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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Accetturo, Antonio; Baltrunaite, Audinga; Lazzaro, Elena; Mancini, Anna Laura |
| Abstract: | We examine how incentives and organizational innovations affect the performance of public administrations in the provision of infrastructure, a core public good. We study Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), which combines an unprecedented investment program with a distinctive governance model for the delivery of projects, based on performance-based conditionality, simplified procedures, contracting authorities' qualification, and economic incentives to accelerate the awarding and the start of the projects. Exploiting variation within and across municipalities we find that the NRRP significantly improved procurement awarding. In particular, the performance-oriented approach played a central role in boosting administrative performance and was further enhanced by the qualification of procuring authorities. In the execution phase, the higher initial liquidity contributed to the rapid start of construction works. We do not detect appreciable effects on the subsequent progress, likely reflecting the lack of adequate performance incentives for private counterparts in the Plan's design. |
| JEL: | D73 H57 H83 |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:21596 |
| By: | Sinanoglu, Semuhi; von Schiller, Armin |
| Abstract: | International donors commit substantial resources to GovTech projects (the application of information and communication technologies to government functions). World Bank GovTech investments alone have exceeded $118 billion over the last three decades. Donor strategy documents consistently frame digital transformation not only as a vehicle for improved effectiveness but also for strengthening democracy. Autocrats are equally invested in these tools. Globally, at least 88 authoritarian regimes currently operate GovTech projects, and electoral autocracies receive the largest share of GovTech aid (48.6 per cent of commitments). Beyond well-known surveillance applications, autocracies deploy GovTech for service delivery, grievance redress and even citizen engagement. These platforms are deployed to project an image of responsiveness and legitimacy. Our experimental evidence from Turkey shows how efficiency-enhancing GovTech tools, when paired with sophisticated regime communication, can durably entrench autocratic rule. We designed a survey experiment focused on CIMER, Turkey's widely used citizen petition platform, to examine how citizens respond to the government propaganda surrounding it. The results show that the government's framing of CIMER as an effective tool that "gets things done" significantly increased trust in authoritarian institutions, even among regime opponents. The effect extended beyond attitudes to behaviour: Asked to allocate a hypothetical donation of money among state institutions, independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or themselves, anti-government respondents exposed to messages on the platform were significantly more likely to give the money to state institutions. Our recommendations are as follows: Donors must take the second-order effects of GovTech initiatives seriously and develop mechanisms to carefully evaluate the risks of unintended consequences. In many cases, support for GovTech projects is overly optimistic regarding their effects on political openness. Adopting a more context-sensitive and realistic approach demands detailed political economy assessments before supporting GovTech projects and developing monitoring metrics that capture potential regime-legitimation effects. Donors need to build stronger safety guardrails into these projects. Depending on the political economy assessments, such measures could include the institutional involvement of international organisations or, if feasible, local NGOs (as conditionality) in platform oversight, mandatory independent audits and open data standards by design, among others. Finally, donors need to consider actively participating in public communication on these platforms, with visible donor branding, to counter government-controlled propaganda, claim credit for service delivery and strengthen trust in donor countries and organisations. |
| Keywords: | Digitalisation, GovTech, E-Government, digital authoritarism, propaganda, public administration, democracy, digital democracy, digital citizenship, digital bureacracy |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:idospb:341383 |
| By: | Hilbrich, Sören; Berensmann, Kathrin |
| Abstract: | Financial markets still provide financing on a large scale for investments in environmentally harmful activities, while projects conducive to the green transformation are often not funded. Sustainable finance policies, such as new reporting requirements and standards for sustainable financial instruments, have so far mostly focused on creating transparency. However, transparency alone is insufficient to turn the financial sector from a driver of environmental crises into a lever for the green transformation. Many countries of the Global South face special challenges, including high interest rates, currency depreciation and limited opportunities to shape global policies (e.g. banking regulations and standards for sus-tainable financial instruments) in their interests. Aligning financial markets with sustainability objectives requires a comprehensive policy mix comprising policies that change incen-tives. These policies can include credit guidance instruments such as credit targets, green refinancing schemes and differentiated capital requirements, and tax policies such as differentiated capital gains taxes for green and non-green assets. International forums, such as the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS) and the Sustainable Banking and Finance Network (SBFN), remain valuable for mutual learning and for addressing cross-border effects of financial regulations. Policies to mobilise private resources should not be considered as a substitute for public investments or public steering, which are both crucial for the green transformation. |
| Keywords: | Green Finance, Sustainable Finance, Transparency, Credit Guidance, Central Banks, Financial Regulations |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:idospb:341382 |
| By: | Isaac Mann; David M. Levinson (TransportLab, School of Civil Engineering, University of Sydney) |
| Abstract: | ABSTRACT This paper presents a novel revealed†preference approach to estimating the value of travel time (VTT) and calculating consumer surplus for the economic evaluation of transport infrastructure. Departing from traditional stated†preference models, we derive time valuations by linking residential rental transactions in Greater Sydney to employment accessibility. We estimate a hedonic price function that controls for unobserved amenities and spatial sorting, recovering VTT estimates consistent with current cost†benefit analysis practice. Furthermore, we leverage the non†linearity of the price gradient, as well as cross†market variation in the price gradient, to perform a second†stage regression without instrumental variables, recovering the structural demand function for accessibility. This allows us to quantify welfare changes from non†marginal accessibility shocks, demonstrated on the Sydney Metro West project, grounding project appraisal in revealed spatial behavior. |
| Keywords: | transportation, transport economics, transport networks |
| JEL: | R40 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nex:wpaper:paper-2026-10 |
| By: | Hoffmann, Ulrich; Reinking, Ernst |
| Abstract: | Der vorliegende Beitrag eröffnet die Auseinandersetzung mit Künstlicher Intelligenz aus der Perspektive der Unternehmensführung. Er ordnet das Thema betriebswirtschaftlich ein, benennt typische Fehlhaltungen im Umgang mit der Technologie und nimmt der häufig als hochtechnisch wahrgenommenen Begriffswelt die Berührungsangst. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird der gegenwärtige Hype-Zyklus nüchtern eingeordnet - insbesondere unter Bezug auf eine 2025 vom Massachusetts Institute of Technology vorgelegte empirische Untersuchung, der zufolge rund 95 Prozent der untersuchten Unternehmens-KI-Projekte ohne messbaren Geschäftsergebnis-Beitrag bleiben. Es wird gezeigt, dass die Ursachen dieser Misserfolgsquote überwiegend organisatorischer und nicht technischer Natur sind und damit unmittelbar in den Gestaltungsraum der Unternehmensführung fallen. Auf dieser Grundlage führt der Beitrag durch die vier technischen Entwicklungsstufen, die heutige KI-Systeme geprägt haben: Sprachmodelle (LLMs), informationsergänzte Generierung (RAG), handlungsfähige Agenten und den Verbindungsstandard MCP. Abschließend wird gezeigt, wie diese Bausteine zu einer modernen KI-Produktarchitektur zusammenwirken und welche Architektur für welchen Anwendungsfall geeignet ist. |
| Abstract: | This article begins an exploration of artificial intelligence from the perspective of business management. It frames the topic within a business context, identifies common misconceptions regarding the technology, and helps readers overcome their apprehension toward terminology that is often perceived as highly technical. Against this backdrop, the current hype cycle is analyzed objectively - particularly in light of an empirical study published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2025, which found that approximately 95 percent of the corporate AI projects examined failed to yield any measurable contribution to business results. It is demonstrated that the causes of this failure rate are predominantly organizational rather than technical in nature and thus fall directly within the scope of corporate management. Building on this foundation, the article guides readers through the four technical development stages that have shaped modern AI systems: large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), action-capable agents, and the MCP connectivity standard. It concludes by showing how these components combine into a modern AI product architecture and which architecture suits which use case. |
| Keywords: | Unternehmensführung, KI-Strategie, Generative Künstliche Intelligenz, Betriebswirtschaft, Innovationsmanagement, Digitale Transformation, IT-Management, Organisationsentwicklung |
| JEL: | M10 M15 O33 O32 D83 L86 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:341460 |