Definition
Metabolism of public organization is a managerial approach to explain the utilization and transformation of inputs (mainly public funding) to produce and supply products and services in order to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of organizations in competitive markets.
Introduction
The concept of metabolism, in a broad analogy, can be applied from biology to public management to analyze processes running from inputs to outputs in organizations and explain how public organizations use economic resources provided by governments to produce/supply outputs and services in society. The concept of metabolism is uncommon in the studies of management and a brief background is useful to clarify it. In biology, metabolism indicates chemical processes that, in living organisms, transform food and drink into energy. The concept of metabolism in a context of Generalized Darwinism in science...
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Coccia, M. (2019). Metabolism of Public Organizations. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3711-1
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