & Social Enterprise
  • edoardo.ongaro

Professional biography

I am Professor of Public Management at The Open University, UK. Previously I held positions at Northumbria University, as Professor of International Public Services Management, and SDA Bocconi School of Management and Bocconi University, where I still serve as Visiting Professor of Management of International and Supranational Organizations.

From 2013 to 2019 I served as the President of EGPA, the European Group for Public Administration. In 2019 I have been elected a Member of the Council of Administration of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS). 

I am an editor of Public Policy and Administration.

I have served in various academic and expert committees and contributed to numerous international research projects. I have been visiting professor and invited speakers at various institutions in Europe, the Americas and Asia. 

I have published extensively on the topic of administrative reforms and comparative public management. Works include ​Public Administration in Europe: The Contribution of EGPA ​(Palgrave, 2019, editor); The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (Palgrave, 2018, co-edited with Sandra van Thiel); Philosophy and Public Administration: An Introduction (Elgar, 2017 - the book is being translated into Chinese, French, Italian and Spanish); Strategic Management in Public Services Organizations: Concepts, Schools and Contemporary Issues (2015, Routledge, co-authored with Ewan Ferlie); Multi-Level Governance: The Missing Linkages (Emerald, 2015, editor, 2015); and Public Management Reform and Modernization: Trajectories of Administrative Change in Italy, France, Greece, Portugal and Spain (2009, Elgar).

My formal education includes a PhD from King's College London, an MPhil from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and MSc/BSc from Politecnico di Milano. I speak English, French, Italian and Spanish.  

Professor Ongaro is Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Joint University Council of the Applied Social Sciences.  

Research interests

  • Public Management

  • Public Policy and Administration

  • Comparative Public Administration/Comparative Analysis of Public Management Reform

  • Strategic Management in Public Services Organisations

  • Organisation of the Public Sector

  • Management and Governance of European Union Institutions

  • Multi-level Frameworks of governance and Intergovernmental Relations

Teaching interests

I teach a range of topics, at all levels of education (undergraduate, postgraduate, research seminars and PhD level, Continuing Professional Education, executive education). I have a long experience training current and prospective public managers and managers for the common good and the public interest.  

Impact and engagement

Main academic commitments and contribution to the field of Public Administration and Management:

  • President of the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA), the learned society for the study and practice of public administration, public management and the administrative sciences in Europe (2013-2019)

  • Co-Editor of Public Policy and Administration, journal of the UK Joint University Council of the Applied Social Sciences – Public Administration Committee 

  • Book Series Co-Editor ‘Policy, Institutional and Administrative Change’, Book Series of the publisher Edward Elgar

  • Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences (FAcSS) of the United Kingdom

  • Fellow of the Joint University Council of the Applied Social Sciences

Other engagements and projects include:

 - Member of the Steering Group of the project "Co Production and Co Governance: Strategic Management, Public Value and Co- Creation in the Renewal of Public Agencies across Europe" (COGOV), H2020 

o   2018-21: (as co-representative of COGOV) Member of the Cluster Meetings of H2020-SC6-CULT-COOP-11 (grouping the H2020 projects related to the topic: Understanding the Transformations of European Public Administrations)

 - Co-Coordinator (with Walter Kickert) of the project "The influence of the EU on the administrative reform policy in countries under fiscal consolidation" (project supported by Erasmus University Rotterdam)

 - General Rapporteur of the COST Action IS1207 ‘Local Public Sector Reforms: An International Comparison’ (2016-)

 - Member of the International Chapter Development Taskforce of the American Society for Public Administration – ASPA (August 2016 – March 2017)

 - Member of the Advisory Board of the Civil Service Reform Fellowship at the Irish Government, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (2014-16)

 - OECD- SIGMA: Author of the discussion paper on the general findings of the project "Public Internal Controls in Europe"

 - Member of the Steering Committee of the FP7 project ‘Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future - COCOPS’ (2010-2014)

 - Member of the list of Experts for the Visitors Programme of the Bureau of European Policy Advisors (BEPA) of the President of the European Commission (since April 2011)

 - Member (independent expert) of the Reference Group for the 2009 evaluation of EU agencies conducted by the European Commission

 - Invited expert  at the Ateliers on Multi Level Governance of the Presidency of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union (2008)

Publications

Religion, spirituality, faith and public administration: A literature review and outlook (2024-10)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Tantardini, Michele
Public Policy and Administration, 39(4) (pp. 531-555)

Contours of a research programme for the study of the relationship of religion and public administration (2024-10)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Tantardini, Michele
Public Policy and Administration, 39(4) (pp. 521-530)

The long and winding road towards the EU policy of support to Member States public administration reform: History (2000–2021) and prospects (2024-01)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Policy and Administration, 39(1) (pp. 3-26)

Integrating the Neo Weberian State and Public Value (2024)
Ongaro, Edoardo
International Review of Administrative Sciences, 90(4) (pp. 830-844)

Integrating philosophical perspectives into the study of public administration: The contribution of Critical Realism to understanding public value (2024)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Yang, Yi
Public Policy and Administration ((Early Access))

Bringing Religion into Public Value Theory and Practice: Rationale and Perspectives (2024)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Tantardini, Michele
Administration & Society, 56(8) (pp. 972-1000)

The Neo-Weberian State in Italy: Understanding the Influence of Populist Government, EU Administrative Reform Support Policy, and Digitalization (2024)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Nasi, Greta
Journal of Policy Studies, 39(3) ((Early access))

Strategizing under conditions of Weberian bureaucracy and ethnic consociationalism (2024)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Sancino, Alessandro and Mendy, Sampierre
Public Administration Review ((early access))

[Editorial] International public administration and management: Towards the third phase? (2023-10)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Sancino, Alessandro
Public Policy and Administration, 38(4) (pp. 377-380)

Advancing knowledge in public administration: why religion matters (2023)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Tantardini, Michele
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 45(1) (pp. 1-6)

Social innovation during turbulent times: a systematic literature review and research agenda (2023)
Calò, Francesca; Scognamiglio, Fulvio; Bellazzecca, Enrico and Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Management Review, 26(6) (pp. 1706-1730)

Public management and policing: a dialectical inquiry (2023)
Hartley, Jean; Ongaro, Edoardo; Quick, Kathy and Schröter, Eckhard
Public Management Review, 25(9) (pp. 1711-1729)

Insights into public management from policing: introduction to the special issue of Public Management Review (2023)
Schröter, Eckhard; Quick, Kathy; Ongaro, Edoardo and Hartley, Jean
Public Management Review, 25(9) (pp. 1633-1639)

Debate: Why the religious factor has been forgotten in PA studies? (And how to remedy it) (2023)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Tantardini, Michele
Public Money & Management, 44(1) (pp. 7-8)

How the European Union responded to Populism and its Implications for Public Sector Reforms (2022)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Di Mascio, Fabrizio and Natalini, Alessandro
Global Public Policy and Governance, 2 (pp. 89-109)

Explaining system-level change in welfare governance: the role of policy indeterminacy and concatenations of social mechanisms (2021-07)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Longo, Francesco
Health Economics, Policy and Law, 16(3) (pp. 340-354)

Public administration, context and innovation: A framework of analysis (2021-04-26)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Gong, Ting and Jing, Yijia
Public Administration and Development, 41(1) (pp. 4-11)

Public administration: Context and innovation (2021-04-26)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Gong, Ting and Jing, Yijia
Public Administration and Development, 41(1) (pp. 3-3)

A theoretical framework for studying the co-creation of innovative solutions and public value (2021-04)
Torfing, Jacob; Ferlie, Ewan; Jukić, Tina and Ongaro, Edoardo
Policy & Politics, 49(2) (pp. 189-209)

Strategic management as an enabler of co-creation in public services (2021-01-28)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Sancino, Alessandro; Pluchinotta, Irene; Williams, Hannah; Kitchener, Martin and Ferlie, Ewan
Policy and Politics, 49(2) (pp. 287-304)

[Editorial] Non-Western philosophies and public administration (2021)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 43(1) (pp. 6-10)

L’administration européenne au défi de la philosophie (et inversement) [European administration challenged by philosophy (and vice versa)] (2021)
Dewandre, Nicole and Ongaro, Edoardo
Revue Française d'Administration Publique, 4(180) (pp. 901-916)

Lo sviluppo del management pubblico in Italia come scienza, arte e professione: prospettive filosofiche [The development of public management in Italy as science, art and profession: Philosophical perspectives] (2021)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Azienda Pubblica, 2021(2) (pp. 131-143)

Multi-Level Governance and Public Administration (2020-06-30)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics

Strategic Management in Public Organizations: Profiling the Public Entrepreneur as Strategist (2020-05-01)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Ferlie, Ewan
The American Review of Public Administration, 50(4-5) (pp. 360-374)

Influence of the European Semester on national public sector reforms under conditions of fiscal consolidation: The policy of conditionality in Italy 2011–2015 (2020)
Di Mascio, Fabrizio; Natalini, Alessandro; Ongaro, Edoardo and Stolfi, Francesco
Public Policy and Administration, 35(2) (pp. 201-223)

Researching COVID-19: A Research Agenda for Public Policy and Administration Scholars (2020)
Dunlop, Claire A.; Ongaro, Edoardo and Baker, Keith
Public Policy and Administration, 35(4) (pp. 365-383)

[Book Review] Bureaucratic discretion as a fascinating area of inquiry in public administration (2020)
Ongaro, Edoardo
International Review of Public Administration, 25(4) (pp. 293-297)

The teaching of philosophy in public administration programmes (2019-07-01)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Teaching Public Administration, 37(2) (pp. 135-146)

Toward Multi-Level Governance in China? Coping with complex public affairs across jurisdictions and organizations (2019-04-01)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Gong, Ting and Jing, Yijia
Public Policy and Administration, 34(2) (pp. 105-120)

EU-driven public sector reforms (2019-04)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Kickert, Walter
Public Policy and Administration, 35(2) (pp. 117-134)

Exploring Strategy-Making in ‘Non-New Public Management’ Public Services Settings: The Case of European Union Agencies (2019-03-11)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Ferlie, Ewan
Administrative Sciences, 9, Article 23(1)

Influence of the EU (and the IMF) on domestic cutback management: a nine-countries comparative analysis. (2019)
Kickert, Walter and Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Management Review, 21(9) (pp. 1348-1367)

Influence of EU (and IMF) on domestic consolidation and reform: Introduction (2019)
Kickert, Walter and Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Management Review, 21(9) (pp. 1261-1264)

Too big to fail? The dynamics of EU influence and fiscal consolidation in Italy and Spain (2008–2016) (2019)
Badell, Diego; Di Mascio, Fabrizio; Natalini, Alessandro; Ongaro, Edoardo; Stolfi, Francesco and Ysa, Tamyko
Public Management Review, 21(9) (pp. 1307-1329)

Change and continuity at PPA (2017-07-14)
Baker, Keith; Dunlop, Claire A and Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Policy and Administration, 32(4) (pp. 261-262)

Learning-Shaping Crises: A Longitudinal Comparison of Public Personnel Reforms in Italy, 1992‒2014 (2017)
Di Mascio, Fabrizio; Galli, Davide; Natalini, Alessandro; Ongaro, Edoardo and Stolfi, Francesco
Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 19(2) (pp. 119-138)

Five challenges for public administration in Southern Europe (2016)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Revista de Administração e Emprego Público [Administration and Public Employment Review], 1:3 (pp. 5-14)

Coordination Mechanisms for Implementing Complex Innovations in the Health Care Sector (2015)
Cucciniello, Maria; Guerrazzi, Claudia; Nasi, Greta and Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Management Review, 17(7) (pp. 1040-1060)

The fiscal crisis in the health sector: Patterns of cutback management across Europe (2015)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Ferré, Francesca and Fattore, Giovanni
Health Policy, 119(7) (pp. 954-963)

New development: The descriptive and explanatory power of multilevel governance in the ‘hard case’ of dis-uniting political unions (2015)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Public Money & Management, 35(1) (pp. 53-56)

Five challenges for public administrations in Europe (2015)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Administration, 63(3)

NPM, administrative reforms and public service motivation: improving the dialogue between research agendas (2014-06-30)
Bellé, Nicola and Ongaro, Edoardo
International Review of Administrative Sciences, 80(2) (pp. 382-400)

Public Sector Reform in a Context of Political Instability: Italy 1992–2007 (2014)
Mele, Valentina and Ongaro, Edoardo
International Public Management Journal, 17(1) (pp. 111-142)

Innovation-Oriented Culture in the Public Sector: Do managerial autonomy and result control lead to innovation? (2014)
Wynen, Jan; Verhoest, Koen; Ongaro, Edoardo; van Thiel, Sandra and in cooperation with the COBRA netwo,
Public Management Review, 16(1) (pp. 45-66)

The relationship between the new European governance emerging from the fiscal crisis and administrative reforms: Qualitatively different, quantitatively different, or nothing new? A plea for a research agenda (2014)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Halduskultur – Administrative Culture, 15(1) (pp. 10-20)

Religion and Public administration: An Introduction (2023-06-15)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Tantardini, Michele
ISBN : 978-1-80088-802-9 | Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing | Published : Cheltenham, UK

Strategic Management in Public Services Organizations: Concepts, Schools and Contemporary Issues (Second Edition) (2022)
Ferlie, Ewan and Ongaro, Edoardo
ISBN : 9781003054917 | Publisher : Routledge

Philosophy and Public Administration: An Introduction (Second Edition) (2020-08-04)
Ongaro, Edoardo
ISBN : 978-1-83910-033-8 | Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing | Published : Cheltenham

Philosophy and Public Administration: An Introduction (2017-08-25)
Ongaro, Edoardo
ISBN : 9781784718435 | Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing | Published : Cheltenham, UK

Strategic Management in Public Services Organizations: Concepts, Schools and Contemporary Issues (2015-03-09)
Ferlie, Ewan and Ongaro, Edoardo
ISBN : 9780415855389 | Publisher : Routledge

Section Overview: Governance and Management of Social Policy in Europe (2023-04-11)
Ferlie, Ewan and Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Baehler, Karen J. ed. The Oxford Handbook of Governance and Management for Social Policy (pp. 659-668)
ISBN : 978-0190916329 | Publisher : Oxford University Press | Published : Oxford, UK

Reforming public administration in Italy: Continuity and change from 1861 to 2020 (2023)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Di Mascio, Fabrizio; Melis, Guido and Natalini, Alessandro
In: Goldfinch, Shaun ed. Handbook of Public Administration Reform (pp. 227-246)
ISBN : 978 1 80037 673 1 | Publisher : Edward Elgar | Published : Cheltenham, UK

Forms of Knowledge for the Practice of Public Administration (2020)
Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Bouckaert, Geert and Jann, Werner eds. European Perspectives for Public Administration: The Way Forward (pp. 273-291)
ISBN : 9789462702035 | Publisher : Leuven University Press | Published : Leuven (Belgium)

Advancing the Theory and Practice of Public Sector Reform through the Analysis of Social Mechanisms (2019)
Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Capano, Giliberto; Howlett, Michael; Ramesh, M. and Virani, Altaf eds. Making Policies Work: First- and Second-order Mechanisms in Policy Design (pp. 154-171)
ISBN : 9781788118194 | Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing | Published : Cheltenham

The Transatlantic Dialogue (TAD) on Public Administration and Management and the Strategic Partnership Between ASPA and EGPA (2018-09-19)
Maron, Fabienne and Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Ongaro, Edoardo ed. Public Administration in Europe: The Contribution of EGPA. Governance and Public Management (GPM) (pp. 61-70)
ISBN : 978-3-319-92855-5 | Publisher : Springer

Conclusion: EGPA, EPPA and the Future of Public Administration in Europe (2018-09-19)
Bouckaert, Geert; Jann, Werner; Maron, Fabienne; Ongaro, Edoardo and Sahraoui, Sofiane
In: Ongaro, Edoardo ed. Public Administration in Europe: The Contribution of EGPA. Governance and Public Management (GPM) (pp. 355-361)
ISBN : 978-3-319-92855-5 | Publisher : Springer

What Does It Mean a European Learned Society in Public Administration? (2018-09-19)
Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Ongaro, Edoardo ed. Public Administration in Europe: The Contribution of EGPA. Governance and Public Management (GPM) (pp. 33-36)
ISBN : 978-3-319-92855-5 | Publisher : Springer

Introduction: The Past and the Future of a Community at the Heart of the Administrative Sciences (2018-09-19)
Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Ongaro, Edoardo ed. Public Administration in Europe: The Contribution of EGPA. Governance and Public Management (GPM) (pp. 1-8)
ISBN : 978-3-319-92855-5 | Publisher : Springer

Introduction (2018)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra
In: Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (pp. 3-10)
ISBN : 978-1-137-55269-3 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan

Public Administration and Public Management Research in Europe: Traditions and Trends (2018)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Van Thiel, Sandra; Massey, Andrew; Pierre, Jon and Wollmann, Hellmut
In: Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (pp. 11-39)
ISBN : 978-1-137-55269-3 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : London

Languages and Public Administration in Europe (2018)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra
In: Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (pp. 61-98)
ISBN : 978-1-137-55269-3 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan

Conclusions (2018)
Van Thiel, Sandra and Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra eds. The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (pp. 1235-1241)
ISBN : 978-1-137-55269-3 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan

Italy: A Tale of Path-Dependent Public-sector Shrinkage (2017-06-26)
Di Mascio, Fabrizio; Galli, Davide; Natalini, Alessandro and Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Sørensen, Eva Moll; Hansen, Hanne Foss and Kristiansen, Mads Bøge eds. Public Management in Times of Austerity
ISBN : 9781315563916 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : New York

Italy: Centralisation of Budgetary Processes as a Response to the Fiscal Crisis (2017-06-26)
Di Mascio, Fabrizio; Natalini, Alessandro; Ongaro, Edoardo and Stolfi, Francesco
In: Sørensen, Eva Moll; Hansen, Hansen and Kristiansen, Mads Bøge eds. Public Management in Times of Austerity
ISBN : 9781315563916 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : New York

Public Policy and Administration: Tradition, History and Reforms (2017)
Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Klassen, Thomas R.; Cepiku, Denita and Lah, T. J. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Global Public Policy and Administration. Routledge International Handbooks (pp. 117-126)
ISBN : 9781315710020 | Publisher : Routledge

Recruitment and Autonomy in English Universities (2016)
Hayward, Nick and Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Perin, Roberto Cavallo; Racca, Gabriella M. and Barbati, Carla eds. Il Reclutamento Universitario in Europa – The Academic Recruitment in Europe
Publisher : Editoriale Scientifica | Published : Naples

Italy: Set Along a Neo-Weberian Trajectory of Administrative Reform? (2016)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Ferré, Francesca; Galli, Davide and Longo, Francesco
In: Hammerschmid, Gerhard; Van de Walle, Steven; Andrews, Rhys and Bezes, Philippe eds. Public Administration Reforms in Europe: The View from the Top (pp. 185-193)
ISBN : 9781783475407 | Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing | Published : Cheltenham

EU Agencies and the European Multi-Level Administrative System (2015-07-06)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Barbieri, Dario; Bellé, Nicola and Fedele, Paola
In: Ongaro, Edoardo ed. Multi-Level Governance: The Missing Linkages. Critical Perspectives on International Public Sector Management (pp. 87-123)
ISBN : 978-1-78441-873-1 | Publisher : Emerald Publishing

Administrative Reforms in the European Commission and the Neo-Weberian Model (2015)
Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Bauer, Michael W. and Trondal, Jarle eds. The Palgrave Handbook of the European Administrative System. European Administrative Governance (EAGOV) (pp. 108-123)
ISBN : 978-1-137-33989-8 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : London

Coordinating Care in the Italian Region of Lombardy (2014)
Cucciniello, Maria; Galli, Davide; Guerrazzi, Claudia; Nasi, Greta and Ongaro, Edoardo
In: Lægreid, Per; Sarapuu, Külli; Rykkja, Lise H. and Randma-Liiv, Tiina eds. Organizing for Coordination in the Public Sector: Practices and Lessons from 12 European Countries. Public Sector Organizations (pp. 187-198)
ISBN : 978-1-137-35963-6 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : London

Strategic management of the transition to public sector co-creation (2024-04-22)
Torfing, Jacob; Ferlie, Ewan; Jukić, Tina and Ongaro, Edoardo
Torfing, Jacob; Ferlie, Ewan; Jukić, Tina and Ongaro, Edoardo eds.
ISBN : 978-1447369028 | Publisher : Policy Press

Public Administration in Europe: The Contribution of EGPA (2018-09-19)
Ongaro, Edoardo
Ongaro, Edoardo ed.
Governance and Public Management (GPM)
ISBN : 978-3-319-92855-5 | Publisher : Springer

The Palgrave Handbook of Public Administration and Management in Europe (2018)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra
Ongaro, Edoardo and Van Thiel, Sandra eds.
ISBN : 978-1-137-55269-3 | Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan | Published : Basingstoke/London

Multi-Level Governance: The Missing Linkages (2015-07-06)
Ongaro, Edoardo ed.
Critical Perspectives on International Public Sector Management
ISBN : 978-1-78441-873-1 | Publisher : Emerald Publishing | Published : Bingley, UK