Tourism is a relevant sector in terms of social development, considering its contribution to the quality of life for people with special needs. Accessible tourism, by virtue of its complexity, requires the development of studies on the collaboration among different actors. This leads to this article’s research interest in the public—private partnership (PPP) as a managerial tool that allows cooperation and that can support the development of accessible tourism objectives in marine protected areas (MPAs). Applying the case study methodology, we investigate certain aspects characterizing PPPs governance. Answering the two proposed research questions, we conclude that (1) sharing similar moral values facilitates trust between the partners and (2) differing skills of the partners represent advantages in facing the complexity related to accessible tourism objectives.

The financial crisis has made the theme of economic development particularly significant. Analysis of this topic cannot ignore a key actor, that is, public administration. Here, we focus on all the Italian municipalities (n = 7,978), analyzing the relationship between local public policies (in terms of municipalities’ governance and local governments’ financial engagement) supporting urban economic development and local entrepreneurial presence (total number of active firms). Applying the general least square (GLS) method for over 4 years (2014–2017; n = 31,912 observations), we find that the financial autonomy of cities and their financial efforts toward international programs, agriculture, agri-food and fisheries, tourism, culture, and economic development policies favor entrepreneurial presence. Our conclusion, contributing to public management and policy literature, also highlights some limits of the research and some related opportunities for further research on the subject.

Purpose: Communication within a public organization is a fundamental aspect considering its contribution both to organizational well-being and – as highlighted by recent literature – to the improvement of relations with external users. This paper aims at analyzing the relevance of different dimensions of communication and the relationship between communication and citizens' satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on data collected through questionnaires (303; 86%) filled in by the public personnel of an Italian local government to verify the communication dimensions relevance. The authors applied the OLS method to test the relationship between communication dimensions and citizens' satisfaction (deriving from the municipality's customer satisfaction survey system, which collected 3,708 questionnaires).Findings: The authors show that four of the five communication dimensions considered are particularly relevant and that two of them (“interpersonal communication” and “organizational communication”) positively influence the level of satisfaction of users of local public services (citizens' satisfaction), also countering the negative perception of certain sectors (e.g. taxes and local taxation, traffic police). The conclusion also highlights some limitations of the work.Originality/value: The study brings new insights into the impact of communication (as an element of public employee well-being) on citizen satisfaction, leading to some useful implications for public managers.

Although the scientific debate in the field of business economics is rich in contributions to the subject of sustainability, they mainly focus on a specific aspect represented by sustainability reporting. Consistent with this bibliographic evidence, the aim of this study was to investigate a sustainability management model in local authorities, which, by examining the dimensions of sustainability, goes beyond the focus of reporting highlighted in the literature to consider the entire sustainability cycle (from planning to measurement). To this end, the methodology of the single case study with multiple units of analysis is used, examining the case of an Italian local authority that has experimented with the sustainability management model described in this paper. The analysis of the case leads to some concluding remarks on the strengths and weaknesses of the model, contributing to the scientific debate on sustainability management and providing useful indications for public managers and political decision-makers.

After highlighting the breadth and complexity of the concept of sustainability and highlighting the role of local authorities in sustainable development, this chapter aims to interpret how sustainability management can consider the concept of financial sustainability in the context of local governments. It does this through the following specific objectives: 1) defining financial sustainability, considering it not only autonomously, but in an integrated manner with respect to the typical sustainability dimensions (environmental, social, and economic) that are usually involved in the local authorities activity; 2) proposing the main stages of the sustainability cycle in the local authorities to highlight the key moments and the role of financial sustainability; 3) analyzing some aspects of financial indicators as tools for measuring the financial side of the sustainability profile of a local government. In order to reach the aim of the chapter, the research methodology followed is the literature review.