The Institute of Public and Non-Profit Management (PNP) of the Johannes Kepler University Linz aims to contribute to the progress of knowledge in the following sectoral orientations through fundamental and practice-oriented research:

1. In the political-administrative system of state and administration, the focus is on the question of how the public perception of tasks under special scarcity conditions should be shaped and further developed. (Public Management)
2. Beyond market and state, the focus is on controlling those organizations that do not pursue profit goals (not-for-profit) but pursue charitable, social, cultural or scientific goals. (Non-Profit Management)

The aim of the institute's research activities is a business-oriented public management research, which actively supports and supports the reform of the public sector and its administrations through analyzes and theories, accompanying research and projects. The management of public units must be guided by the change of perspective that has been taking place in the private sector for quite some time, moving away from hierarchical, vertical and rule-based (bureaucratic) control towards a much stronger focus on value-added processes in markets and networks with greater consideration of plural stakeholder interests. Public management aims to support this change from the bureaucratic, norm-driven administration to result-oriented, rational administration management and to accompany it through appropriate activities in research, teaching and practical knowledge transfer - in the sense of gaining knowledge, which is charcterized by a concept of theory-guided practice and practice-guided, empirically grounded science.

From this understanding of public value creation aimed at efficiency and effectiveness, numerous fields of action emerge in the current reform practice. The PNP focuses on two topics that can be seen as essential for the future performance of the public sector (competitiveness of a region). On the one hand, there is the modernization of public finance and accounting as a central information system for the sustainable, transparent and resource consumption-oriented management of public value-added processes (public financial management). On the other hand, there is an increased demand for research in the area of ​​public innovation management, in particular with regard to the use of new IT technologies (eGovernment) as well as new cooperation and collaboration models (public private partnership and open government).

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) have a firm place in modern societies as service providers and as forums for civic engagement and participative democracy, complementing the activities of private households, state institutions and commercial enterprises. They regularly work in the service of a mission, that is, certain idealistic concerns, and act in many ways value-oriented. Social change processes also generate new framework conditions for the mission-oriented action and work of NPOs, some of which are confronted with fundamental changes. Nonprofit management supports NPO in overcoming these challenges and, through innovative approaches, helps to actively shape these transformation processes.