The IRS has had a team of researchers specialised in public policy for over 15 years. We work with a wide range of public and private sector organisations with an interest in policy development and implementation.
Our main activities include:
- Policy evaluation designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public policy interventions through in-depth analysis of the implementation processes used and the quality of the results achieved.
- The design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation processes to strengthen the internal management of public sector organizations, (for example, audit processes, quality control, and staff performance evaluation)
- Institution Building including change management and the planning and analysis of institutional and administrative innovation;
- Training, working both with public administrations and the academic world.
In striving to realise our research and consultancy objectives, we work closely with other teams within IRS with specialised interests in policy areas such as Urban issues, Work and Training, the Labour Market and Industrial Relations, and Health and Social Services.
Given the highly decentralised nature of public service delivery in Italy the majority of our clients are Regional and Local Authorities, although we also work with Central Government Ministries and National Public Entities. We also have considerable esperience working with clients in the Private and nonprofit sectors.
We also collaborate frequently with a range of professional specialists from outside our own organisation, and we have close ties with a number of networks of European researchers and research centres.
Our research team has also produced a wide range of specialised publications in the field of policy analysis and public administration.
- Institution Building
Our research, analysis and planning activities aim to create practical solutions for strengthening internal management processes, and for governing interorganizational relationships.
In particular we have developed analytical tools for the strategic reorientation of policies to facilitate consensus building and conflict management in partnership situations, with a particular focus on stregthening leadership roles in multilevel policy contexts. We have developed specialized experience in the areas of strategic planning, the shared management of services between administrations, the governance of local public service providers (eg. local authorities, universities etc.) and the integration of new structures and functions within public institutions (for example, the development of evaluation units in regional authorities).