Background The issue of public services and public service organizations’ (PSO) sustainability is becoming a really challenging one as consequence of the global recession. Some theoretical frameworks, e.g. NPM, seem to be... [ view full abstract ]
Background
The issue of public services and public service organizations’ (PSO) sustainability is becoming a really challenging one as consequence of the global recession. Some theoretical frameworks, e.g. NPM, seem to be cornered because they are focused on a model of transaction, unable to catch the complexity that many PSOs face in achieving sustainability, due to the fact that the product-dominant basis is counter-productive to the survival of most PSOs, principally those dealing with the delivering of services for people, where a key element is represented by the role of the staff.
Recent research trends are trying to answer to the very challenging question regarding the identification of new models able to define and evaluate public services and PSOs’ sustainability. The present work aims at giving a small contribution in this direction.
Design/methodology
Derived from two projects founded by the European Social Fund (from Dec 2012 to May 2015), the present work, run using qualitative methods (interviews and direct observation), analyses some aspects regarding the sustainability of five local PSOs, engaged in delivering services for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), in Denmark, Italy, Poland, Spain, and UK. People with autism face big difficulties in interacting with other people and there is no possibility to have a cure, but effective services, run since infancy, can be really effective in assuring a possible inclusion. These services are strictly “people oriented” and their effectiveness derives from the ability of having a good interactions among users, PSO’s staff, and all interested stakeholders (first of all families).
Results/findings
Although belonging to different countries and, consequently, facing different realities, the five PSOs seemed to be inspired by similar ways of acting for what regards the definition of the aims and the intervention strategy planning for services’ users.
Even though, when the analysis started, the SERVICE framework was not known, some conclusions derived from the study really seem to go in the same direction, underlining the relevance of the following dimensions: relevance of the System; complexity of the Value for the users; centrality of the Co-Production.
Moreover the study, even if has the limit of being based only upon five cases of a particular category of services delivering, hypothesizes a “transversal category”, that might be defined “cultural system and traditions”. Indeed also if, as stated above, the five PSOs had the same inspiration, their governance and management seemed to be deeply influenced by the traditions present in each country which affected the design of strategies in order to look for sustainability in a period of recession. In particular the role of public administration in defining general governance rules and the role of families and communities were found to be factors that made the difference.
Acknowledgment
Although having only an author, this work is the result of the desire and way of expressing their role and functions of dozens among operators, managers, users, caregivers, and family members of five EU countries and would have never been possible without the help of ESF.
