POWERs AND duties of top level public employees: SANT’ANNA school frontline scholars stand at the forefront of ethics across public institutions

Power leads to duty. We all expect Public Officers and Public Officials to have more power and higher levels of integrity. Ethics and specific rules should regulate the behavior of public leaders as they exercise public powers on behalf of the country. In recognizing this, Novara City Council authority, Questura di Novara, Fondazione Castello and Sant’Anna School organized a seminar on “Power and Public Duty. The Role and Responsibility of Local and Regional Authorities” addressing themes of ethics management and public sector decision-making. Taking place on Thursday, 28 November at 9.00 am, in Novara - Castello Visconteo Sforzesco, the seminar coordinated by Alberto Pirni, professor of Public Ethics at Sant’Anna School Dirpolis Institute, will focus on the impact of ethics policies on governance, leadership, performance, accountability and transparency.

“We are proud to announce our partnership with the Novara City Council authority – said Alberto Pirni - Sant’Anna School scholars and more specifically the Dirpolis Institute research team working on Public Ethics will provide specific and tailored training on principles, standards and ethical obligations. It is important for all public managers that they act lawfully and exercise their power properly. Therefore, standards of integrity must be set at the highest levels and the Novara authorities assumed important decision in focusing on the fundamental right of citizens for good governance and better services. This rise of ethical expectations reflects the citizens’ attitudes towards authorities showing less tolerance to unethical behavior than ever before. We hope this citizen-orientation and citizen satisfaction with public service, as a key indicator in evaluating governance capability, give rise to a deeper reflection and greater accountability at local and national level”.

Keynote speakers and participants include Rita Piermatti (Prefect of Novara), Alessandro Canelli (Mayor of Novara), Rosanna Lavezzaro (Novara’s Police Commissioner), Alberto Pirni (Sant’Anna School); Nicola Pasini (University of Milano); Alessandra Pioggia (University of Perugia); Mario Paganini (Councillor, Anti-Corruption Commission, Novara City Council).