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Civil Society Forum:
Forty-second Session of the Commission for Social Development
Improving Public Sector Effectiveness
Presentation by Faith Innerarity
February 3, 2004
The famous American sociologist, Talcott Parsons in elaborating his ideas on the functioning of society, identified what he termed ‘basic functional prerequisites’. These were identified as:
· Adaptation - associated with the economy
· Goal Attainment - linked with the political system
· Integration - achieved through the legal system
· Pattern Maintenance- the work of the social institutions
This conceptual framework provides a good starting point in the discussion of Improving Effectiveness in the Public Sector. Indeed the state apparatus is critical for the attainment of society’s goals.
As stated in the Report of the Secretary General on this priority theme,
“The public sector encompasses those entities owned and/or controlled by the State and its central, regional and local agencies. These agencies include government departments or ministries, public agencies and a variety of statutory bodies, as well as public enterprises. State ownership can be total or partial, but essential to the public nature of an institution or activity is the existence of a regulatory regime and mode of operation determined by public authorities”
With the emergence of the neo-liberal paradigm there were frequent calls for ‘less’ government, downsizing of public institutions, in sum a minimalist state. The overriding emphases in policy prescriptions for developing countries were macroeconomic stability, domestic liberalisation, privatisation, and the removal of barriers to international trade and investments.
This position has been significantly revised, with the emerging consensus that the state still has a critical role to play within the current global context. As argued by Stiglitz, the focus on economics confused means with ends. Economic growth is not an end in itself but a means of improving living standards, for a better society characterised by good health, education and other social services.
The lessons of history have clearly indicated that in order for real development to be achieved, markets must be under-girded by effective public institutions. This is essential for the attainment of primary goals such as increased equity, social integration and the protection of the most vulnerable in society.
One of the most important roles of the state is to ensure that adequate levels of social expenditure are maintained. This can only be achieved with the recognition that economic and social policies are mutually reinforcing, and must therefore be integrated throughout the process from formulation to implementation.
Deliberate public policy that accords high priority to social expenditure for human capital investment is a function of the state that cannot be abrogated. Consequently, public sector reforms that focus almost exclusively on reducing deficits by budget cuts, without also paying close attention to developing strategies for increasing public revenue result in very high social costs.
At the same time, officials must be held accountable for the use of public funds, with fiscal matters being conducted in a transparent manner, with no tolerance for corrupt practices.
The concept of bureaucracy as developed by Max Weber, represented the ‘ideal type’ of an efficient organizational structure and related practices for large-scale organizations within a modern society, in keeping with the principles of rational-legal authority. Ironically, the public bureaucracy is often spoken of in very negative terms, with charges of inefficiency, ineffectiveness, waste and other stereotypical labels.
In response many governments have introduced processes of reform in the public sector to project a more favourable ‘corporate’ type image, through focussing on critical areas such as client relationships, aimed at improving the reach and quality of service. In fact, many practices that have generally been regarded as private sector norms have been adopted in the public sector. These include the establishment of customer service units with specially trained staff, development of citizens charters that outline expected standards, the use of corporate planning as a core function, performance based budgeting, and the introduction of merit systems for the promotion of public servants.
These reforms have also been the result of increased awareness of citizens of their rights and the obligations of government in the adequate provision of services. Non-government organizations and other civil society group have made significant contributions in this regard. This has in fact pushed many governments to use broad consultative processes in the formulation of policies and passing of legislation.
In spite of these achievements many challenges remain and it is the task of the Commission for Social Development to have meaningful deliberations on the critical issues, many of which have been outlined in the Report of the Secretary General. These cover areas such as measures of public sector effectiveness, sources of financing (especially measures to improve taxation regimes) modalities for service delivery, promotion of social dialogue and the performance of public servants.
In Jamaica and other countries of the Commonwealth Caribbean, the modernization of the public sector has benefited significantly from developments and practices in the United Kingdom, through technical assistance programmes with a substantial training input for local counterparts. This type of international cooperation is very useful and should be encouraged not only on North/South basis but also south/south sharing of experiences and good practices.
However, as correctly noted in the Report of the Secretary General, there are diverse country experiences and the type of policies and programmes adopted must be suitable to local conditions. The levels of decentralisation, public-private partnership or privatisation (where appropriate), will therefore depend on country specific situations. Notwithstanding, broad guidelines such as accessibility, quality, productivity, accountability and transparency must be essential elements.
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