Nasi and Borlini Receive a Grant from the American Embassy

FOR A RESEARCH PROGRAM ON THE REDESIGN OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES AFTER COVID

Greta Nasi, Associate Professor of Economics and Management of Public Administration at Bocconi and Director of Research for Government at SDA Bocconi School of Management, and Leonardo Borlini, Assistant Professor at the Department of Legal Studies at Bocconi, have received research funding from the American Embassy in Italy, as part of the Alumni Small Grant Program 2020. Their project, "Redesign Municipal Services to Create City Value in the Aftermath of COVID-19", developed in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan, aims at redesigning local public services so that they are not only better suited to deal with the pandemic emergency, but also become a permanent improvement for citizens and administration.
 
The embassy's program, reserved for scholars who have participated in the past in an American government exchange program, aims to involve alumni in the activities of the American mission in Italy and to strengthen cultural contacts on issues of mutual interest. This year's theme was the recovery stimulus in the post-COVID period. The funding will cover about two thirds of the research program cost, which amounts to €29,000.
 
The two Bocconi scholars, who have both benefited from Fulbright grants in the past, have focused their project on the services offered by the municipality to individuals as citizens and potential entrepreneurs. They think that cutting red tape for start-ups can make it easier for those affected by the COVID crisis to be productive again and can become a permanent competitive advantage.
 
In a first phase, Professors Nasi and Borlini will try to understand how citizens think that the Municipality can create value. “Research immediately prior to the pandemic indicated the breadth of education choices, waiting times for specialist medical examinations and air quality as three critical factors”, says Prof. Nasi, "but we will have to understand how COVID has changed these perception”. Subsequently, through focus groups involving citizens and representatives of the administration, the two scholars will design the new services, so that they meet citizens' needs, are practically viable and compatible with different levels of legislation.
 

by Fabio Todesco