Causes and Effects of Processes’ Complexity in Public Institutions: Some Experiences from Italian Universities

Guido Modugno, Ferdinando Di Carlo and Manuela Lucchese
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Guido Modugno: Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Trieste, Piazzale Europa 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
Ferdinando Di Carlo: Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics, University of Basilicata, Via Nazario Sauro, 85100 Potenza, Italy
Manuela Lucchese: Department of Economics, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Corso Gran Priorato di Malta, 81043 Capua, Italy

Administrative Sciences, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of complexity in the administrative processes in public institutions; in particular, accounting routines and processes are examined. Back-office activities, although having a merely supporting role in the delivery of public services, are often quite complex and use a significant amount of public institutions’ resources. However, the literature reveals a scarce use of accounting data by politicians and citizens. While the relation between complexity and costs has been the subject of major research in the business world, this issue is still unexplored with regard to the administrative processes of public institutions. This paper is based on an in-depth analysis of two cases in the higher education sector.

Keywords: efficiency; support activities; processes; public administration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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