Showing papers in "The Asian Journal of Public Administration in 1998"
TL;DR: The authors argue that while there have been efficiency gains from these changes, these have sometimes been oversold The benefits have often been off-set by significant costs, and they argue that the New Zealand reforms have been promoted by some such as the OECD and the Auditor General of Canada, as exemplars of public sector reform.
Abstract: In the mid-1980s and 1990s, New Zealand radically reformed its public sector. Changes included corporatising and privatising state owned enterprizes; introducing performance related individual contracts for senior staff; increasing departmental management autonomy; changing financial management and reporting requirements, including moving from input-based to output based reporting; a move to strategic planning for the government; and departmental decoupling, including promoting policy-operations and funder-provider splits. The reforms drew heavily on public choice theory, new institutional economics and new public management. The New Zealand reforms have been promoted by some, such as the OECD and the Auditor General of Canada, as exemplars of public sector reform. This article argues that while there have been efficiency gains from these changes, these have sometimes been oversold The benefits have often been off-set by significant costs.
20 citations
TL;DR: The administrative system in Bangladesh suffers from dysfunctions resulting from organisational and procedural complexities extant in both political and bureaucratic structures as mentioned in this paper, which can lead to problems in coordinating and integrating policy-making and implementation.
Abstract: The administrative system in Bangladesh suffers from dysfunctions resulting from organisational and procedural complexities extant in both political and bureaucratic structures. The relationship between the two, not clearly defined, further complicates the governmental process and can lead to problems in coordinating and integrating policy-making and implementation. At the administrative level, overlap and duplication of functions, oversight of regulations, inconsistent and contradictory rules, inefficient information flow, insufficient inter-agency consultation, inadequate delegation of authority, and delays in decision-making, combine to affect both policy and administrative performance. Reforms have been mainly externally-induced but the government has been sluggish in applying them.
19 citations
TL;DR: The Balanced Scorecard developed for commercial organisations offers one useful way of transforming a multiple-component performance reporting framework into a comprehensive governance and management information framework as discussed by the authors, which can be adapted directly for use in public sector commercial organisations, and, with more creativity, involving the redefinition of focus as the maximisation of effectiveness for a given budget.
Abstract: It is generally accepted that a sufficient and appropriate definition of performance in non-profit organisations requires multiple components Such a multiple-component definition is much more useful if it can serve not only retrospectively as a framework for performance reporting, but also prospectively and continuously as an information framework for both governance and management control over the cycle of organisational activities By defining focus and causal integration, the Balanced Scorecard developed for commercial organisations offers one useful way of transforming a multiple-component performance reporting framework into a comprehensive governance and management information framework The Scorecard can be adapted directly for use in public sector commercial organisations, and, with more creativity - involving the redefinition of focus as the maximisation of effectiveness for a given budget -for public and private non-profit organisations The multi-attribute reporting model developed by the CCAF
8 citations
TL;DR: A variety of challenges presently facing the Hospital Authority are outlined, and possible responses are offered.
Abstract: The statutory Hospital Authority was established by the Hong Kong government in 1990 to lead a new era in public hospital management. The new body was given the tremendous task of implementing a management structure across some forty hospitals. This article discusses the development and current status of the Hospital Authority. A variety of challenges presently facing the organisation are outlined, and possible responses are offered.
5 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that due to the government's policy of rightsizing and downsizing, many skilled and well trained officials have taken severance packages, which creates a vacuum which could create grounds for corruption, the misappropriation of funds, and the poor monitoring of contracts.
Abstract: Government expenditure is a vital component of economic and social progress and, as such, plays an important role in the transformation process in South Africa. In order to overcome the legacy of discrimination and neglect, South Africa must above all else create conditions for sustainable growth. In this regard, the government has to externalize its public services and enter into contracts with other service providers. As the taxpayer is paying for the services, it is important that officials should be trained and exposed to different and complex contracts But unfortunately due to the government’s policy of rightsizing and downsizing, many skilled and well trained officials have taken severance packages. This outflow has created a vacuum which could create grounds for corruption, the misappropriation of funds, and the poor monitoring of contracts. Therefore, it is of crucial importance that the capacity of officials in administering and managing contracts be developed.
4 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the models of public governance that have emerged from research involving the governments of Malaysia and Singapore and the impact of these models on socio-economic performance.
Abstract: This article discusses the models of public governance that have emerged from research involving the governments of Malaysia and Singapore and the impact of these models on socio-economic performance. The research was facilitated by a series of interviews, supported by a contemporary literature review, and is part of a wider project which seeks to construct some comparative models of the role of government in national socio-economic development in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Vietnam. The overall research has two aims The first is to develop some greater understanding of the role of government in the creation of factors that support national economic performance. The second is to develop some alternative means of measuring national performance in terms that provide a more informative picture than that currently provided by conventional economic and financial reportingThe focal point of the article is the role of the governments of Malaysia and Singapore in the formulation of the national stra...
3 citations
TL;DR: In contrast to the traditional sanction-based strategy of enforcement which emphasises coercion and deterrence, the compliance strategy focuses upon voluntary commitment to standards through learning, inducements, and self responsibility as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This article examines the compliance approach to regulatory law enforcement in Singapore, as exemplified in two enforcement programmes, namely, food control and industrial safety. In contrast to the traditional sanction-based strategy of enforcement which emphasises coercion and deterrence, the compliance strategy focuses upon voluntary commitment to standards through learning, inducements, and self responsibility The reasons why this strategy has been adopted in the two enforcement programmes are also considered. In addition, the article assesses the effectiveness of the compliance strategy, highlighting the greater degree of effectiveness in the food control programme than in the industrial safety programme, especially in the construction sector. The differences are explained in economic terms. Where the cost of violating regulations (both penal and non-penal) outweighs the cost of conforming, as in the food control programme, it is more likely that the strategy will work. If the reverse is true, as in ...
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that despite the spate of bad publicity received by the countries of this region of late, the UNDP could still pick up a thing or two in the formulation of its governance assistance programme from country experiences in this region.
Abstract: Governance - in particular, good governance, and how to sustain it - has occupied the agendas of practically all international donors and has caught the attention of policy makers around the world The United Nations, for one, has woven this concept into its development assistance programme and, in the latest governance programme to be pushed by the UN Development Programme, much emphasis is laid on learning from good governance practices around the world. In this context, the argument here is that, despite the spate of bad publicity received by the countries of this region of late, the UNDP could still pick up a thing or two in the formulation of its governance assistance programme from country experiences in this region. The most important lesson is that institution building is still the key and transparency is vital for the public sector
2 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a pioneer study was conducted of a sample of professional planners to investigate their role perceptions and performance, and their inclination to adopt advocacy planning, revealing that the respondents were ambivalent in their understanding and orientation to advocacy planning.
Abstract: In 1997, Hong Kong underwent a momentus transfer of sovereignty. The new SAR government inherited from its colonial predecessor a political and administrative structure characterized by bureaucratic dominance which makes it very difficult for advocacy planning to flourish. A pioneer study was conducted of a sample of professional planners to investigate their role perceptions and performance, and their inclination to adopt advocacy planning. Results reveal that the respondents were ambivalent in their understanding and orientation to advocacy planning. Planners were largely confused about what constitutes the “public interest”. Since they adopted a technocratic role perception and a conservative stance towards planning for social equity, they only recognized superficially the role of citizen participation, and had a rather negative perception of the ability of the territory’s ascending political representatives to participate in planning. They were cautious about the prospects for advocacy planning in Hon...