Investigating Efficiency in Public Project Management: A Preliminary Analysis with the Use of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

During the last decade, the need for an effective and efficient public system has become increasingly important to many countries. For endemic reasons, private entities have always been deemed smarter and faster than public organizations. The present study reflects a first specific investigation of the so-called “public efficiency” related to the Public Project Management, collocating itself in the ground of the New Public Management. Given the nature of the subject, which is highly complex and considers various factors, the proposed scientific approach is the use of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps, a soft computing strategy for causal information acquisition supporting the reasoning process. The case study selected to accomplish this preliminary analysis concerns a public university in the center of Italy, focusing on the administrative process of approving of an R & D project proposal.