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on Project, Program and Portfolio Management |
| By: | Andrea Borsato (UniBg - Università degli Studi di Bergamo = University of Bergamo, BETA - Bureau d'Économie Théorique et Appliquée - AgroParisTech - UNISTRA - Université de Strasbourg - Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) - Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA) Mulhouse - Colmar - UL - Université de Lorraine - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Valentina Erasmo (UNITO - Università degli studi di Torino = University of Turin) |
| Abstract: | This paper offers a qualitative discussion about the possibility of achieving a more balanced relationship between excellence (via meritocracy) and pluralism (via diversity) in the allocation of public funding in economic research. The historical and methodological transformations that have shaped the discipline call for abandoning a strict meritocratic approach to funding in favour of supporting more varied research projects that still meet high standards of scientific research. Such an approach would help avoid distorting the endogenous evolution of economics, encouraging the development of new alternative research programs and fields alongside the traditional mainstream orthodox neoclassical perspective. Accordingly, we argue that the historical and methodological evolution of a discipline should be considered among the possible criteria policymakers adopt for funding research allocation. To support this argument, we first examine how mainstream pluralism has progressively counterbalanced economic imperialism, thus calling for a more inclusive definition of meritocracy that fosters major diversity also in funding allocation. We then offer a Schumpeterian interpretation of advantages and limitations of both strict meritocratic and pluralistic approaches to funding. The paper concludes with some policy recommendations to promote diversity in research funding as a means to reduce inequalities in academic contexts, particularly within the so-called "dismal science". |
| Keywords: | Pluralism, Research funding, Schumpeter, Meritocracy, Diversity |
| Date: | 2026–03–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05840835 |
| By: | Abdeladim Ennahal (UMD [Université Mohamed 1er] [Université Mohamed Premier] - Université Mohamed Ier [Oujda, Maroc] = Mohamed I University [Oujda, Morocco] = جامعة محمد الأول (ar)) |
| Abstract: | Drawing from the findings of a PhD dissertation defended in 2023, this article examines state agencification in Morocco as an emerging model for managing public sector projects under the New Public Management framework. The study addresses the following central research question: What is the optimal combination of explanatory factor groups driving project management success in Moroccan public establishments? The primary objective is to identify the organizational, human, and regulatory levers conditioning the performance of complex public projects. Grounded in a positivist stance and a quantitative hypothetico-deductive approach adapted from Belassi and Tukel's (1996) framework, the empirical research analyzes data from 61 decision-makers across 14 major Moroccan public agencies and state-owned enterprises. Multiple linear regression analysis reveals that project success extends beyond technical planning tools, relying heavily on project manager leadership, organizational design flexibility, and public procurement legal agility. Theoretically, this research contributes to public management literature by introducing institutional variables into project performance models within an emerging economy context. Managerially, it recommends establishing Project Management Offices (PMOs), empowering project managers, and shifting away from rigid a priori controls toward outcome-based governance to grant public agencies genuine operational autonomy |
| Abstract: | S'inscrivant dans la dynamique des réformes du Nouveau Management Public, cet article est issu des travaux de notre thèse de doctorat soutenue en 2023. Il examine l'agencification de l'État au Maroc comme un nouveau modèle de modernisation de la gestion des projets publics. La recherche s'articule autour de la problématique centrale suivante : Quelle est la combinaison optimale des groupes de facteurs explicatifs du succès du management de projets des établissements publics au Maroc ? L'objectif principal est d'identifier les leviers organisationnels, humains et réglementaires déterminant la performance des projets publics complexes. Mobilisant une posture épistémologique positiviste et une démarche quantitative hypothético-déductive inspirée du modèle de Belassi et Tukel (1996), l'étude s'appuie sur un échantillon de 61 responsables issus de 14 grands établissements et entreprises publics (EEP) marocains. Les traitements statistiques par régression linéaire multiple démontrent que le succès des projets ne dépend pas uniquement de la maîtrise des outils techniques, mais repose sur le leadership du chef de projet, la flexibilité organisationnelle et l'adaptation du cadre juridique de la commande publique. Sur le plan théorique, cet article enrichit la littérature en intégrant la dimension institutionnelle/règlementaire comme variable explicative centrale dans un pays émergent. Sur le plan managérial, il préconise l'institutionnalisation des PMO, la revalorisation du statut des chefs de projet et l'allègement des contrôles a priori. |
| Keywords: | Configuration organisationnelle, Performance organisationnelle, Nouveau management public Agencification, Public agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs), Public sector projects, Organizational design, Organizational performance, New Public Management, Projets publics, établissements et entreprises publics, Agencification, Agencification établissements et entreprises publics Projets publics Configuration organisationnelle Performance organisationnelle Nouveau management public Agencification Public agencies and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) Public sector projects Organizational design Organizational performance New Public Management |
| Date: | 2026–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05753947 |
| By: | Abdeladim Ennahal (UMD [Université Mohamed 1er] [Université Mohamed Premier] - Université Mohamed Ier [Oujda, Maroc] = Mohamed I University [Oujda, Morocco] = جامعة محمد الأول (ar)) |
| Abstract: | This article presents a critical and analytical literature review of public management and public service delivery, with the objective of elucidating the conceptual foundations, theoretical frameworks, and historical dynamics that have shaped this field of research and practice. Public management is not conceptualized as a mere transposition of private sector management techniques into the public realm. Rather, it constitutes a coherent ensemble of methods, practices, and paradigms shaped by the distinctive imperatives of public governance—namely, democratic legitimacy, public value creation, and institutional complexity. The analysis delineates the key distinctions between public administration, public governance, and public management, with particular emphasis on the strategic, cross-functional character of the latter. The emergence of New Public Management (NPM) is examined as a paradigmatic shift of considerable significance, having introduced the precepts of performance, results orientation, and accountability into the management of public affairs. Concurrently, the limitations of this paradigm are critically assessed, specifically its propensity for over‑standardization, depoliticization, and the attendant risk of state retrenchment. The article subsequently explores the trajectory toward more balanced models—namely post‑NPM, governance, and results‑based management—which accommodate the specificities of public sector contexts, including actor pluralism, coordination challenges, and imperatives for innovation. In conclusion, the study advocates for an integrated conception of public management as a strategic lever for modernization, regulatory effectiveness, and public value creation within a transforming state. |
| Abstract: | Cet article propose une revue critique et analytique de la littérature relative au management public et à la gestion des services publics, dans le but de clarifier les fondements conceptuels, les courants théoriques et les dynamiques historiques qui ont structuré ce champ de recherche et de pratique. Le management public est présenté non pas comme une simple transposition des logiques managériales privées dans le secteur public, mais comme un ensemble de pratiques, de méthodes et de paradigmes façonnés par des exigences spécifiques à la sphère publique, notamment la légitimité démocratique, la production de valeur publique et la complexité institutionnelle. L'analyse met en lumière les distinctions essentielles entre administration publique, gestion publique et management public, en insistant sur le caractère stratégique et transversal de ce dernier. L'émergence du New Public Management (NPM) est examinée en tant que tournant majeur ayant introduit les notions de performance, de résultat et d'imputabilité dans la conduite des affaires publiques. Toutefois, les limites de ce paradigme sont également discutées, notamment en ce qui concerne la standardisation des approches, la dépolitisation de l'action publique et le risque de désengagement de l'État. L'article souligne ensuite l'évolution vers des modèles plus nuancés (post-NPM, gouvernance, gestion par les résultats), intégrant les spécificités du contexte public, la pluralité des acteurs, ainsi que les enjeux de coordination et d'innovation. Enfin, une approche intégrée du management public est proposée en tant que levier de modernisation, de régulation et de création de valeur dans un État en mutation. |
| Keywords: | New Public Management, Public performance, Governance, Nouveau Management public Public management, Performance publique, Gouvernance, Management public, Management public Gouvernance Performance publique Nouveau Management public Public management Governance Public performance New Public Management |
| Date: | 2026–09–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05753945 |