Session 2

Definition “ Public administration is a vehicle for expressing

the values and preferences of citizens, communities and

society as a whole. Values change over time. Periodically one

set becomes predominant and its energy transforms the role of

government and the practice of public administration”

(Bourgon p7)

Weberian, Welfare State, Managerial, Networked governance

WEBERIAN STATIST MANAGERIAL NETWORK

Form Hierarchy Hierarchy Contract Networks

Discipline Constitutional Law, Political Science

Policy Analysis

ManagementEconomics

Public Value theory

Deliverable Functions Programs Outputs Outcomes

Core focus Ordered Administration

Social equality

Increased efficiency

Community sustainability

Main Tool Types

Regulation CentralPlanning

CompetitionProductivity

Co-operationCollaboration

Actor Bureaucrat Administrator Manager BrokerFacilitator

Government 1.0 Government 2.0

Management HierarchicalRigid

NetworkedCollaborativeFlexible

Service Delivery One Size Fits AllSupplier DrivenSingle Channel

PersonalisedChoice-BasedMulti-Channel

Performance Input OrientedClosed

Outcome DrivenTransparent

Decision-making Public as spectator Public as participant

Metaphor Clock Cloud

the shift from outputs to outcomes

the shift from welfare to social investment

the shift from command and control to innovation and collaboration

the shift from standardisation to personalisation and customisation.

ivilpr

go

citizen

Private

Civil

Citizen

State

Civil

State

Citizen

Private

1. When designing programs/services or providing information view the world through the lens of the “citizen”

2. Presenting a single or simpler face of government.

3. Government playing a role of facilitator and enabler with a focus on outcomes.

4. Devolution ( where appropriate) of service planning and delivery to local level

5. Developing cross sectoral and cross-agency collaborations

6. Co-ordinated focus on „place‟

“Normative” principle of good public administration

Policy and program content need to be developed through engagement with key stakeholders and service users.

At its core it‟s about an opportunity for people to have say in issues that interest or affect them.

It‟s also about delivery platforms which make it easy for people to get access to services

Functions of agencies opaque and difficult for citizens to navigate.

Design departmental arrangements to make it easier.

Co-location of service delivery agencies.

Efficiency and effectiveness benefits.

Steering not rowing has become a major component of modern governance.

Door openers (facilitators, brokers) rather than gatekeepers.

Outcomes/outputs rather than inputs should be key focus

Application of concept of subsidiarity

In general trends in Australia have been towards centralisation and the development of national agreements

Examples of other federal jurisdictions

Risk:- do you need to be right the first time. How important is efficiency and effectiveness

Uniformity: tolerance for variety and diversity in service delivery

Complexity: is problems to be addressed so complex that best approach is adaptation rather than a-priori specification.

Capacity: can actors address issue through their own agency

Developing inter-agency and cross sectoral collaboration most important from perspective of government operations

8 core elements: Shared purpose Build on what already exists Assess participants tolerance of risk Respect autonomy of partners Assure up-front time and resources to build trust Emphasize value of all contributors Work through areas of disagreement to establish

common ground Avoid raising expectations which cannot be met

Also the most difficult; counter-intuitive to the way bureaucracies normally operate

Requires fundamental cultural change

A bit like Weber‟s “slow boring of hard wood”

„Co-production‟ – direct involvement by clients and stakeholders in the delivery of public services

„Co-design‟ – active engagement with clients and stakeholders in policy development and program design

„Service integration‟- establishing service systems from programs delivered by different agencies

Tailoring services to suit clients – providing clients with flexibility to get services tailored to their needs and preferences

drawn from Andrew Podger; citizen-centric services: rhetoric and reality in the Australian context

Most departments organise themselves on a place basis.

Place management is a co-ordinated focus on place by actors/agencies to improve a particular locality, provide integrated services to clients or funding to agencies.

A multi-agency approach to addressing issues , rather than relying on a disparate set of strategies driven by different actors/agencies

Improved outcomes

Improved co-ordination between different agencies.

Improved coordination and partnerships between stakeholders

Stronger community identity

A reduced need for regulation due to „ownership‟ by stakeholders

“Effective governments in well-run countries... make plans, set targets, prepare medium-term budgets and create innovative new agencies to address novel problems...and they do so with a strong sense of power and positive contribution of private business which creates jobs, fosters innovation and pays taxes. In a large federal system.. the needed plans, budgets and implementing agencies require close co-operation of federal, state and local government officials as well as partnerships of the public and private sectors..”

Jefferey Sachs Columbia University, NYRB, 8 Nov 2012