The 2009 Summer School on Public Management Research (SSPUM 2009) will be held at the Forlì Campus of University of Bologna, and will focus on research issues and research methodology in public management.

It will be taught by highly experienced faculty, many of whom have won awards for their teaching, and have devoted a major portion of their careers to studying public sector management in both industrialized and emerging countries. 

The principal goal of SSPUM 2009 is to help improve the ability of researchers in the field of public management to develop a and present a research proposal.  The goal will be to have each participant leave the course with a draft design of a research project (either for a doctoral dissertation or a manuscript). We seek applicants who have demonstrated their interest in public sector management in the past, and who are committed to continuing to work in this area in the future.

SSPUM 2009 is co-directed by Professor (Emeritus) David W. Young, of the Boston University School of Management, and Visiting Professor (since 2003) at the University of Bologna, Forlì Campus; and Associate Professor Emanuele Padovani of the University of Bologna, Forlì Campus.  Their curriculum vitae are available at the following URLs:
 

http://www.davidyoung.org

http://www2.sa.unibo.it/docenti/emanuele.padovani/cveng.html

SSPUM 2009 is designed primarily for doctoral students at the dissertation stage and junior faculty who wish to learn new skills that will assist them in conducting research projects in the public sector. Although SSPUM's main focus is on academicians, prior editions have included several practicing managers. These managers have found that the program provided them with some useful conceptual frameworks for their work, and also that their real world experiences helped to enrich the classroom discussions for everyone. 

In the past, about one half of the program's participants have been from Italy, with the remainder coming from such countries as the United States, Canada, Germany, Greece, Serbia, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Brazil, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Albania. The program welcomes applications from individuals in any country who feel their English is sufficiently well developed to allow them to be an active participant.

In view of its contents, the SSPUM 2009 would be relevant to graduate students and PhD students, preferably with a background in public management, as well as professionals interested in public management, such as managers, analysts, consultants in government institutions, agencies and other organizations closely associated with the public sector (e.g. public utility companies). Candidates will be selected on the basis of:

1)  Their CV;     

2)  Their interest in, and commitment to, public management

3) A letter of presentation written by the applicant’s supervisor or one of his/her professors;

4)  A telephone interview to assess their English language proficiency.

Program and Teaching Methodology

SSPUM 2009 is an intensive, 6-day program that requires participants' total dedication and intellectual commitment. The program's learning process, based principally on the case method of instruction, assists participants to develop both knowledge and skills in the context of a variety of conceptual frameworks. They then use those frameworks in formulating research projects appropriate to their professional interests.

SSPUM will be worth 4 credit units, meaning that it will consist of 25 contact hours, plus 40 hours of workgroup, and 35 hours of individual work.
 

Certificates of completion will specify that the participant completed the program in one of four ways: 

With High Honors                                  

With Honors                             

With Satisfactory Performance                            

With Marginal Performance         

The first three days, will be devoted to the presentation of some key concepts of management accounting, management control systems, and the organizational environment of the public sector.  The remaining three days will be dedicated to the presentation and discussion of research projects by researchers in the field of public sector to assist the SSPUM participants to see how to formulate and present a research proposal. Finally, each participant will present his or her research project (either for a doctoral dissertation or a manuscript) to the entire group.

The program is conducted entirely in English, and requires a strong command of the language. Many classes involve discussions, with the topics shifting several times during the class.  As a result, participants will need to be able to understand what is being said and make comments relatively crisply and fluidly.

see: Program details