What happens in organisations inspected? Emma Ek 031-7861277 emma.ek@spa.gu.se School of public administration, University of Gothenburg

Disposition PART 1: INTRODUCTION: ABOUT THE RESEARH PROJECT PART 2: WHAT AND WHO GETS INSPECTED? PART 3: IMPACT ON WHAT? PART 4: SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS!

ABOUT THE RESEARCH PROJECT PART 1 INTRODUCTION: ABOUT THE RESEARCH PROJECT

Why research on the ones being inspected? Two main reasons: Knowledge about inspection (this is where the effects of inspection are to occur) Knowledge about public organisations (inspection and inspection-like activities are part of public organisations everyday life)

What kind of questions? 1. Institutional change: an ”audit society” Power (1997) Characteristics? – form, where, differences between fields and countries etc. Causes? – decentralisation, deregulation, privatization, internationalization, strive for accountability, result based management etc. Consequences? - Effects on organisations (positive and negative)? Societal and organisational effects (on risks, trust etc)? 2. How inspection works Is it effective? To what cost? How is inspection performed? Practices, methods, decision making etc. How is inspection received, managed, handled, used…?

Empirical material: schools and elderly care Texts (reports, numbers, accounts, documents, correspondence, presentational material, websites etc) Interviews (about 35) with managers, principals, administrators, teachers, inspectors. Observations (7 days) Context: Local self-government, national regulation, local responsibility, public and private service providers, financed by taxes.

Theoretical framework Organization theory & critical accounting & studies of science and technology – focusing micro interactions Understand ”being inspected” activities, not from a steering point of view but from the inspected organizations point of view. Contribution?… provide a counter-mainstream description of inspection… bring forward even more questions rather than answers…

WHAT AND WHO GETS INSPECTED? PART 2 WHAT AND WHO GETS INSPECTED?

System of inspection (SOU 2002:14) Responsible for the inspection object Inspection object Inspectorate

Inspection object - what is it? Activities, persons, products etc. that gets inspected Not an object out there waiting Certain aspects: assessment areas, criteria, indicators Indicators are what counts as evidence. They tell us what is of importance. They define the inspection object.

”Inspectability” Inspectability is a process with two components (Power 1996): Negotiate and stabilize a knowledge base underpinning the inspection activities Create an environment receptive to this knowledge base What counts as evidence and what gets inspected – inspectable and non-inspectable aspects

Example When the inspectors write their reports, then they make an assessment on one or two, maximum three rows and then there are 20-25 rows of motives underpinning the assessment. A very concrete example. They write here that the students in the interview say that they do not get any information about grading criteria. It is a lie! It is a pure fucking lie! Certainly there are students who have not received information, but the majority of students do receive information about grading criteria. And if they interviewed sixteen of the students, then I demand that they say that "seven of the students say they have received information'. You cannot claim that all students have said so, just because there were some students who did. It's too bad rigor in the motivational pieces that form the basis for assessment” (manager/principal)  

Who are inspected? Persons in the inspected organizations have different relationships to the inspection object. - Perform the work that is inspected (principals, teachers) - Responsible for the inspection object, or certain aspects of it (politicians, managers, principals, teachers) - Administrators who play a crucial role in inspection processes

PART 3 IMPACT ON WHAT?

Is there an impact if we can´t measure it?

Different functions according to the chancellor of justice Trust Awareness Tightening and concentration Rulefollowing Prevention Education Corrective Enhancement of societal systems Enhancement of societal cultures Etc…

Local functionality Inspection was recognized as part of things going on Pre-announced visits: prepared and involved estimate risks what is ”normal”? make comparisons This kind of work ”enjoins those within these locales to work out ”where they are”, calibrate themselves in relation to ”where they should be”, and devise ways of getting from one state to the other” (Miller & Rose 1992, p 187) Inspection reports How many? What charactar? Not only results spread but a picture of the inspected organization…

SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS PART 4 SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS

Inspection objects: what counts as evidence. What gets inspected Inspection objects: what counts as evidence? What gets inspected? Inspectees: Several actors in an organizational context. Different relations. Who are adressed? Who are involved? How do they perform their ”work” during the inspection process? Inspection: Several functions, but what is measurable?  MORE COMPARISONS BETWEEN INSPECTION AREAS AND COUNTRIES! CONTRASTS THAT ARE EYE-OPENING.  MORE RESEARCH ON INSPECTEES AS THEY ARE ACTIVE AND INVOLVED!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! Emma Ek 031-7861277 emmaek@spa.gu.se