ESADE and the PwC Foundation have renewed the collaboration commitment first established by the two institutions in September 2016 with the aim of promoting training and creating knowledge on the main challenges facing the public sector, specifically government bodies, public administrations, state-owned companies and other institutions. 

This collaboration further strengthens the alliance between ESADE and PwC through the development of the ESADE-PwC Public Sector Transformation Observatory, whose main objective is to analyse and generate knowledge that helps to transform public institutions and their relationships with private organisations and society as a whole.

The Observatory, led by Director Isabel Linares (Senior Counsellor at PwC Spain) and Academic Director Juan Luis Manfredi, is organised around three main aims: contributing to the training of socially responsible professionals who work in the public sector or interact with institutions; fostering debates on public sector issues that can help to build a fairer and more prosperous society; and creating knowledge that enables public organisations to improve their functioning.

“At this crucial moment, we must undertake reforms, and the public sector is essential,” declared Observatory Director Isabel Linares. “We must transform it so that it can occupy the place it deserves. The people who work for the public sector and make it possible are the key to this transformation. It is therefore fundamental that these people be trained in public leadership.”

Governance training for the public sector

As part of one of the Observatory’s lines of work, the third edition of the ESADE-PwC Executive Programme in Public Governance is getting underway this year. More than 70 students from all over Spain have already completed this course. Many of these alumni hold public sector posts: mayors, members of parliament, senators, civil servants and advisers. Juan Luis Manfredi commented: “This programme is a pioneer in public sector transformation, thanks to dynamics aimed at making the governance, leadership and management of public organisations more innovative.”

The programme develops knowledge, skills, relational capacities, attitudes and values, with the aim of cultivating a top-quality, comprehensive model of leadership and public management that will help to meet citizens’ needs. “The methodology begins with participatory modules and a practical approach,” explained Mr. Manfredi. “The programme trains participants to lead and manage public organisations and to develop inter-administration cooperative relationships with the private business sector and the third sector.”

Debate and research on public leadership and institutional quality

The public sector is undergoing a major process of political, economic and social transformation. To foster reflection on the public sector’s role and help it work better, the ESADE-PwC Public Sector Transformation Observatory will undertake various projects with a common theme: the transformation of the public sector through the evolution and modernisation of models, practices and structures.

Through these efforts, the Observatory fosters dialogue and social debate with Spain’s most important stakeholders in the field of public governance. To gain a better understanding of the challenges facing the public sector and discuss possible solutions, the Observatory organises debates on current-affairs topics such as communication, public leadership, strategic planning, urban transformation, political risk, the need to professionalise public management, etc. These events bring together professionals from a wide range of fields, including Luis Cueto, General Coordinator of the Office of the Mayor of Madrid; Jordi Sevilla, President of Red Eléctrica de España; Rafael Catalá, former Spanish Minister of Justice; Begoña Villacís, Spokesperson for Ciudadanos in the Madrid City Council; and Simon Manley, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Spain.

Throughout the present academic year, the collaboration initiative between ESADE and PwC will organise applied research activities that forge links between the public and private sectors, acting as a platform for dialogue and knowledge creation. These activities will focus on the subjects of public leadership, institutional quality, public-private partnerships and the healthcare sector.