Public value-oriented integrated strategic planning in inter-municipal networks: a configurational analysis of Italian unions of municipalities

Purpose The article identifies sufficient combinations of managerial conditions for public value-oriented integrated strategic planning in inter-municipal networks, addressing the limited cross-fertilization between the public value, strategic planning and network management literatures. Design/methodology/approach A configurational perspective is adopted, applying a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to 24 Italian unions of municipalities. The aim is to examine how and to what extent combinations of political leadership, integrated planning, measurability and collaboration shape the orientation of strategic planning towards public value. Findings Public value-oriented integrated strategic planning emerges through multiple, equifinal configurations of conditions. Three alternative pathways are identified, highlighting the substitutable and complementary roles of political leadership, collaboration and externally anchored multidimensional measurement systems. Research limitations/implications The study examines a single national context. The positioning of Italian unions along established international taxonomies of inter-municipal governance supports their analytical value as a comparative reference point. Future research could test the configurations in other institutional settings. Practical implications The equifinal structure of the findings serves as a navigational guide for public managers. The measurability-only pathway is particularly accessible to resource-constrained unions, where externally validated frameworks can substitute for more demanding internal coordination mechanisms. Originality/value The study connects the public value, strategic planning and inter-municipal and collaborative governance literatures. It positions itself explicitly within ongoing debates on the operationalization of public value, demonstrating its analytical value.