Public management reform in Italy: explaining the implementation gap

The article outlines the sets of factors influential on the implementation of public management reform in the politico-administrative context of Italy. Some broad sets of factor affecting implementation of public management reform have been identified; they include: characteristics of the administrative tradition and features of the politico-administrative context; the design of the reform package and the coalition of interests sustaining the reform; behavioural triggers; the building over the time of management capacity at the level of individual public sector organisations.