The Common Good as an Invisible Hand : Machiavelli's Legacy to Public Management

Abstract: Public management has been dominated by the quest for efficiency and has left us with fundamental ethical questions, which remain unresolved. It is argued that Machiavellian thought may provide us with concepts and tools applicable to ruling societies confronted with uncertainties and change that are 1) in line with the most recent insights in institutional evolution and 2) appropriate to solve complex decision-making problems. The common good-central concept of Machiavelli's thought - appears to be an invisible hand that lowers the transaction costs and acts as the keystone of complex public affairs thinking. This analysis is illustrated by a comparative case study of the two management projects of infrastructure crossing the Alps, the AlpTransit in Switzerland, and the Lyon Torino Link. It concludes with a proposal to upgrade the research programme in public management that allows effectiveness (legitimacy of the ends) and effectiveness in its implementation