The selection of PA executives or CEO (head of the administration) is a complex process which penlights the blurred borders between politics and administrative power. There is an international convergent path toward a combination of merit and spoil system logic which underlies the relevance of other variables rather than political trust or spheres segregations, to describe and analyze executives’ appointment. The Italian case is effective to draw lessons because it first moved from merit to spoil system rules, but with poor cultural adaptation and agreement, then transformed in a mixed appointment model. Still, every public sector tells a different story, in its dynamic historical developments, making clear which variables are critical. This offers evidence for depicting a comprehensive assessment and classification model of executive’s selection modes which is here provided.