From new public management to public risk management: an overview of Italian municipalities

Since the early 1990s, New Public Management has influenced the management of organizations in the public sector that have implemented managerial behaviors increasingly similar to those of the private sector. More recently there have been claims that also Risk management should be implemented in the public sector. In light of the above, this research aims to understand if and how Italian municipalities perform risk management practices. The analysis focuses on a sample of 502 large municipalities (in terms of population) distributed in all Italian regions and develops a quali-quantitative approach – departing from a qualitative content analysis based on documents published in the municipalities official websites. The main results are that a significant percentage of municipalities are performing risk management and that in this they display a significant isomorphic behavior.