Professional Regulatory Entanglement: : The Curious Case of Project Management in Italy

Abstract

Recent growth in the internationalization of economic activity has favoured an increase of control at a supranational level. A typical example of such institutions are the corporate professions. Attempting to replicate the successful strategies of the collegial professions but embracing advantages presented by global markets, corporate professions are confronted by the dilemma of how to reconcile the demands of stakeholders at both national and global levels. This research investigates the model corporate profession of Project Management and its development within the Italian context using a historical case study methodology. What was once a simple bargain involving two actors, the state and the profession, is now a much more complex system involving multilateral negotiations between multiple actors and a number of different and often competing agendas. It identifies barriers in the form of increased professional regulatory entanglement and reveals evidence of some homogenisation of professional practice as corporate professions invade national enclaves.