1. Managing Performance: Lessons from Administrative Reforms in Public Administrations
EUPAN meeting
September 15th, 2009, Stockholm, Sweden
Prof. Dr. Geert Bouckaert
Director Public Management Institute, Leuven, Belgium
President of EGPA

2. Similar and different starting positions
Reform as following trajectories
Reform as managing for performance
Reform as reorganisation
Reform as involving stakeholders
Reform as upgrading cycles

3. Similar and different starting positions
Shared initial problems: budget and economy, and trust
Reforms: negative and positive
Shared objectives of reform:
Re-allocation of resources
Performance of performance
Responsibility and accountability

4. REFORM AS TRAJECTORIES

10. REFORM AS MANAGING FOR PERFORMANCE

12. Managing for performance: Steps
Measuring
Incorporating
Using

13. Managing for performance: Types
-Performance administration
-Managements of performances
-Performance management
-Performance governance

14. REFORM AS REORGANISATION

15. Creation of Autonomous entities (agencies)
Flatter administrations (lower depth of control, larger span of control)
Decentralisation
Different patterns of specialisation and coordination

19. Reform as reorganisation: problems
-loss of control
-lack of coordination
-re-dis-organisation (Pollitt)

20. REFORM AS INVOLVING STAKEHOLDERS
-co-design
-co-decide
-co-produce; co-implement
-co-evaluate

21. REFORM AS UPGRADING CYCLES

25. Lessons from the past and Learning for the future:
-Shared reform trends but cultural specificities: do not blindly imitate
-Reform is technical and political: get politics and society involved for ownership
-’Solving’ problems creates new problems: make ex ante evaluations of ‘solutions’
-Reform builds on what exists: make sure reform is cumulative
-Performance of performance is crucial: demonstrate progress of performance

26. -Four models (Maintain, Modernise, Marketise, Minimise): Choose combinations which are desirable and feasible;
-Linking cycles (policy/control, finance, contract): remedy the weakest cycle, add missing components

27. Bouckaert Geert, Peters B
Bouckaert Geert, Peters B. Guy, Verhoest Koen (2010, forthcoming) Co-ordination: a seven country comparison. Palgrave.
Bouckaert Geert, Halligan John (2008) Managing performance, International comparisons. Routledge, London, 440p.
Vandewalle Steven, Van Roosbroek Steven, Bouckaert Geert (2005) Trust in the Public Sector. OECD, November 2005.
Pollitt Christopher, Bouckaert Geert (2004, 2d expanded ed.) Public Management Reform: A Comparative Analysis. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 345.