Phd in POLITICAL STUDIES

Research: Synergy between citizens and public administration: concepts and tools for co-policymaking

The research project examines the theoretical, legal and institutional foundations of co-policymaking, with particular attention to the way in which the relationship between citizens and public administration is configured within participatory and collaborative governance throughout the entire public policy-making process. First, it explores the main theoretical paradigms underpinning co-policymaking, with specific reference to participatory democracy, open government and shared administration. Each of these paradigms is analysed in relation to the main instruments connected to it, in order to highlight both its theoretical premises and its practical implications. The project then examines the lexicon of the so-called ‘co-’ in public policies – from co-production to co-design, from co-creation to co-management – leading to a critical discussion of the concept of co-decision and of the dynamics of empowerment and disempowerment that may characterise collaborative processes. The research also addresses the formalisation of participation by comparing processes of institutionalisation and infrastructuring, while at the same time offering an overview of the main international and national trends in this field. Particular attention is devoted to the interaction between hard law and soft law, as well as to the development of an updated mapping of the main instruments for participation and for collaboration between citizens and public institutions. Finally, the project is structured around two central case studies: the analysis of open government policies within the framework of the Open Government Partnership in Italy and Portugal.