Defensive Bureaucracy in Italy: an Introduction

Defensive bureaucracy is considered one of the main factors that hinder the effectiveness of public administration’s action. It is a wide notion, that deals with the delicate balance between the need for an efficient public administration and the need for holding public officers accountable for their actions. This introduction aims at defining the issue and to provide the general context for the following studies about the possible factors that influence the defensive attitude of public employees. The aim of the research is to deliver a tool for a first understanding of how the subject is shaped in the Italian legal context, by giving an interdisciplinary overview of the main aspects that concern the topic, in an attempt to contribute to the international doctrinal debate.