Integrating Social Responsibility of Business, Civil Society and Government: New Perspectives on Measuring Public Value

Abstract

Starting from the perspective of Public Management and Governance, this paper aims to offer a set of preliminary answers to the question of how governments themselves should shape policy-making, performance measurement and reporting in order to facilitate interaction with non profit organizations and responsible business practices. The paper describes a case study based on a five-year research project that involved a regional government in Italy. The initiative focused on encouraging and supporting local leaders in government, business and civil society to develop and to share the Region's public value reporting as a common resource. Following a brief discussion about 'public value' and the 'social responsibility' of organizations, the paper describes how participating actors developed the conceptual framework in order to map social responsibility in a multi-sector context and across government layers. Implications for public management and governance are then discussed.