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Dr Alessandro Sancino

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Senior Lecturer in Management
  • The Faculty of Business & Law
  • The Open University Business School
  • Department for Public Leadership & Social Enterprise
  • alessandro.sancino

Professional biography

Dr. Alessandro Sancino (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Management at the Department of Public Leadership & Social Enterprise, where he brings extensive academic experience from posts held in Italy, Switzerland, Peru’ and the UK. Alessandro is a truly international scholar and he has published in top journals in the fields of public administration and regional studies with co-authors from about 20 different Countries. He is a member of the Executive Board of PUPOL (Public and Political Leadership Network) and of the Regional Studies Association Publications Committee. His research has been funded by several institutions, such as The College of Policing in UK, the UK Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Netherland Institute of Government, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR). Before coming to the UK, Dr. Sancino held top political leadership positions in Italy, nationally during the Monti Government and locally, including leader of the Council in his home town (the youngest in Italy at the time of his election, 2007) and councillor for the Milan metropolitan area. 

Research interests

Dr Sancino’s research is focused on cities, democracy, government-citizens relations, public value and social innovation. Some of the topics he is currently researching are: place-based leadership approaches, especially city leadership, the managerial work of city managers and smart cities; the relationship among technocracy, technology, populism and social movements in 21st century democracy; co-production of public services; the social context (mega-trends, grand themes and societal challenges) and the role of public management. 

Teaching interests

Dr Sancino’s teaching interests centre around the areas of strategic management for public purposes, corporate social responsibility, city management and political leadership. In the past he has taught postgraduate modules on human resource management in public sector, public network management, city management and co-production of public services at the Post Graduate School Business & Society of the Catholic University of Milan. At the Open University (OU) he has been producing modules on the role of context (economic, political, global) in business and management and on leadership practice. He has successfully chaired and been part of the team of the B100 module, the biggest undergraduate module at the OU.

Impact and engagement

Co-Chair of the Leadership Research Group at The Open University.

His work on public leadership in times of crisis has been used by the London Metropolitan Police after the Grenfell Tower incident. 

External collaborations

I acted as consultant for the ECREIN+ project (European interregional cooperation to strengthen eco-innovation) financed by the European Union’s Regional Development Fund.

I have been nominated as the youngest Leader of an Italian City Council for the year 2007.

PMRA (Public Management Research Association). RSA (Regional Studies Association). PUPOL (Public and Political Leadership Network). IIAS (International Institute of Administrative Sciences) Study Group X on "Co-production of Public Services". IPMN (International Public Management Network). IRSPM (International Research Society for Public Management). EGPA (European Group of Public Administration). ILA (International Leadership Association). ISTR (International Third Sector Research listserv - ISTR-list). EPSA (European Political Studies Association listserv - EPSA list).

 

Publications

Governance without we. Wicked problems and collaborative governance (2024-03-28)
Bannink, Duco; Sancino, Alessandro and Sorrentino, Maddalena
Public Policy and Administration ((early access))

Public service management during the Covid-19 lockdown: a qualitative study (2024-02-20)
Sancino, Alessandro and Tasselli, Stefano
Public Management Review ((early access))

Governing public heritage assets with civil society: exploring the typologies of collaboration by the dominant actor (2024)
Imperiale, Francesca; Sancino, Alessandro; Fasiello, Roberta and Ricci, Paolo
Journal of Management and Governance ((Early Access))

Social enterprise and social entrepreneurship in the Public Administration (PA) scholar field: a bibliometric analysis and some conceptual considerations (2024)
Calò, Francesca; Sancino, Alessandro and Scognamiglio, Fulvio
Public Management Review ((Early Access))

[Editorial] International public administration and management: Towards the third phase? (2023-10)
Ongaro, Edoardo and Sancino, Alessandro
Public Policy and Administration, 38(4) (pp. 377-380)

Institutionalizing Experimental Places for Inclusive Social Innovation: From Utopias to Heterotopias (2023-06-12)
Sancino, Alessandro; Scognamiglio, Fulvio; Corvo, Luigi; Imperiale, Francesca and Pasi, Giulio
Voluntas : international journal of voluntary and nonprofit organizations ([Early Access])

The Public Sector and Co-Creation in Turbulent times: A Systematic Literature Review on Robust Governance in the Covid-19 emergency (2023-03)
Scognamiglio, Fulvio; Sancino, Alessandro; Calo, Francesca; Jacklin-Jarvis, Carol and Rees, James
Public Administration, 101(1) (pp. 53-70)

New development: Mitigating disvalue through a material understanding of public value co-creation (2023-01)
Sancino, Alessandro; Braga, Alessandro; Corvo, Luigi and Giacomini, Davide
Public Money & Management, 43(1) (pp. 51-53)

The strategic governance of the digital accounting environment: insights from virtual museums (2023)
Esposito, Paolo; Braga, Alessandro; Sancino, Alessandro and Ricci, Paolo
Meditari Accountancy Research, 31(2) (pp. 366-380)

Monetary and symbolic rewards: do they matter for fostering co-commissioning and co-delivery of public services? (2023)
Barbera, Carmela; Nabatchi, Tina; Sancino, Alessandro and Sicilia, Mariafrancesca
Public Management Review ([Early Access])

Leaders' Networking Behaviours in a Time of Crisis: A Qualitative Study on the Frontline against COVID‐19 (2022-12-20)
Tasselli, Stefano and Sancino, Alessandro
Journal of Management Studies, 60(1) (pp. 120-173)

Stakeholder interactions as sources for organisational learning: insights from the water sector (2022-12-19)
Giacomini, Davide; Paredi, Diego and Sancino, Alessandro
Meditari Accountancy Research, 30(7) (pp. 1-25)

EU financial regulations and social impact measurement practices: A comprehensive framework on finance for sustainable development (2022-07)
Bengo, Irene; Boni, Leonardo and Sancino, Alessandro
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(4) (pp. 809-819)

"You can't Google everything": the voluntary sector and the leadership of communities of place (2022)
Rees, James; Sancino, Alessandro; Jacklin-Jarvis, Carol and Pagani, Michela
Leadership, 18(1) (pp. 102-119)

What can city leaders do for climate change? Insights from the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group network (2022)
Sancino, Alessandro; Stafford, Max; Braga, Alessandro and Budd, Leslie
Regional Studies, 56(7) (pp. 1224-1233)

Relational leadership in local governance: the engagement of mayors with citizens, public managers and politicians (2022)
Sancino, Alessandro; Carli, Giacomo and Giacomini, Davide
Public Management Review, 25(9) (pp. 1730-1754)

Essential, complex and multi-form: the local leadership of civil society from an Anglo-Italian perspective (2021-03)
Pagani, Michela; Sancino, Alessandro and Budd, Leslie
Voluntary Sector Review, 12(1) (pp. 41-58)

Place leadership and the role of the third sector and civil society (2021-03)
Potluka, Oto; Sancino, Alessandro; Diamond, John and Rees, James
Voluntary Sector Review, 12(1) (pp. 3-12)

Strategic management as an enabler of co-creation in public services (2021-01-28)
Ongaro, Edoardo; Sancino, Alessandro; Pluchinotta, Irene; Williams, Hannah; Kitchener, Martin and Ferlie, Ewan
Policy and Politics, 49(2) (pp. 287-304)

The governance games of citizens and stakeholders’ engagement: longitudinal narratives (2021)
Källström, Lisa; Mauro, Sara; Sancino, Alessandro and Grossi, Giuseppe
Local Government Studies, 47(5) (pp. 859-885)

Public network leadership and the ties that lead (2021)
Cristofoli, Daniela; Trivellato, Benedetta; Sancino, Alessandro; Maccio’, Laura and Markovic, Josip
Journal of Management and Governance, 25 (pp. 251-274)

New development: Covid-19 and its publics—implications for strategic management and democracy (2021)
Sancino, Alessandro; Garavaglia, Christian; Sicilia, Mariafrancesca and Braga, Alessandro
Public Money & Management, 41(5) (pp. 404-407)

Italian mayors and the management of COVID-19: adaptive leadership for organizing local governance (2021)
Garavaglia, Christian; Sancino, Alessandro and Trivellato, Benedetta
Eurasian Geography and Economics, 62(1) (pp. 76-92)

Local political leadership: from managerial performances to leaders-hip hop on social media? (2021)
Sancino, Alessandro
International Journal of Public Leadership, 17(3) (pp. 283-297)

Corporate Social Responsibility Actions and Organizational Legitimacy at the Peak of COVID-19: a Sentiment Analysis (2021)
Giacomini, Davide; Martini, Mattia; Sancino, Alessandro; Zola, Paola and Cavenago, Dario
Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 21(6) (pp. 1043-1058)

Managing co-production and enhancing good governance principles: insights from two case studies (2020-03-21)
Campanale, C; Mauro, S G and Sancino, Alessandro
Journal of Management and Governance

Leadership in, of, and for Smart Cities – Case Studies from Europe, America and Australia (2020)
Sancino, Alessandro and Hudson, Lorraine
Public Management Review, 22(5) (pp. 701-725)

Reconsidering public budgeting after the COVID-19 outbreak: key lessons and future challenges (2020)
Anessi-Pessina, Eugenio; Barbera, Carmela; Langella, Cecilia; Manes-Rossi, Francesca; Sancino, Alessandro; Sicilia, Mariafrancesca and Steccolini, Ileana
Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management, 32(5) (pp. 957-965)

Leading for social change: Waste management in the place of social (ir)responsibility (2020)
Esposito, Paolo; Ricci, Paolo and Sancino, Alessandro
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28(2) (pp. 667-674)

Leadership for public value: Political astuteness as a conceptual link (2019-06)
Hartley, Jean; Sancino, Alessandro; Bennister, Mark and Resodihardjo, Sandra L.
Public Administration, 97(2) (pp. 239-249)

Place leadership and regional economic development: a framework for cross-regional analysis (2019)
Beer, Andrew; Ayres, Sarah; Clower, Terry; Faller, Fabian; Sancino, Alessandro and Sotarauta, Markku
Regional Studies, 53(2) (pp. 171-182)

Facilitating co-production in public services: management implications from a systematic literature review (2019)
Sicilia, Mariafrancesca; Sancino, Alessandro; Nabatchi, Tina and Guarini, Enrico
Public Money & Management, 39(4) (pp. 233-240)

Between patronage and good governance: organizational arrangements in (local) public appointment processes (2018-12-31)
Sancino, Alessandro; Grossi, Giuseppe and Sicilia, Mariafrancesca
International Review of Administrative Sciences, 84(4) (pp. 785-802)

The introduction of mandatory inter-municipal cooperation in small municipalities: preliminary lessons from Italy (2018-04-09)
Giacomini, Davide; Sancino, Alessandro and Simonetto, Anna
International Journal of Public Sector Management, 31(3) (pp. 331-346)

Varieties of Participation in Public Services: The Who, When, and What of Coproduction (2017-08-29)
Nabatchi, Tina; Sancino, Alessandro and Sicilia, Mariafrancesca
Public Administration Review, 77(5) (pp. 766-776)

Towards a multi-actor theory of public value co-creation (2017)
Bryson, John; Sancino, Alessandro; Benington, John and Sørensen, Eva
Public Management Review, 19(5) (pp. 640-654)

Inter-Municipal Co-Operation in Italy: A Reform without Reformers? (2016-06)
Giacomini, Davide and Sancino, Alessandro
Regions Magazine, 303(1) (pp. 19-21)

Public services management and co-production in multi-level governance settings (2016-03)
Sicilia, Mariafrancesca; Guarini, Enrico; Sancino, Alessandro; Andreani, Martino and Ruffini, Renato
International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(1) (pp. 8-27)

A Framework for city leadership in multilevel governance settings: the comparative contexts of Italy and the UK (2016-02-05)
Budd, Leslie and Sancino, Alessandro
Regional Studies, Regional Science, 3(1) (pp. 129-145)

The meta co-production of community outcomes: towards a citizens’ capabilities approach (2016-02)
Sancino, Alessandro
VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations, 27(1) (pp. 409-424)

New development: Directly elected mayors in Italy: creating a strong leader doesn’t mean creating strong leadership (2016-02)
Sancino, Alessandro and Castellani, Lorenzo
Public Money and Management, 36(2) (pp. 153-156)

Motivazioni, condizioni organizzative e competenze manageriali per la co-produzione dei servizi pubblici: un caso di studio [Motivations, organizational arrangements and managerial skills for co-production of public services: a case study] (2015)
Sicilia, Mariafrancesca; Guarini, Enrico; Sancino, Alessandro; Andreani, Martino and Ruffini, Renato
Azienda Pubblica, 28(2) (pp. 157-173)

Stakeholder management e governance locale: quale ruolo per il management pubblico? (Stakeholder management and local governance: which role for public managers?) (2014)
Sancino, Alessandro
Azienda Pubblica, 27(3) (pp. 260-279)

The transactional and the relational approach to contracting out public services: how do they work? (2013-01)
Sancino, Alessandro and Sicilia, Mariafrancesca
Journal of Finance and Management in Public Services, 11(1) (pp. 1-13)

New development: the crisis and European local government reforms” (2013)
Meneguzzo, Marco; Sancino, Alessandro; Guenon, Marcel and Fiorani, Gloria
Public Money and Management, 33(6) (pp. 459-462)

Il New public management in alcuni paesi in via di sviluppo tra eterogenesi dei fini e managerial fashion [Public management reforms in developing countries between heterogenesis of purpose and managerial fashion] (2013)
Braga, Alessandro and Sancino, Alessandro
Rivista Italiana di Ragioneria e di Economia Aziendale RIREA, 113(7-8-9) (pp. 695-708)

Gli enti locali tra crisi e spending review: quale ruolo per il non-profit? [Local authorities between crisis and spending review: what role for non-profit sector?] (2013)
Braga, Alessandro; Sancino, Alessandro and Sicilia, Mariafrancesca
Non Profit: diritto e management degli enti non commerciali, 19(2/3) (pp. 21-36)

Il Direttore Generale dei Comuni tra (city) management, politica e governance locale [City managers between (city) management, politics and local governance] (2012-04)
Sancino, Alessandro
Economia & Management, 2 (pp. 101-119)

Between democracy and management: local government and the dilemma of spoils system. An analysis of the UK model. (2011)
Sancino, Alessandro
Economia Aziendale Online, 2(3) (pp. 303-310)

Debate: Community governance as a response to economic crisis (2010-03)
Sancino, Alessandro
Public Money and Management, 30(2) (pp. 117-118)

L’attuazione del paradigma della public governance negli enti locali: implicazioni per il management [The implementation of public governance model in local government: managerial implications] (2010-01)
Sancino, Alessandro
Economia Aziendale Online, 1 (pp. 49-58)

The managerial work of Italian city managers: an empirical analysis (2009-08)
Sancino, Alessandro and Turrini, Alex
Local Government Studies, 35(4) (pp. 475-491)

L’esercizio dello spoil system nella governance dell’ente locale: alcuni casi a confronto [Spoils system in Italian local governments: a comparison among some case studies] (2009)
Sancino, Alessandro
Azienda Pubblica, 22(3) (pp. 533-559)

Le caratteristiche del lavoro del city manager: una risposta esplorativa [What do city managers really do? An exploratory analysis] (2008)
Sancino, Alessandro
Azienda Pubblica, 21(2-3) (pp. 235-257)

Place leadership, policy making and politics (2021-02-22)
Sancino, Alessandro; Budd, Leslie and Pagani, Michela
In: Sotarautu, Markku and Beer, Andrew eds. Handbook on City and Regional Leadership. Research Books in Urban Studie (pp. 57-70)
ISBN : 9781788979689 | Publisher : Edawrd Elgar | Published : London

City Leadership and Social Regeneration: The Potential of Community Leadership and the New Roles for Public Managers and Politicians (2018)
Sancino, Alessandro and Budd, Leslie
In: Sacchetti, Silvia; Christoforou, Asimina and Mosca, Michele eds. Social Regeneration and Local Development: Cooperation, Social Economy and Public Participation (pp. 175-185)
ISBN : 9781138236394 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : New York/Oxon

Cross-Sector Collaboration for Public Value Co-Creation: A Critical Analysis (2018)
Sancino, Alessandro; Rees, James and Schindele, Irene
In: Stout, Margaret ed. From Austerity to Abundance?: Creative Approaches to Coordinating the Common Good. Critical Perspectives on International Public Sector Management (pp. 59-73)
ISBN : 978-1-78714-466-8 | Publisher : Emerald

Directly Elected Mayors vs. Council Appointed Mayors – Which Effects on Local Government Systems? A Comparison between Italy and Spain (2016)
García García, María Jesús and Sancino, Alessandro
In: Sadioglu, Ugur and Dede, Kadir eds. Theoretical Foundations and Discussions on the Reformation Process in Local Governments (pp. 288-303)
ISBN : 9781522503170 | Publisher : Information Science Reference - IGI Global

Italian city managers: caged leaders? (2014)
Sancino, Alessandro; Meneguzzo, Marco and Cristofoli, Daniela
In: Diamond, John and Liddle, Joyce eds. European Public Leadership in Crisis?. Critical Perspectives on International Public Sector Management (3) (pp. 75-84)
ISBN : 9781783509010 | Publisher : Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Coinvolgimento degli stakeholder e generazione di valore condiviso nelle amministrazioni pubbliche [Stakeholder engagement and the creation of shared value in public organizations] (2012-11)
Sancino, Alessandro
In: Fiorani, Gloria; Jannelli, Roberto and Meneguzzo, Marco eds. CSR 2.0 proattiva e sostenibile. Tra mercati globali e gestione della crisi. (Corporate Social Responsibility 2.0 proactive and sustainable. Between global markets and crisis management) (pp. 127-142)
ISBN : 9788823843509 | Publisher : Egea | Published : Milan

Managing successful networks: the case of intermunicipality collaboration” (2011)
Cristofoli, Daniela; Maccio, Laura and Sancino, Alessandro
In: Yearbook of Swiss Administrative Sciences (pp. 121-139)
ISBN : 978-3-905839-13-5 | Publisher : Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Verwaltungswissenschaften | Published : Winterthur

Un confronto internazionale: come altri Paesi europei hanno declinato il Patto di stabilità interno (An international comparison: how some European countries have applied the Internal Stability and Growth Pact) (2009-10)
Caperchione, Eugenio; Pattaro, Anna Francesca and Sancino, Alessandro
In: Amatucci, Fabio; Pezzani, Fabrizio and Vecchi, Veronica eds. Le Scelte Di Finanziamento Degli Enti Locali (pp. 91-110)
ISBN : 978-88-238-4240-3 | Publisher : Egea | Published : Milan

Coproduction of Public Leadership: The Engagement of Mayors With Citizens, Managers and Politicians (2019-08-01)
Sancino, Alessandro; Carli, Giacomo; Giacomini, Davide and Pagani, Michela
In : Academy of Management Annual Meeting (09/08/2019-13/08/2019, Boston MA, USA)

The search of a new logic of public administration reforms: the case of metropolitan areas in Italy (2014)
Ruffini, Renato; Tuca, Mihaela; Sancino, Alessandro and Andreani, Martino
In : 9th International Conference on European Integration, Realities and Perspectives (16-17 May 2014, Galati, Romania) (pp. 396-399)

Reshaping (local) public management in turbulent times: conceptualizing domains and providing recommendations for public managers (2014)
Borgonovi, Elio and Sancino, Alessandro
In : Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management Conference (3-5 Dec 2014, Sydney)

Sport as a system of city leadership: comparing the case of Milton Keynes (UK) and Brescia (Italy) (2016-06-16)
Budd, Leslie and Sancino, Alessandro
Regions Magazine, Regional Studies Association