Managerial Capacity and Public–Private Dynamics in the NRRP: Governance, Interest Representation, and Accountability

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Nrrp) is one of the most important strategic policies of the last years. It is a strategic programme introduced to address the country’s future challenges and its aim is to allocate a significant amount of resources over a long period. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Nrrp) represents a challenge for the capacity of the Italian Public Administration since it manages complex processes, ensures transparency and accountability, and maintains a delicate balance between the public and private interests. This work examines the dynamics through which private actors influence or support the Public Administration and discusses their implications for public management, governance, and administrative capacity. At this point, the Nrrp is investigated due to its combined features of administrative complexity, decision-making urgency, and the allocation of extensive financial resources for structural reforms. This analysis of the Nrrp not only focuses on the presence of lobbying and interest representation dynamics, but also on the widespread recourse to private consultancy firms, and the risks emerging from distortions associated with such phenomena. It argues for the need for a clear regulatory framework establishing criteria for accessing the public sphere and for assessing the actual benefits delivered to society. The thesis, therefore, aims to deepen the understanding of the role of private actors within public processes, with a specific focus on the Nrrp. The research is structured into three complementary papers: the first paper focuses mainly on the dynamics of interest representation and lobbying; the second examines the use of private consultancy; the third discusses an approach to public management oriented towards strengthening administrative capacity, transparency, and the creation of public value. Overall, the work investigates the channels through which private actors influence or support the Public Administration and explores their implications for governance, public management, and administrative capacity. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on a combination of official documents, academic contributions, media articles, and institutional reports. The integration of the three studies makes it possible to combine theoretical perspectives with empirical analysis, providing a comprehensive overview of private actor involvement in the public sphere and its related implications. In summary, the findings suggest that the involvement of private actors in the public domain should be neither demonised nor normalised without conditions. Consequently, a transparent, regulated, and balanced system of governance is required.