Principles and Best Practices of Public Administration in Italy and the United States

This article introduce an analysis of the New Public Management (NPM) approach based on an international comparison between United States and Italy. These two countries offer good cases for a comparative investigation as Italy has a legalistic cultural tradition in public administration while the cultural tradition in the United States emphasizes management. The key differences between NPM reforms in Italy and United States are to be found in their historical roots, implementation processes, continuity of reforms, political/administrative dichotomy, and focus on strategic management.