IIAS Knowledge Portal on Public Administration

Announcing: Three New Focus Themes

Melissa Monaco — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:02:21 +0000

In the coming weeks, the IIAS Knowledge Portal will turn its focus towards the three sub-themes of the IIAS International Congress 2012 which will take place in Mérida, Yucatán (Mexico).

Those themes are :

Democratic governance for socio-economic development;
e-Government instrument to strengthen trust;
Public value: the case of tourism.

Please come back as we will start developping these themes very shortly and in the meantime, will finalize this year’s 3 themes.

If you have some information in relation to those themes you would like to share with the IIAS Knowledge Portal, do not hesitate to contact us.

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International Review of Administrative Sciences Selection

Melissa Monaco — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:53:10 +0000

Regularly, the IIAS, in collaboration with publishing house, SAGE, will showcase one or several articles of its journal, the International Review of Administrative Sciences.

On the occasion of the IIAS Congress, the IRAS team has selected a few articles relevant to three subthemes treated during those three days. The following articles will be free of access until the end of 2011.

Water management

Symposium on water governance. Prologue: water governance as a government’s actions between the reality of fragmentation and the need for integration
Jurian Edelenbos and Geert R. Teisman

Water sector reform in Italy and in the Netherlands: ambitious change with an uncertain outcome versus consensus-seeking moderate change
Daniela Argento and G. Jan van Helden

Regulation Issues

The history and future of nation-building? Building capacity for public results
Jocelyne Bourgon

Immigration

The changing border: developments and risks in border control management of Western countries

Berry Tholen

The International Review of Administrative Sciences is an international peer-reviewed journal devoted to academic and professional public administration. Founded in 1927 it is the oldest scholarly public administration journal specifically focused on comparative and international topics. IRAS seeks to shape the future agenda of public administration around the world by encouraging reflection on international comparisons, new techniques and approaches, the dialogue between academics and practitioners, and debates about the future of the field itself.

IRAS is the official journal of the of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), the European Group of Public Administration (EGPA), the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA) and the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and Management (CAPAM). IRAS is published in three different language editions – English, French and Mandarin Chinese.

If you would like to look for other subject related to administrative sciences and public administration, please visit the IRAS section on our website!

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Issue Papers for the IIAS Congress Themes!

Melissa Monaco — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:04:11 +0000

Three new focus themes, linked to the IIAS Congress in Lausanne are being developped on the Knowledge Portal.

To further thoughts and discussion, you will find find the issue papers prepared on ths occasion.

- Water Use and International Management

- Migration and Trans-national Challenges

- Regulations in Public Administration

In the meantime, check out our “Focus” Section as the themes will be updated in the coming weeks!

If you would like to share news, books, articles, etc. relevant to those themes, do not hesitate to send an e-mail to Fabienne Maron (f.maron@iias-iisa.org) and Mélissa Monaco (m.monaco@iias-iisa.org) or leave a comment on this article.

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Focus on Migration Management and Public Administration

Melissa Monaco — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:21:15 +0000

Migrations are a global wave that societies and governments will face and manage with new policies and instruments. When we say Migrations, we refer to a complex and global phenomenon whose conditions, connotations and outcomes can be ambivalent for the countries of origin and the countries of destination. We define Migration as ‘the geographic movement of people across boundary with the purpose of establishing a new permanent or semi-permanent residence’. There are multiple reasons for migration. The contemporary international migration trends are the latest repetition of many population movements which reshape states and cultures. But we distinguish these migrations by the fact that states developed their administrative apparatus and tools for managing the migration flows.

Read complete issue paper

News about the “Migration” theme from IIAS Members and our partners.

Australia

GovMonitor

Australia Speeds Up Process Of Determining Asylum Seekers Claims - A new, faster initial assessment for asylum seekers effective today will speed up the process of determining asylum seekers’ claims. Changes to the refugee status determination process for irregular maritime arrivals will apply from March 1, consistent with the government’s announcement following the High Court’s decision handed down on November 11 last year.

Austria

ACCORD: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

ACCORD provides independently, neutrally and objectively information on countries of origin of asylum seekers in order to contribute to fair and efficient asylum procedures.

Belgium

Federal Government Information Portal

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has published its annual report for 2010. – This report sheds light on the work of the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) and makes people understand aspects that are not limited to on asylum statistics and decisions made as we can also get an idea of how the CGRS accomplishes its mission of granting protection to refugees.

Migration Office

The Migration Office is part of the Federal Public Service “Interior”. It is responsible for managing the migrant population in Belgium, namely the access of foreigners to the territory, their stay, their establishments, as well as repatriation procedures. On fieldwork, the migration Office is working closely with other agencies such as embassies and consulates, municipal authorities, federal police, social inspection, or the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Activity report for 2009 : https://dofi.ibz.be/fr/jaarverslag/2009fr.pdf (in French)

Chine

China Daily

La relocalisation massive au Ningxia devrait débuter prochainement – PEKIN – Un projet de migration massive afin de relocaliser 350 000 résidents des régions pauvres de la région autonome de Ningxia Hui auNord-Ouest de la Chine, se heurte encore des obstacles comme le manque de fonds, de hauts responsables régionaux ont dit.

Denmark

Academy for Migration Studies in Denmark

Its objectives are to push research on migratory issues forward in order to better understand and cope with social, cultural and political problems of integration, exclusion and co-citizenship, and to provide an informed knowledge base for political decisions, public debates and popular perceptions on migrants and immigration.

Italy

Dossier Statistico Immigrazione – Statistical Dossier on Immigration

Statistical Dossier on Immigration – The Dossier Statistico Immigrazione collects all the available data on immigration, placing it in its national, regional and local context and discussing its various aspects and problems. It also contains analysis of the statistical data by major experts in the field, and tables summarising and illustrating the data.

South Africa

Bua News

Govt tightens immigration laws – The Department of Home Affairs is tightening immigration regulations in the fight against corruption and people who cheat their way into staying in the country.

Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said on Tuesday that while a majority of people who came into the country were law abiding, there was “a significant minority” who abused immigration laws and got away with it. But now government is closing those loopholes in the law.

Spain

Ministry of Labour and Immigration (Ministerio de Trabajo e Inmigración)

The organization of policies on asylum and migration: Report – This report was produced by the European Migration Network, written by the Spanish EMN National Contact Point. This National Report describes the general structure of the political and institutional system as well as the distribution and organization of competencies concerning migration and asylum in Spain. Link to the Ministry of Labour and Immigration : http://www.mtin.es/en/index.htm (English)

Switzerland

Federal Administration

Switzerland- Nigeria Migration Partnership : the first state of affairs (last modified on 23/06/2011) — On June 21, 2011, the commission of Switzerland – Nigeria migration partnership met for the first time in Abuja. Through this partnership both countries wish to establish a balanced and comprehensive cooperation in the field of migration. Exchanges between the two sides proved to be positive.
Conclusion of a readmission agreement with Denmark – The Danish Minister for Refugees, Immigrants and Integration Søren Pind and the Swiss ambassador Viktor Christen today signed in Copenhagen an agreement on readmission. This agreement regulates the readmission of nationals of States Parties and third country nationals and stateless persons.
FOM – publication of the report on migration, 2010 – The migration partnership agreement with Nigeria and special flights are the main themes of the 2010 report on migration published by the Federal Office for Migration (FOM). This report provides figures to support an overview of the activities of the FOM.

United Kingdom

Local Government Improvement and Development

Healthcare: creating a level playing field for migrants - Nowhere in the UK is untouched by migration. Whether they are asylum seekers fleeing persecution from oppressive regimes or people arriving to work or study, migrants can be found in every village, town and city. But research suggests they are struggling to access what should be a basic right – healthcare. What is the problem and what can the NHS, local government and the voluntary sector do to help?

UK/ MIPEX- Migrant Integration Policy Index

Migrant Integration Policy Index – MIPEX is an interactive tool and reference guide to assess, compare and improve integration policy produced by the British Council and the Migration Policy Group. MIPEX measures policies to integrate migrants in 27 EU Member States and four non-EU countries. It uses over 140 policy indicators to create a rich, multi-dimensional picture of migrants’ opportunities to participate in European societies.

European Institute of Public Administration

Publication (2010): The European Asylum System and Minimum Standards: ‘Suggestions for practice and policy’ – Even though the phenomenon of refugees has changed over the course of recent decades, asylum remains an important issue for states all over the world. The paper is divided into four sections. The first section provides some background information on the international legislation; the second looks into the need for European refugee protection and focuses on the concept of the Common European Asylum Systeme; the third section examines examples of Dutch policies. In this framework, ‘good’ and ‘less good’ practices as well as problems with the application of the EU minimum standards are highlighted; the last section of the paper provides some policy recommendations and gives a summary of practices which may apply in asylum cases.

European Union

EU-European Parliament

Bulgaria and Romania will soon join Shengen area – The European Parliament considered the accession of Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area is now possible as the conditions are fulfilled. However, these two countries will have to take additional measures and work out a common approach with Greece and Turkey to face potential increase of migratory pressure in this area. European Parliament ‘President is delighted of this Parliamentary decision taken and call on the Council to follow the recommendations of the vote expressed.

EUROLAT plenary closes with greater unity on Mercosur and migration - General : EuroLat Co-President José Ignacio Salafranca (EPP, ES) closed the fifth Plenary Assembly in Montevideo (Uruguay) on Thursday with a very positive message on the outcome of the meetings between MEPs and their Latin American counterparts, “which will surely help to push forward negotiations on sensitive agreements like the one with Mercosur”.

EU- European Commission

Developing a common approach to migration – The EU is seeking to create a common asylum system, strengthen border controls, increase oversight of its border-free travel area and use immigration policy to help fill gaps in the labour market.

European legislation

Framework programme on solidarity and management of migration flows for the period 2007-2013 – This program is designed to improve management of migratory flows at European Union level and to strengthen solidarity between member States. It has four dimensions: integrated management of external borders, with the setting up of an External borders Fund, asylum policy, with the prolongation of the European Refugee Fund; the social, civil and cultural integration of non-member country national, with the setting up of a European integration Fund; and the fight against illegal immigration and the return of Non-EU member Country nationals residing illegally in the EU, with the setting up of a European Return Fund.

European Migration Network

English: European Migration Network is a network coordinated by the European Commission (DG Home) in cooperation with national contact points of each member States. The aim of the EMN is to meet the information needs of Union institution and of Member States authorities by providing updated information on migration and asylum, with a view to supporting policymaking in the European Union in these areas.

ACP Observatory on migration –

The African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Observatory on Migration is an initiative of the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States, empowered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and funded by the European Union. Its goal is to establish a network of research institutions and governmental entities dealing with migration in the six regions of the ACP Group of States. For now the ACP Observatory is based in Brussels but will be moved to an ACP country in the coming year. Observatory Director Laurent de Boeck explains that “the role of the observatory is to compile the data necessary to limit the negative impact of South-South migration while using to advantage its potential contribution to development on the human, economic, social and cultural level». The Observatory relies on the work of research institutions and private researchers from different backgrounds (universities, research centers, public institutions). Every two months, The ACP observatory publishes its Newsletter to keep informed people about the Observatory’s activities and the latest news on South-South migration issue. The first edition of the Newsletter was launched in May 2011. Here the link: http://www.acpmigration-obs.org/sites/default/files/Newsletter%201%20-%20May%202011.pdf

EU-Bénin, Cameroon, Mali, Sénégal

Labour Migration Management Partnership – Since the first January 2009, there is a partnership for the labour migration management. The aim is to help Benin, Cameroun, Mali and Senegal to promote and manage effectively labour migration between recipient countries and UE members as a global approach of the migration cycle. This project aims more specifically at employment public services and their ministers. This project is part of the Thematic Programme “2007-2013 Migration and Asylum” launched by the EU to help non-members countries to better manage migration flows in all dimensions.

The Global Forum on Migration and Development

The Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) is a recent initiative of the United Nations Member States to address the migration and development interconnections in practical and action-oriented ways. It is an informal, non-binding, voluntary and government-led process that marks the culmination of more than a decade of international dialogue on the growing importance of the linkages between migration and development.

International Organisation for Migrations

http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/about-iom/lang/en – Established in 1951, IOM is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.

IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management:

Migration and development
Facilitating migration
Regulating migration
Forced migration.

Migration4Development: EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative

http://www.migration4development.org/

Use this site to meet others working in Migration and Development, exchange ideas and form partnerships. Members of the forum include civil society organizations, diaspora groups, migrants associations, local authorities and UN agencies.

From Migration to Development: Lessons Drawn from the Experience of Local Authorities

One of the preliminary lessons learned arising from EC-UN JMDI-funded projects and from exchanges on the online community of practice, M4D-Net (www.migration4development.org), is that, where local authorities are project partners, they are playing a key role in contributing to the initiatives’ success, because of the close relations they have with migrant communities in the North and because their involvement in the South ensures that projects are aligned with local development needs. As this report points out, local authorities’ efforts have been most effective where decentralisation has strengthened the role they can play, as in the case of the municipality of Cartaya, in Spain, which has developed a circular migration programme with Morocco to manage seasonal labour migration in the agriculture sector, or in Senegal, where regional development agencies draft development strategies through a participatory approach involving local communities and, crucially, members of the diaspora abroad.

Report in English: http://www.migration4development.org/sites/m4d.emakina-eu.net/files/JMDI_Migration_to_Development_Condensed_LA_report.pdf

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Interview of Per Lægreid & Koen Verhoest about Governance of Public Sector Organizations

Melissa Monaco — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:06:51 +0000

Following the publishing of Governance of Public Sector Organizations: Proliferation, Autonomy and Performance, we interviewed the book’s co-editors Per Lægreid (Professor at the Department of Administration and Organization Theory, University of Bergen) et Koen Verhoest (Associate Professor and research Manager at the Public Management Institute, Catholic University of Leuven) on the state-of-the-art of public organizations governance and its ongoing changes.

1. Could you please identify two main trends in the governance of public sector organizations?

Per Lagreid: A first trend from the mid-1980s is increased agencification implying establishment of semi-autonomous organizations at arm length distance from political executives. Another trend is that there is a layering or sedimentation process going on producing composite and hybrid organizational forms. Rather than replacing old reforms, new reform initiatives tend to be added to old reforms and mix with them in rather complex ways. Recently, we see that the agencification process has stalled to some extent and that it has been supplemented by whole-of-government reform initiative implying stronger central control and interorganizational coordination.

Koen Verhoest: Public administrations have been, so to speak, smitten by agency fever, but we are also seeing parallel processes of decentralization and centralization and of regulation and de-regulation. We see complex combinations of structural reforms, linked both to NPM and post-NPM doctrines. A central feature of these changes is that there is an unstable balance between autonomy and steering of the central agencies. Moreover, there is a layering process ongoing: Post-NPM reforms do not fully replace NPM-related reforms, but are supplementing them, resulting in increasingly complex public sector organizations.

2. Why this increasing complexity?

PL and KV: One answer to this is that increased complexity in society tends to enhance complex organizational forms. Digging more into this question we would argue that there is no one-factor answer to this complexity. There are different driving forces such as international reform doctrines, as well as external pressure from the technical as well as the institutional environment. Historical-institutional legacy and administrative tradition and culture are also important as well as polity features embedded in existing structural arrangements. The possibility for executing an active reform policy from the political and administrative executives is constrained as well as enabled by such factors.

3. Could you explain the link between changes of organizational forms and performance of the Public Sector? How do changes in formal organization lead to better performance?

PL: The evidence based knowledge about the effects and implications of different administrative forms is still rather patchy. The means-end knowledge and ability for ex ante rational-calculation of the impacts and effects of different organizational forms are rather weak among the reform agents. However, it is clear from empirical evidence that different organizational forms do matter and do affect the way public organizations operate and work in practice. But usually, there is not a one-to-one relationship between organizational forms and performance. Based on the empirical evidence we discuss in the book, we can say something about the direction of this relationship but we cannot give a precise forecast of the strength of the impacts. This has to do with the fact that context matter to a great extent but also with the ambiguity of the performance concept.

KV: Another factor that may explain this weak causal link is that the formal organizational form does not say much about the actual features, in terms of autonomy and control. A major finding is that de facto autonomy and control of public organizations may differ substantially from what is formally prescribed for the involved organizational form. Therefore, one needs to study the actual, and even perceived, levels of autonomy and control in order to understand the effects on performance. But even then, many other, mutually affecting, intervening factors come into play, like leadership and organizational culture, organizational size, the nature of the task at hand, the presence of clear objectives, etc. A major challenge for empirical research is to systematically study the interplay of these intervening factors, upon which the performance of public sector organizations is contingent.

4. What are the practical implications of these organizational changes? Could you provide us with a concrete example?

PL: One implication is that reformers score higher on political control than on rational calculation. The Achilles heel in administrative reforms seems to be that reform actors have limited understanding of the consequences and implications of their own reform initiatives. Another implication is that rather than purifying a single model we need a repertoire of models for political-administrative institutions to understand the future challenges of public management, administration and governance.

The public administration is multi-functional and has to balance different values and norms. Therefore it is normally not a question of hierarchy, networks or market. The main challenge is how they can be combined and be balanced in a supplementary way. Designers of public sector organizations have to be aware of the fundamental dialectics between basic organizational principles for coordination, specialization autonomy and control.

KV: We question if simple ideas of autonomy are a necessary condition for increased performance. Changing the organizational form of affiliation, as in agencification, is clearly not a panacea for all diseases, not even for underperformance. In situations with a weak understanding of the effects and implications of reform it might be wise to avoid major and controversial radical reforms based on big new ideas and to opt instead for more incremental change processes that enjoy high legitimacy among the reformers as well as the reformed. There is also a need to build feedback-loops and possibilities for experiential learning into the reform process so that adjustments can be made as reforms proceed.

5. What will be the perspective for the next decade in terms of managerial, policy and financial autonomy?

PL: To a greater extent, we have to address the different dimensions of autonomy such as managerial and policy autonomy. One of the biggest flaws in New Public Management was the separation of management from policy. One important lesson from the agencification reforms is that political salience and tasks matter as well as mutual trust relations and reputations. This means that contexts matter and it is not a single answer to the question.

KV: A public sector organization’s degree of autonomy is actually a product of balancing managerial autonomy with policy autonomy and financial autonomy with structural aspects of autonomy. The autonomy granted on one dimension to one agency, in the daily organizational life of this agency, may become less relevant if autonomy on other dimensions is lacking. The same holds for the control of public sector organizations, where ex ante control, ex post result-oriented, financial, structural control and control by contacts are combined in hybrid forms. Thus, designers of public sector organizations need to make complex choices and trade-offs when creating agencies, and when doing this, they need to use a multi-dimensional understanding of autonomy and control. Moreover, formal design and its actual functioning are two different realities. Although agencification does attenuate political steering signals, compared to departments, de facto political control does not always respect the formal logic of organizational form, like in the case of highly salient tasks or strategic behaviour by agency managers. Formal rules and regulations, which seemed functional when the agencies were created, may become obsolete after a while or are not enforced as they were intended to be. Designing an optimal formal-legal agency status by combining degrees of autonomy and control is not the whole story. There is an additional need for behavioural guidelines for politicians and bureaucrats how to handle and review autonomy, control, and mutual relations during the lifetime of an agency.

6. What do the ‘whole-of-government’ reforms imply? Better coordination and increased control?

PL: Whole-of-government initiatives are important first of all to handle the ‘wicked issues’ that are not following the borders between organizations policy areas or administrative levels. NPM reforms was first of all directed towards the principal-agent issues of how superior bodies could control subordinate organizations within the same ministerial area, but had little to offer to address the more pressing question of how to handle problems and tasks that are transcending organizational borders. The challenge is to find organizational arrangements that can enhance increased cross-borders collaboration and horizontal coordination. Another element of this post-NPM movement is increased central control. In many countries the agencification process has been slowed down and the need for central capacity is back on the agenda.

KV: Summing up, the post-NPM ‘Whole-of-Government’ reforms imply an increased focus on integration, horizontal coordination, and enhanced political control. This counter-reaction of increased central control and coordination to organizational proliferation has been observable not only in Norway, Australia, and New Zealand, but also in the UK, Sweden, and The Netherlands. But ‘whole-of-government’ is, just as NPM, a rather ambiguous and not very coherent reform movement, supplementing rather than replacing NPM measures.

“Governance of Public
Sector Organizations: Proliferation,
Autonomy and Performance ”

Edited by Per Lægreid and Koen Verhoest

Series: Governance and Public Management

October 2010, 360 pages,Hardcover

Governance of Public Sector Organizations examines recent changes in central governmental administration in contemporary democracies by focusing on organizational forms and their effects.

There is a considerable need for such knowledge in a period when governments are constantly restructuring their administration. This book studies and explains how New Public Management (NPM) and post-NPM reforms affect the organizational proliferation and specialization, as well as the autonomy and control of central agencies. New empirical data sheds light on the effects of these changes on organizational performance. The book describes how ‘whole-of-government’ initiatives with emphasis on reassertion of the centre and horizontal coordination supplement NPM reforms, producing increased layering and complexity in government organizations

To order the book, please contact Fabienne Maron (f.maron@iias-iisa.org)

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Focus and Be Flexible: an Interview of Prof. Michiel de Vries

Melissa Monaco — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:23:19 +0000

Michiel de Vries, Professor of Public Administration at the Radboud University, wrote a book about recurrent trends in governance, titled “The Importance of neglect in policy-making”. It was published recently in the IIAS Governance and Management series of Palgrave.

Could you explain the title?

This book offers a theory which argues that it is not only possible to explain when policy change is likely to occur, but also to predict the direction. It argues that what is neglected at present is likely to become dominant in the policies of the near future. Crucial is that the means available to policy makers are always less than needed in order to balance different demands. Therefore, one cannot address all demands placed on public policy making simultaneously; instead, some aspects have to be emphasized while others are neglected. The core of a fundamental policy change is always concerned with a shift of attention toward those aspects of problems that were the most chronically neglected in the previous policy. Furthermore it argues that with the birth of a new policy generation, a convergence towards meeting the dominant value of that generation will be noticeable in all policy areas. Therefore there is great importance in what is neglected in policy-making.

Based on what idea did you write this book?

Scholars have come a long way in explaining policy change. Recent investigations have identified many factors and characteristics of actors that explain why fundamental policy change occurs and when it is likely to occur. However, we are still unable to predict in which direction the nature of the change goes. This book argues that research into that question is a feasible next step in the process of trying to understand policy change. Furthermore, it argues that in order to explain and predict the nature of policy change, one should not only investigate and extrapolate what is prioritized at present, but especially search for what is neglected, and not only analyze the contents of preceding policies, but rather the non-contents thereof. The central hypothesis is about identifying periods in which, irrespective of the policy field, the newly developed policies all emphasize the same aspect, that is, the one neglected most before. This makes it possible to discuss policy generations.

Are these policy generations visible in practice?

Such policy generations are visible in the development of the main goals of public policies, the dominant use of specific policy instruments, and the role of societal actors in policymaking processes.

So what did you see?

The policy generations are visible in the developments in public policies in the Netherlands in the period between 1945 and 2000. I distinguished five policy generations: reactive missionaries just after the Second World War; caring technocrats between 1951 and 1963; polarized spenders between 1963 and 1980; efficient managers from 1982 until 1994; and new missionaries from 1994 until 2006. I argue that each generation indeed emphasized one aspect of policymaking and neglected the other functions. Each one of the policy generations was successful in accomplishing what they intended to accomplish, although they were severely criticized for neglecting what became dominant in the subsequent period.

The book has a clear focus on the Netherlands. What is so special about that country?

This book explains how the small country called the Netherlands – almost totally destroyed during WW II, being very poor and judged to be primitive at that time – could become one of the wealthiest, democratic and modern countries in the World? It is a success story. In the book I argue that respective Dutch governments, consciously or unconsciously, opted for an efficient and effective solution of focus and flexibility. Instead of trying to accomplish everything at once, they chose to achieve one goal at a time. These goals altered when the previous ones had been achieved and the focus turned to other problems that had been neglected previously.

Is there a normative side to the story?

The book calls for selective attention by governments. Do not try to solve all problems simultaneously but rather proceed sequentially. It calls for focus and flexibility.

Although this still needs further investigation, the idea of selective attention might also be interesting from a normative point of view. Sequential optimization implies “focus and flexibility”, which might be much more efficient, effective, democratic and able to achieve more goals than trying to accomplish all these dimensions of policies simultaneously. It releases governments from the strain caused by the impossibility of getting it all at once, and makes successful policies (in terms of the one-sided goals) more feasible. Second, it avoids the consequences of the dilemmas in the multiple demands placed on policies. Trying to balance the dilemmas in order to achieve an optimum outcome in all four often results in half-hearted policies resulting in insufficient results in every respect.

So what should policy makers do?

In the book I argue that one-sided policies present a pragmatic answer to the theoretical problem raised by classic scholars in political science and public administration, namely that many demands placed on the policy making process pose dilemmas. Maximizing one may be achieved only at the expense of minimizing another equally important feature of public policies.

Isn’t that contrary to the basic idea in Public Administration that policies should be balanced?

In theory, public policies should seek a balance between these demands. However, this analysis suggests that it might not be so awkward to try to balance them sequentially instead of simultaneously. When we incorporate the time dimension, it is possible to develop policies that through time are able to conform to each of the demands, although every period is characterized by the protracted neglect of at least one of the demands.

Michiel de Vries is Professor of Public Administration at the Radboud University inNijmegen.

Contact details:

prof. dr. Michiel S. de Vries
Radboud University Nijmegen
dept. of Public Administration
Thomas van Aquinostraat 5
P.O. Box 9108
6500 HK Nijmegen
The Netherlands

tel: 00 31 24 3615691
email: m.devries@fm.ru.nl
homepage

http://www.ru.nl/imr/koppeling/bestuurskunde/vries_m_s_de

The Importance of Neglect in Policy-Making

Edited by Prof. Michiel S. De Vries

Series: Governance and Public Management

January 2010

Price: £57,50

Order the book: Palgrave Macmillan

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News on Innovation (List)

Melissa Monaco — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 08:37:29 +0000

News about the “Innovation in Public Administration” theme from IIAS Members and our partners. You can also find them on a GoogleMap here.

Belgium

Federal Staff Portal

On 26 October 2010, the Federal Public Services Personnel and Organisation and the Chancery of the Prime Minister organised a day of discovery “Administration 2.0: the Loch Ness Monster? “ devoted to Web 2.0 in the Belgian Government. A first in the Belgian civil service.

Some 180 members of COMMnet (the Federal Communicators Network) and KMnet (the network of knowledge managers federal) participated in this event whose purpose was twofold:

Compile an inventory of the use of web 2.0 and public utilities
Launch the debate on the issues raised by the use of Web 2.0 and its applications (blogs, wikis, social media, …) in public services.

Canada

Institute of Public Administration of Canada(IPAC)

New Network of Networks to improve public administration – The Institute of Public Administration in Canada (IPAC) announced the creation of Public Service Without Borders, a virtual forum for the discussion and sharing of best practices in public administration. PSWB is envisioned as a ‘network of networks’ using the internet and other social media to create a virtual community of professionals involved in all aspects of public administration, in Canada and abroad.

France

Qualité Publique (France)

Révision générale des politiques publiques (RGPP) e-government: what works? – As part of its overhaul of public policies (RGPP), the government has implemented an action plan to develop e-government based on the online procedures and dematerialization of certain acts.

Le Carrefour de l’Innovation Participative 2010 -The Association Innov’Acteurs organised on 25-26 November 2010, Carrefour de l’Innovation Participative 2010 on the theme:” Participative Innovation : societal issue?” . The association was greeted by his partner Advancia – great entrepreneurial school CCI of Paris – Porte de Champerret, 75017.

This year, some 250 professionals from leading French and European organisations, small businesses, communities, governments and experts were expected to discuss and debate the great issues of the involvement of every employee in the process of innovation in organisations. Report coming soon!

Secteurpublic.fr.

Computer and personal data: towards an international agreement ? – - At their Conference, held in Jerusalem in late October, the data protection authorities around the world have highlighted the urgency to adopt a specific international convention in the field of protection of personal data. They pledged to promote this project with their respective governmental and parliamentary authorities. They pledged to promote this project with their respective governmental and parliamentary authorities. They also called for convening an intergovernmental conference on the subject, if possible in 2011 and later in 2012.

Three years of e-government - At the Council of Ministers held Wednesday, November 24, the Minister of Budget, Public Accounts, the Civil Service and State Reform, presented a paper on e-government. It follows the general revision of public policy, initiated by the government since 2007 to improve the quality of public services and develop e-government.

Germany

Verwaltung innovativ (Innovative Management)

Newsletter management innovation – November 2010 Issue (11/2010)

Dear subscribers, The following information is currently available for you:

Italy

PloneGov Italia

The materials of the Seminar for the exchange of solutions PloneGov (Modena, 3 November 2010):

The materials are available and photos of the seminar which was held November 3 in Modena.

South Africa

Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI)

2010 CPSI Public Sector Innovation Awards Announced – The Minister for Public Service and Administration, Hon. MR Baloyi recognised 12 innovative public sector initiatives at a prestigious event on 5 November 2010.

Via UNPAN

South African Space Agency to Launch Soon – The Southern African Large Telescope is one of South Africa’s notable space projects. South Africa will soon have its own space agency to promote and coordinate space science and technology programmes in the country. The long-awaited South African National Space Agency (Sansa) will be launched in Midrand, Johannesburg, on 9 December 2010.

South Korea

S. Korea to Invest W26b into Developing Energy Technologies – The government plans to inject 26.2 billion won ($22.7 million) over about five years in a range of energy technology projects aimed at developing resources and improving energy efficiency, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Sunday, Nov. 29.

From ‘IT Korea’ to ‘Smart Korea’ – The following was contributed by Minister of Knowledge Economy Choi Kyung-hwan celebrating the G20 ICT Innovation Forum. Ed. (05/11/2010)

Switzerland

Swiss Society of Public Administration

Innovation and management of extreme situations – In a turbulent age, the question of national crisis management arises. “What role can national innovation management play?” was also the subject of the SSPA meeting on 18 November 2010. A report gives a first impression.

Administration tomorrow – The administration is currently living its biggest revolution since its inception. What can we do with the administration tomorrow? The article provides an overview of likely developments.

United Kingdom

Local Government Improvement and Development

Birmingham turns up the pilot light – Birmingham Energy Savers was developed as a partnership project led by Birmingham City Council. In the autumn of 2010, it piloted a scheme to fit photovoltaic (PV) panels on 60 buildings. This case study looks at what the council learned from that pilot.

United States

CNet

Google scores big federal government contract – Google has won a major contract to provide Google Apps for an entire federal government agency. Teaming up with Unisys and two other companies, Google will deploy Google Apps for Government to all 17,000 employees and contractors at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

Business of Government

Getting It Done! – Taking advantage of centralized IT services sometimes requires a change in how departments or agencies regard their business processes.

Commonwealth Association for Public Administration & Management

CAPAM Caribbean Regional Conference: Public Service Excellence: Embracing Innovation and Change. Trinidad, 14-16 February, 2011 – CAPAM is currently accepting paper proposals for the Embracing Innovation and Change Conference, Feb. 14 – 16, 2011 to be held in Trinidad. The conference is organized in partnership with the Ministry of Public Administration, Government of Trinidad & Tobago.

The latest issue of Commonwealth Innovations publication is out. This edition features articles on innovation and the public service including the 2010 CAPAM International Innovations Awards Finalists. Additional articles on performance and innovation (Australia), leadership and innovation (United Kingdom) and citizen participation in local government (Canada) are included. To submit articles and notices for publication, or for copyright and further information about the publication, please contact awong@capam.org. Editor: Ada Wong, Manager, Membership& Communications.

2010 CAPAM International Innovations Awards Winners – CAPAM would like congratulate the following winners in each awards category as well as the overall Gold medal winner.

European Union

ICT 2010: Digitally Driven, Europe’s most visible forum for ICT research and innovation – This biennial event has become a unique gathering point for researchers, business people, investors, and high level policy makers in the field of digital innovation. It was held at Brussels Expo, 27-29 September 2010 and documents, videos, etc. are available on the event’s website. NEXT ICT: 2012.

European Parliament

MEP organises classes to maximise social media potential – Facebook, Twitter – This autumn one MEP is leading the way and organising classes on how fellow MEPs can use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to voters. French Member Damien Abad (EPP) is behind the course and here we speak to him as well as Portuguese Socialist MEP Edite Estrela, Italian Liberal Sonia Alfano and Spanish Green Raül Romeva i Rueda.

The Lisbon Council

Public Sector Innovation: Co-Creating for a Better Society - In a forceful intervention, Christian Bason, director, author and Ph.D fellow at MindLab, the Danish innovation agency, introduced his new book Leading Public Sector Innovation: Co-Creating for a Better Society. He explained how the current crisis can act as an historic catalyst for innovation and better, more responsive government. Mr. Bason’s enlightening presentation was followed by inspiring comments from Peter Dröll, head of unit for policy development for industrial innovation in the directorate-general for enterprise and industry at the European Commission.

Open Source Observatory and Repository

PT: Parliamentarians propose to make open standards mandatory — published on Dec 03, 2010 Two left-wing political parties in the Portuguese parliament want to make the use of open standards mandatory for public administrations. Next week Friday, the parliament will discuss two motions, filed by the Left Bloc, with sixteen of the 230 seats in the parliament, and the Portuguese Communist Party, which has thirteen seats.
IT: Considering the use of open source is mandatory in South Tyrol — published on Dec 02, 2010 Considering whether it is possible to use free and open source software is mandatory for public administrations in the Italian Province of Bolzano-Bozen – South Tyrol that are renewing their existing IT or purchasing new IT solution, according to Kurt Pöhl, head of the Department of Information Technology at the province.

MT: ‘Culture of open standards disseminated within Government‘ — published on Dec 02, 2010 The culture of open standards is to be disseminated within government and the local ICT industry, Malta’s governmental Information Technology Agency (MITA) explained last week. The institute’s open source vision was called a ‘most important policy document’ by senior government adviser, the month before.

More news

United Nations Public Administration Network

E-government to Create Opportunities for All

The current global financial and economic crisis is putting tremendous pressure on governments to do more with less. Although financial markets stabilized in 2009 due to massive and internationally coordinated government intervention, the real economy is still in a state of shock with high rates of unemployment and tremendous squeeze on government revenues in many countries. E-government – once a bold experiment and now an important tool for public sector transformation – has progressed to the point where it is now a force for effective governance and citizen participation, both at national and local levels.

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The Knoweldge Portal Goes Social!

Melissa Monaco — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 14:05:01 +0000

With technology, the dissemination of information is constantly evolving so the knowledge portal IIAS is expanding into the world of social networks by creating a Twitter account. We are also testing the multimedia water with the opening of a YouTube channel.

By following our Twitter account, you will find the latest news published on the website in real time. Innovation, performance, administration in times of crisis, conferences … you will not miss a beat of what makes the news in public administration.

On our YouTube channel, our team will initially offer a selection of relevant videos covering various fields of administrative sciences and ultimately, our goal is to deliver original content.

We are looking forward to see you join us!

Twitter account: http://www.twitter.com/pa_knowledge

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/iiaschannel

And of course, our group on LinkedIn is still very active: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1794744&trk=anet_ug_hm

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News on Innovation (List) – Archives

Melissa Monaco — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:26:04 +0000

News about the “Innovation in Public Administration” theme from IIAS Members and our partners. You can also find them on a GoogleMap here.

Belgium

Federal Government Portal

Grande campagne nationale sur la eID date: D’ici fin 2009, tous les Belges devraient posséder une carte d’identité électronique (eID). Parce que peu de personnes utilisent ses nombreuses applications pratiques, le SPF Intérieur et Fedict lancent une campagne d’information intitulée “Ton eID, ça simplifie”.

Federal Staff Portal

Des eCommunities/eWorkspace à beConnected La nouvelle plateforme collaborative qui verra le jour dans le courant de l’année 2010 a été baptisée. Suite à l’appel lancé fin 2009, le SPF P&O a reçu plus de 100 propositions de noms différents : un vrai succès ! Le choix s’est finalement porté sur beConnected. Moderne et dynamique, ce nom suggère l’idée de mise en relation, de partage et de collaboration. De par sa similitude avec le .be, la première partie de beConnected fait également référence à l’environnement fédéral. Plus d’infos sur beConnected.

Pdata obtient le label Anysurfer
: Les pouvoirs publics, tout comme les entreprises ou les citoyens, doivent réagir rapidement aux nouvelles tendances de la société et rendre compte plus souvent et de manière précise de leur gestion. Ils doivent pouvoir extraire rapidement, des données disponibles, toute l’information pertinente dont ils ont besoin et communiquer en toute transparence le volume et la composition du “personnel” aux acteurs concernés: parlementaires, institutions internationales, syndicats, citoyens, universités, presse, … Le site web www.pdata.be a été développé à ces fins en 2003. www.pdata.be vient d’obtenir le label d’accessibilité Anysurfer.

Solution eHR (electronic human resources)
A terme, un guichet électronique vous permettra de demander vos congés par voie électronique, d’avoir un aperçu de votre dossier personnel en un simple clic. Les fonctionnaires dirigeants disposeront en permanence d’une situation actualisée de leur personnel, ce qui facilitera l’analyse de données et la prise de décisions. Les formations de base ont déjà débuté.

“Médiateur fédéral, un pont entre le citoyen et l’administration“. Depuis le 1er octobre 2008, le citoyen a la possibilité de contacter gratuitement le médiateur fédéral grâce au numéro de téléphone “vert” 0800 99 961. Ce numéro gratuit devrait contribuer à améliorer l’accessibilité de l’institution.

Canada

Institute of Public Administration of Canada(IPAC)

Innovative Management Award 2010: Submit your organization’s/ministry or department’s entry for IPAC’s 2010 Innovative Management Award sponsored by IBM and KPMG which will recognize governmental/public sector organizations that have shown new and innovative ways of cutting across bureaucratic boundaries and silos to address the complex issues facing society.2010 Theme: Collaboration at Work – Deadline: April 30 2010

2009: The finalists are known : The IPAC Award is sponsored by IBM and KPMG to celebrate and encourage innovative managerial initiatives in the public administration of Canada.To recognize the exceptional management within the public sector of Canada, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada launched “The IPAC Award for Innovative Management” in 1990. The theme of the 2009 competition is “Turn Arounds”. Here is a list of the finalists.

The Innovation Journal

The Innovation Journal launches a call-for-papers, for its Special Issue on Research and Innovation Process. This issue will explore the links between innovation process and research production. Authors do not need to limit themselves as several areas will be examinded.
Deadline for submission of completed papers: By March 1, 2010.

France

Qualité Publique (France)

5,6,7 juillet – Les Rencontres de la Modernisation de l’Etat – Acteurs publics

Tous les acteurs de la modernisation de l’État pourront échanger au cours de 16 tables rondes, 24 ateliers, 3 conférences plénières, 2 débats politiques, 2 petits-déjeuners débats et la traditionnelle remise des Victoires de la Modernisation de l’État à l’Assemblée nationale le 7 juillet.

Secteurpublic.fr.

Creation of ATHENA, the human and social sciences alliance

Under the reform of the French academic and research system, ATHENA is the fifth alliance to emerge. It aims to open up relations between actors, promoting initiatives for coordination and partnership.

La nouvelle politique d’aménagement numérique du territoire pour la prochaine décennie

Ce plan pour l’aménagement numérique du territoire illustre la priorité donnée par Michel Mercier à la lutte contre la fracture numérique et vise à permettre à tous les Français et à tous les territoires de relever le défi de l’innovation, de la croissance et de l’emploi durables.

Stratégie numérique : le plan d’action de la Commission européenne

La mise en œuvre de l’ambitieuse stratégie numérique pour l’Europe dévoilée par la Commission européenne permettrait de contribuer notablement à la croissance économique de l’UE et de faire profiter tous les secteurs de la société des avantages de l’ère numérique. La moitié des gains de productivité réalisés dans l’UE au cours des 15 dernières années étaient dus aux technologies de l’information et des communications et cette tendance est susceptible de se renforcer.

Création d’une commission pour le développement du haut-débit dans le monde

L’Union internationale des télécommunications (UIT) et l’UNESCO ont annoncé le 10 mai dernier la création d’une Commission de haut-niveau pour le développement numérique. Elle sera chargée d’élaborer des stratégies favorisant la mise en place de systèmes de transmission haut-débit dans le monde entier et d’étudier les applications possibles pour que le haut-débit améliore l’accès à des services sociaux comme la santé, l’éducation, la gestion de l’environnement, la sécurité, et bien d’autres.

Les collectivités locales de l’ouest de la France se mobilisent ensemblent pour la constitution d’un campus d’excellence

Les Pays de la Loire et la Bretagne revendiquent leur place dans le peloton de tête des régions de la connaissance. Dans le cadre du grand emprunt, l’Etat va dans les prochaines semaines lancer un appel à projets pour sélectionner un nombre limité de Campus d’excellence, synonyme de recherche de haut niveau, de qualité des formations et d’ouverture internationale.

Des chantiers TIC pour une modernisation incontournable de l’administration française mais à budgets maîtrisésMARKESS International, société d’études et de conseil basée à Paris et à Washington, D.C., spécialisée dans l’analyse de la modernisation et de la transformation des entreprises et administrations avec les technologies de l’information, annonce la parution de sa dernière étude dédiée au secteur public et intitulée « Bilan et Perspectives des Logiciels et Services IT dans l’Administration Française, 2009-2011 ».

Germany

Verwaltung innovativ (Innovative Management)

Newsletter management innovation – June 2010 Issue (06/2010)

Dear subscribers, The following information is currently available for you:

“The responsibility of the individual for the big picture” – Authorities leadership meeting of the Federal State
Clear commitment to 115: Federal Government decides on the participation of key points in the single federal authorities call
Published: Guide to Online Consultations
Published: Guide to ITcontrol in the federal administration
Adopted: Concept for the benefit and impact in controlling the IT investment program
Introducing: GeoPortal.Platform
Bookmarked! Mass Modern State, 27-28. October 2010 in Berlin

Italy

PloneGov Italia

Un momento di scambio delle esperienze italiane (A Moment to Exchange Italian Experiences), was held on 25 novembre 2009:

The workshop included the illustration of several case studies from some member organizations, and will provide the needed space for discussion among members, some of which have already started to share their Plone solutions and to work in synergy on new projects. Find the papers presented by clicking on the following link

South Africa

ICIMT 2010 : “International Conference on Innovation, Management and Technology
The International Conference on Innovation, Management and Technology aims to bring together academic scientists, leading engineers, industry researchers and scholar students to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Innovation, Management and Technology, and discuss the practical challenges encountered and the solutions adopted.
Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) Annual Public Sector Innovation Awards
CIDA City Campus Scoops the Prestigious 2009 Public Sector Innovator of the Year Award The purpose of the awards is to promote and encourage best practice in public sector innovation and service delivery and celebrate the successes of individuals, teams and departments in the quest for a more effective, efficient and accountable government.

South Korea

Gov’t to Spread Flexible Work Hours System

The government has set up the delivery plan to spread flexible work scheme in the second national employment strategy meeting chaired by the President on Feb. 18, 2010 so that more people can benefit from more convenient job opportunities.

What is Green e-Government ?
Since Aug. 15 when President Lee Myung-bak declared an era of green – an era of low carbon and green growth – green growth policy has been adopted as the nation’s first priority.

Sweden

Eurocities

The city of Linköping, Sweden, will host the Summer Event 2010 of the Knowledge Society Forum.The date for the event is 9th-11th June 2010. Increasing social inclusion and decreasing poverty through ICT. The event is organised as part of the activities taking place under the European Year for combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

It will be held in the framework of the three days meeting of the EUROCITIES Knowledge Society Forum Summer Event – ‘How to plan and build the inclusive, sustainable and desirable city’; the latter will focus on ICT as a basic necessity when planning and building inclusive and sustainable cities.

Attendance to this open event is free of charge but prior registration via the website of the EUROCITIES Knowledge Society Forum Summer Event is required.

Switzerland

Administration fédérale

La Suisse en tête de l’innovation internationale: La Suisse présente la meilleure capacité d’innovation au monde. C’est la conclusion de la dernière enquête sur l’innovation dans l’économie suisse que mène depuis 1990 le KOF, le Centre de recherches conjoncturelles de l’Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Zurich, sur mandat du Secrétariat d’Etat à l’économie SECO.
Or la stagnation conjoncturelle risque d’affecter fortement l’innovation, ce qui pourrait rejaillir sur le potentiel de croissance
à moyen terme. L’enquête a été réalisée en automne 2008, peu avant l’éclatement de la crise économique, sur la base du panel d’entreprisesdu KOF, qui repose sur un échantillon de 6000 firmes.

Turkey

International Informatics Law Congress

International IT Law Conference The conference will discuss the importance of legal arrangements and practices in a digitalised society. Representatives of Turkish public institutions and associations will take part to this eventThe conference will host 1 opening session, 6 panel meetings, 8 workshops, 15 seminars and almost 30 academic notices.

Attendance to this conference is free of charge; registration can be performed online until 31 May 2010.

United Kingdom

The National Council of Voluntary Organisations

Transforming together -innovation, public services and the voluntary sector.
The Public Service Delivery Network annual conference, jointly organised with the Sustainable Funding Project Innovation Initiative was held on 3rd March 2009 . Keynote Enabling innovation – supporting and growing innovative public services This’s a summary of the Geof Mulgan’s intervention. Innovation much talked about inpublic services-but not systemitically understood and not systtemitically supported or managed resulted- a society full of innovative people and organisation that failed to make the most of them. Download
Geoff Mulgan’s presentation (PDF, 1MB).

Commonwealth Association for Public Administration & Management

The latest issue of Commonwealth Innovations publication is out. Commonwealth Innovations is published
quarterly by the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management.
To submit articles and notices for publication, or for copyright and further information about the publication, please contact awong@capam.org.
Editor: Ada Wong, Manager, Membership& Communications
CAPAM 2010 International Innovations Awards: CAPAM is pleased to announce the launch of the 2010 International Innovations Awards! We are now accepting applications for this awards cycle. The 2010 CAPAM International Innovations Awards theme is Cultivating Innovation for the Public Service of the Future.

European Union

Innovation & Creativity in Europe’s public sectors

This debate took place on May 13,2009 in Brussels under the European Year of Creativity and Innovation.
Emphasis was placed on the role of innovation in delivering public sector services. How the European public sector can innovate faster and increase productivity so as to be able to continue to provide high standards of social services with fewer resources? Download the reference document, report and profiles of the debate .

The Lisbon Council

Innovating Indicators: Choosing the Right Targets for EU 2020

With reflection on the EU 2020 in full swing, Ann Mettler weighs into the debate with an analysis about the political economy of indicators, as well as concrete recommendations on targets for the EU’s new economic blueprint. “Innovating Indicators: Choosing the Right Targets for EU 2020” is a unique reflection on how to measure and evaluate societal progress and make the policy process more inclusive and meaningful to a broader number of people.Newsletter: Eco-Innovation, Government of the Future, and more

Read the latest Lisbon Council Newsletter, full of information about recent and upcoming activities, including Eco-Innovation Summit, EU 2020, Government of the Future Centre, Digital Europe, Why Skills areKey to Europe’s Future and much more.

Open Source Observatory and Repository

Breaking the mould: Grosseto develops the OpenPortalGuard eID system

In 2003 the Italian Ministry of the Interior decided to launch a pilot project for the use of eID cards in Italy, and asked a contractor to develop the necessary software. Grosseto became part of an international network of public bodies working on open source eID solutions. The content and conduct of this project are available on this link .

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Economics : OECD Forum and Ministerial meeting to focus on innovation, growth from 26-May-2010 to 28-May-2010

New OECD forecasts for economic growth and strategies to boost innovation will be at the heart of discussions at the OECD’s annual Forum and Ministerial meeting in Paris on 26-28 May 2010. The OECD’s latest Economic Outlook will be released by OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría with Chief Economist Pier Carlo Padoan.

United Nations Public Administration Network

E-government to Create Opportunities for All

EuropeanCivil Registry Network

ECRN (European Civil Registry Network) is a project funded in the EC initiative, Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Program for Competitive and Innovation.

The ECRN project is striving to become the European Service Platform for the Civil Registry with the establishment of an ECR_Platform among the Civil Acts Registries of National Administrations. It is implementing an ambitious policy of strategic cooperation with key players of the Civil Registry in Europe with the set-up of an experimental system designed to ensure the safe and certain identification of the Civil Acts (birth, death, marriage, divorce etc.) exchange. Together with the cooperation in the public arena, ECRN is active in cooperation with European market technology leaders of the Civil registry and Demographic Services in Europe.

iGov Global ExchangeThe iGov was held 16-19/6-09 in Singapore. iGov Global Exchange is an open platform that brings together policy makers, implementers and developers to share experiences and best practices on the future e-Government model worldwide. It also showcases successful projects in building e-Government infrastructure and applications to better serve the needs of customers in the digital age. Read the conference proceedings.

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News on Performance (List)

Melissa Monaco — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:01:41 +0000

News about “Performance” theme from IIAS Members and our partners. You can also view the news on a map on: http://www.pa-knowledge.org/fr/2009/01/22/news-from-performance/

Belgium

Federal Portal Website

Selor publishes its 2009 Annual Report: Selor, the selection of office administration, has published its 2009 annual report. Because of its unique role in the labor market, Selor is in direct contact with candidates, government organizations and policy makers. This annual report presents all the figures in 2009 Selor and testimonials, recommendations for the future and a retrospective activities Selor since 2002. The annual report is open, interactive and accessible to all via a dedicated website.

Economic Outlook 2010-2015: The Federal Planning Bureau presented this week his economic outlook for 2010-2015. The Planning Bureau has outlined detailed perspectives with regard to the next five years: :

Belgian, European and global economies
Labour market
Public Finance
Energy consumption
…

Federal Staff Website

The PPS Social Integration and the Commissariat General for Refugees and Stateless Persons have published their 2009 annual report : The 2009 Annual Report of the Planing Public Service Social integration provides a summary of all the milestones that the PPS has raised throughout the year 2009 and should find a realisation in 2010, a fundamental year for Belgium as it takes over the Presidency of the European Union. Every year, the annual report of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRA) illuminate trends in the issue of asylum in Belgium, and outlines the activities and organization of CGRA.

Canada

Public Service Alliance of Canada Website

The 15th National Triennial Convention of the Public Service Alliance of Canada was held at the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre in Vancouver, BC on April 26 – May 1, 2009. The theme for the 2009 PSAC National Triennial Convention was: Lead the Way for Quality Public Services. You can download the Proceedings of the Congress whose theme was to inspire participants to promote quality public services.

Centre sur la productivité et la prospérité de HEC Montréal

La productivité et la performance du secteur public au Québec
Ce projet s’inscrit dans une vaste étude ayant pour but de documenter la progression de la productivité et de la performance de plusieurs entités gouvernementales au Québec. La version complète est disponible en anglais seulement :
Laurin, C., Quenneville, M.-E., Thibodeau, N., “ The Long-run Performance of Decentralized Agencies“, sept. 2009, À paraître dans “Governance of Public Sector Organization: Autonomy, Control and Performance”, par Per Laergreid et Koen Verhoest, Éditeurs.

INFONEX Performance Management for the Public Sector. Solving Measurement and Evaluation Challenges, November 24 and 25, 2009, OTTAWA, ONTARIO The Proceedings (for sale) are available now.

France

Qualité Publique (France)

Les rencontres de la performance et de la responsabilité. 9-10 décembre 2009. Cette nouvelle initiative de rencontres plutôt destinée aux entreprises mais aussi aux organisations publiques traite de tous les domaines de l’amélioration de la qualité, au développement durable, RH … Elle aura lieu à la Bourse du Commerce à Paris. FQP est associé au groupe de pilotage.

Comment les citoyens-usagers pourraient-ils prendre part à l’amélioration des services publics locaux ? 26 mars Organisée, à l’initiative de l’Institut de la Gestion Déléguée avec le concours de ses Partenaires réunis au sein d’un comité de pilotage, la Conférence de citoyens sur les services publics locaux arrive à son terme. Cette démarche qui s’inscrit dans le cadre du 7e principe de la Charte des Services Publics Locaux, sera clôturée par un débat public sous le haut parrainage de Jacques Pélissard, Président de l’Association des Maires de France.

Germany

Verwaltung innovativ (Innovative Management)

Congress on Quality - On April 27, 2010 at the invitation of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, in cooperation with the German Society for Quality (DGQ), the Congress on Quality Management in Cologne was attended by approximately 100 leaders, from the Federal, Länder and local level of governance. It was the first time the issue of quality was the subject of a conference involving all levels of management. The program and papers can be downloaded in German.

South Africa

Department of public Services and Administration Website

Deferred implementation of the Variable Pay System (VPS) linked to the performance management system for members of the SMS

The minister for the public service and administration has made a number of terminations regarding the implementation of a proposed Variable Pay System (VPS), for full times SMS members appointed in terms of public service act. VPS Would be effective as from 1 April 2009, and this would be translated to the current financial year 2008/09 being the last SMS performance cycle for the payment of performance bonuses for qualifying SMS members using the current performance management policy in terms of the procedures and instruments.

BuaNews

Public servants will be monitored – Zuma
Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma says regular monitoring and evaluation of government’s performance is crucial if it is to achieve its delivery objectives.

South Korea

The Korea Times

E-Government Web Sites Underutilized By Do Je-hae Staff Reporter

Koreans have been praised worldwide for their passion and expertise in developing Web portals for citizen services under the “e-government” project.

Switzerland

Federal administration

Administration plus efficace et répondant mieux aux besoins de la population, sur les principes de la GMEB (gestion par mandat de prestations et enveloppe budgétaire). Pour répondre aux mutations en cours dans l’économie et la société, le secteur public se doit d’alléger son organisation bureaucratique, d’assouplir ses structures et d’optimiser ses processus. Le moteur d’une administration plus efficace porte un nom, celui de (nouvelle) gestion publique ou de gestion des affaires administratives axée sur les résultats.: le GMEB (gestion par mandat de prestations et enveloppe budgétaire).

Documentation – Link to the guide http://www.flag.admin.ch/f/index.php

Link to the Administrative Units GMEB

Swiss Society of Administrative Sciences Website

La gestion du personnel dans l’administration publique doit allier orientation sur la performance et motivation des collaborateurs. Des résultats empiriques provenant de l’administration fédérale jettent une nouvelle lumière sur ce sujet d’actualité.

United States of America

The Third Annual Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Conference

March 18-19, 2010, Chattanooga Convention Center, Chattanooga, TN. We invite proposals for presentations, papers, panels, workshops, and case studies from practitioners, academics, researchers, vendors, and students that address issues of performance measurement in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Blog de l’IBM Center for The Business of Government

Topic 1: Performance Improvement and Analysis
Since the enactment of the Government Performance and Results Act in 1993, all agencies now have strategic plans and performance measures supported by an infrastructure of staff and processes build to collect and deliver performance data. The Obama Administration took office promising to appoint a “chief performance officer” to improve performance.

European Union

European Parliament Press Service

Cutting off finance for terrorism: towards a European system – Many Civil Liberties Committee MEPs hailed the progress achieved in the new agreement on banking data transfers to the USA for counter-terrorism purposes, four months after rejecting the previous agreement and pressing the European Commission to come up with a new deal. On Thursday, Parliament won firmer Council and Commission commitments to put in place an EU programme to combat finance for terrorism.

Stronger oversight of EU financial markets – Since the economic crash and subsequent global crisis there have been calls for closer monitoring of the financial system and better EU coordination. On Monday it was the turn of the Parliament’s Economic Committee to have its say on the proposals for a European Systemic Risk Board and a European System of Financial Supervisors. Stricter controls over hedge funds and other “alternative investment funds” will be voted on 17 May.

Delegated legislative powers: only within certain limits – From humanitarian emergencies to technical rules and regulations, swift minor adjustments are sometimes needed to EU legislation without resorting to lengthy procedures. The Lisbon Treaty introduced a new streamlined system for delegating to the European Commission the power to make minor changes to EU laws when needed. MEPs adopted a resolution on Wednesday stating how these powers should be delegated, under what conditions and limits, and how the Commission’s use of them should be monitored.

Data transfers to USA: Parliament states its terms – Any new agreement on providing bank data to the United States – for example via the SWIFT system – must avoid “bulk data” transfers until they can be processed within the EU, warned MEPs on Wednesday. As for Passenger Name Records, Parliament opted to postpone its vote on the existing agreements with the United States and Australia and called for those accords be renegotiated on the basis of new criteria.

European Commission

European Commission seeks contract law solutions to smooth Single Market for consumers and businesses – Contracts are the basic building blocks for relationships between businesses and consumers. The European Union’s Single Market is built on contract laws. However, businesses – particularly small and medium-sized companies – are hampered in cross-border sales because they must follow different contract laws for each of the EU’s 27 Member States. Only 8% of consumers buy online from another Member State (Consumer Scoreboard 3rd ed.).

2010 European aid report: read how EU’s action helps the poorest countries to develop – The European Commission adopted on 26/06/2010 its Annual Report 2010 on the implementation of EU’s development and external assistance policies in 2009. Programmes and projects led by the Commission reached around 140 developing countries.

OECD

Korea : Economic Survey says reforms are needed for a stronger recovery

Sustaining Korea’s strong recovery from the global downturn requires reforms, notably in the service sector, the labour market and the financial sector, to enhance productivity growth. Rapid population ageing makes health-care reform a priority. Korea also faces challenges in its ambitious plan to make green growth the driver of its economic development.

Development: Belgium improves the quality and volume of its aid

The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) commends Belgium’s commitment to improve the quality and volume of its aid, particularly at a time of global economic crisis. Belgium spent USD 2.6 billion on official development assistance (ODA) in 2009, which amounted to 0.55% of its gross national income (GNI).

Overcoming Barriers to Administrative Simplification Strategies: Guidance for Policy Makers

This guide draws on the experience of, and policy dialogue between, OECD member countries and Middle East and North African countries (MENA). It reviews common barriers to designing and implementing a strategy for administrative simplification and offers 22 approaches to overcome them.

United Nations Development Programme

A Users’ Guide to Measuring Public Administration Performance

This Guide responds to a growing demand for more operational and nationally-owned measurement tools for public administration. It critically reviews the existing assessment tools and information sources which are readily accessible online. It provides practical guidance drawing on scenarios, and provides an exhaustive inventory of existing assessment tools and methodologies.

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IIAS Knowledge Portal on Public Administration

Announcing: Three New Focus Themes

International Review of Administrative Sciences Selection

Issue Papers for the IIAS Congress Themes!

Focus on Migration Management and Public Administration

Australia

GovMonitor

Austria

Belgium

Federal Government Information Portal

Migration Office

Chine

Denmark

Italy

South Africa

Spain

Switzerland

United Kingdom

European Institute of Public Administration

European Union

The Global Forum on Migration and Development

International Organisation for Migrations

Migration4Development: EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative

From Migration to Development: Lessons Drawn from the Experience of Local Authorities

Interview of Per Lægreid & Koen Verhoest about Governance of Public Sector Organizations

“Governance of Public Sector Organizations: Proliferation, Autonomy and Performance ”

Focus and Be Flexible: an Interview of Prof. Michiel de Vries

The Importance of Neglect in Policy-Making

News on Innovation (List)

Belgium

Federal Staff Portal

Canada

France

Germany

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South Africa

South Korea

Switzerland

United Kingdom

United States

Commonwealth Association for Public Administration & Management

European Union

The Lisbon Council

Open Source Observatory and Repository

United Nations Public Administration Network

The Knoweldge Portal Goes Social!

News on Innovation (List) – Archives

Belgium

Federal Government Portal

Federal Staff Portal

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

South Africa

South Korea

Sweden

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Turkey

United Kingdom

Commonwealth Association for Public Administration & Management

European Union

Innovation & Creativity in Europe’s public sectors

The Lisbon Council

Open Source Observatory and Repository

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Economics : OECD Forum and Ministerial meeting to focus on innovation, growth from 26-May-2010 to 28-May-2010

United Nations Public Administration Network

News on Performance (List)

Belgium

Canada

France

Qualité Publique (France)

Germany

Verwaltung innovativ (Innovative Management)

South Africa

Department of public Services and Administration Website

South Korea

The Korea Times

Switzerland

“Governance of Public
Sector Organizations: Proliferation,
Autonomy and Performance ”