Monday 3 January 2011

Article: Ten years after. The rise and fall of autonomy in Pompeii

I've just come across a very interesting paper by Luca Zan (Univ. di Bologna) on the management of Pompeii that was presented in early December. Probably the only up-to-date document you'll find in English that discusses the very complex management system at the Vesuvian sites from the creation of an "autonomous superintendency" to the recent special commissioner. For those following a lot of polemical press coverage on Pompeii over recent months, this should provide useful context and updates Zan's previous articles on Pompeii's management (see his bibliography for refs).

Ten years after. The rise and fall of autonomy in Pompeii
Luca Zan and Paolo Ferri
December 2010

Abstract: In September 1997 a regulation (law No. 352/1997) gave to Pompeii a new status: from its previous standing as a local branch of the Ministry of Culture (the Soprintendenza) it was configured as an autonomous entity (Soprintendenza autonoma). In July 2008, the Italian Prime Minister declared a one year state of emergency in Pompeii, appointing a special commissioner (Commissario straordinario) belonging to the Civil Protection in order to cope with “the serious critical situation of the archeological area” (DCPM 3692/2008). The aim of the paper is revise the process of change throughout ten years in Pompeii, observing major institutional transformations and analyzing the evolution of the activities and the human and financial resources management. Beyond shading some lights on one of the most important experiment for the Italian public sector - i.e. the autonomy of Pompeii, the paper further explores the distinctive features of the country’s public administration within a broader NPM and post-NPM debate.

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