Post-crisis transition to resilience: Benchmarking innovative management practices in the public sector

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which public management can convert crises into levers of territorial resilience, balancing global standardization with local contextualization. A qualitative comparative study of ten territories (Germany, Rwanda, South Korea, Chile, Netherlands, Bangladesh, Quebec, Queensland, Agadir, São Paulo) was conducted through documentary triangulation combining 25 peer-reviewed articles, institutional reports (OECD, World Bank) and comparative indices. Operational decentralization significantly reduces reconstruction delays when accompanied by dedicated local resources (German case: -30% delays, GIZ 2022 data). Digital collaborative tools improve institutional responsiveness (Korean case: -40% decision time, Framework Act 2020), provided interoperability and accessibility conditions are met. These practices face structural regulatory rigidities and digital divides in developing countries. Territorial resilience requires agile and contextualized management, articulating bureaucratic and managerial logics. The “agile bureaucracy?? model, identified in Quebec and Dutch cases, offers a path beyond traditional theoretical oppositions. Practical implications call for budgetary deconcentration and development of technologies adapted to local realities.

Classification JEL: H11, H12, H83, M10, O38, Z18.

Paper type: Qualitative comparative research.