Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale

Good Practice

About the project

The Good Practice (GP) project aims at fostering sustainability in the higher education context, characterized by limited public funding, continuous innovation and increased competition. This goal is achieved through a participative research project with a network of universities, which voluntary benchmark the performances of their support services. The research team has developed collaboratively an evaluation model for their support services, which enhances both internal and external accountability.

The project started in 1999 and it is now (2018) at its 14th cycle. In 1999 10 state universities were involved; now 40 state universities are participating voluntarily and self-financing the benchmarking

Principal Investigators:  Mario Calderini, Irene Bengo

Researcher team:  lead by Michela Arnaboldi, it includes Tommaso Agasisti, Deborah Agostino, Mara Soncin, Andrea Robbiani. Giovanni Azzone provides scientific supervision.

Funders: Italian universities

Duration: 1999-now

KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS
OUTPUTS & IMPACT

KEY RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The Good Practice (GP) project aims at fostering sustainability in the higher education context, characterized by limited public funding, continuous innovation and increased competition. This goal is achieved through a participative research project with a network of universities, which voluntary benchmark the performances of their support services. The research team has developed collaboratively an evaluation model for their support services, which enhances both internal and external accountability.

The project started in 1999 and it is now (2018) at its 14th cycle. In 1999 10 state universities were involved; now 40 state universities are participating voluntarily and self-financing the benchmarking.

The GP project has to date impacted at different levels:

  • At the societal level, it has contributed improving the quality of the higher education system, thanks to the diffusion of a measurement-based culture. By leveraging on the importance to measure and discuss best practices, we have contributed supporting the system in deciding where to allocate the limited resources.
  • At the university network level, it has stimulated cooperation and dialogue in a highly competitive field, usually characterized by the desire to retain costs information.
  • At individual university level, it has fostered internal accountability facilitating universities in identifying feasible target for support services, which have now become an element of attraction for universities.
  • At the academic level, the project contributed to improve performance management in universities, covering both the technical aspects (performance indicators and benchmarking) and relational aspects linked to the use of the instruments and the impact on universities performance.

OUTPUTS & IMPACTS

  • Contributing to policy documents preparation. The activities and competences developed by the GP network over the years have contributed to the preparation of policy documents. Specifically, the performance evaluation activities by the GP network has informed the definition of ANVUR guidelines at the national level for the Integrated Plan of Performance
  • Involvement of the principal investigator in the National Commission for Performance Management in the Public Sector (under the Ministry of Public Administration)

Main academic outputs:

  • Agostino, D., & Arnaboldi, M. (2018). Performance measurement systems in public service networks. The what, who, and how of control. Financial Accountability & Management, 34(2), 103-116.
  • Azzone, G., Soncin, M. (2018). Factors Driving University Choice: A Principal Component Analysis on Italian Institutions. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 733-741. doi:10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8076.
  • Agostino, D. and Arnaboldi, M. (2015), “The New Public Management in hybrid settings: new challenges for performance measures”, International Review of Public Administration, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 353-369
  • Arnaboldi M. (2013) “Consultant-researchers in Public Sector Transformation: an evolving role” Financial Accountability and Management, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 140 – 160.
  • Arnaboldi M., Azzone G., (2010) “Constructing performance measurement in the Public Sector”, Critical Perspective on Accounting, Volume 21, Issue 4, April, pp. 266-282.
  • Arena M., Arnaboldi M., Azzone G., (2010) “Student Perception and Central Administrative Services: the case of higher education in Italy” Studies in Higher Education, Volume 35, Number 8.
  • Arena M., Arnaboldi M., Azzone G., Carlucci, P. (2009) “Developing a Performance Measurement System for the Central Administrative Services of the universities” Higher Education Quarterly, Vol. 63, No 3, pp. 237-263.
  • Agasisti T., Arnaboldi M., Azzone G. (2008) “Strategic Management Accounting in University: The Italian Experience”, Higher Education, Volume 55, Number 1 / January.
  • Arnaboldi M., Azzone G. (2006) “Activity Based Costing and Management in Budgetary Devolution and University Reforms” Accounting, Accountability & Performance, Volume 12, Number 1, June. [no ABS].
  • Arnaboldi M., Azzone G. (2004) “Benchmarking University Activities: an Italian Case Study” Financial Accountability and Management, Volume 20 (2) pp. 205 – 220.