Michael Di Francesco

Michael Di Francesco is an Associate Professor in Policy and Governance at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU), specializing in public administration. He serves as Director of Education at Crawford School and Academic Director of its Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Program. Previously, he held a joint appointment as Associate Professor at ANZSOG and UNSW. He earned a BEc (Hons I) from the University of Sydney and a PhD (Public Policy) from ANU.

His research focuses on Australian public administration, including public budgeting, financial management, organizational rule frameworks, and public management policy. He has published in leading journals like Public Management Review and Public Budgeting & Finance, and co-authored the book Balancing Control and Flexibility in Public Budgeting (2016). His work bridges academia and practice, advising governments globally on fiscal reforms.

Michael’s career includes senior roles at the Australian Department of Finance (Assistant Secretary, 2019) and NSW Treasury (Principal Advisor, 2003–2010). He has advised international bodies like the IMF, World Bank, and ADB on budget frameworks in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, and China. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Australian Journal of Public Administration and holds editorial roles in policy journals.

His awards include the IPAA Sam Richardson Award (twice) for impactful policy research. He actively contributes to public management education, case program development, and policy analysis training through ANZSOG and Crawford School initiatives.