# A Sustainability Management Model for Local Government: An Explanatory Study
## 6 Conclusions  
The managerial literature on the subject of sustainability has essentially focused on the reporting phase through the determination of sustainability indicators. Hence, the objective that guides this work is to investigate a model that integrates sustainability management into the planning and control cycle of the local authority. The research methodology used to achieve this objective was that of the single case study with multiple units of analysis. The case of the municipality that acted as the testing public organization for the model was analyzed.  
The model tested is aimed at determining the level of sustainability (environmental, social, economic, cultural) in local authorities through the use of an integrated approach and the measurement of certain elements (achievement of objectives, customer satisfaction, financial commitment, level of sustainability in the previous year) relating to the sustainability profile of a local authority.  
Finally, the analysis carried out allows for the formulation of some useful concluding remarks for politicians and public managers concerning:  
1. Political will. The lack of real political will to develop a sustainability management model is perceived at a managerial level and throughout the administrative structure, thus undermining the effectiveness of the model itself;
2. The need for training ([PERSON] and [PERSON], 2021): * To develop the sustainability skills needed to implement the model; * To create consensus on the model. Experimentation has shown that it is not effective to bring in an innovative model/aspect from outside the local authority if it is not shared by the internal structure. Internal sharing is not easy, both due to its very nature--as it concerns the cultural profile of those who work in the local authority--and when it has to be achieved in a rather short time. Adequate training support is therefore essential to address these critical issues.
3. The need to develop a specific software related to the implementation of the model, both for data collecting, and for the elaboration of sustainability indicators. This would allow the model to speed up its related processes and be more easily shared among its users, including citizens. Indeed, the use of digital technologies is a fundamental factor of sustainable development ([PERSON] et al., 2021)
4. The dissemination of the model despite its \"non-compulsoriness\". The implementation of the described model also in other local authorities would be desirable in order to identify further strengths and weaknesses and, consequently, to optimize its applicability, functioning and possibility of benchmarking. Dissemination is facilitated by the fact that the analyzed model uses documents that are in use by law in all local authorities.  
The main limitation of the work is represented by the fact that it analyzes a model of sustainability management contextualized within the Italian local government, characterized by its own management and regulatory characteristics. At the same time, we think that the logic underlying the model (link between objectives-actions-results of sustainability) can be usefully replicated outside the Italian context.  
A further limitation of the work is represented by the use of a single case study on a complex model that provides numerous elements of investigation. In this regard, we hope for longitudinal advancement in the use of the model in order to be able to develop future research by applying the multiple case study methodology.  
Conceptualization: F.D.M. and E.B.; Formal analysis, F.D.M.; Methodology, F.D.M. and E.B.; Supervision, E.B.; Writing--original draft, F.D.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
Not applicable.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.