Research gaps on public service delivery

This paper follows the research framework for context-specific public service delivery presented at ICEGOV 2016 [1]. The research has been conducted at the UNU-EGOV unit during the last year. The paper presents the research landscape for ICT enabled public service delivery scientific and policy literature. The findings are analyzed and presented in a conceptual framework allowing us to identify the core dimensions and sub-dimensions of public service delivery. The paper concludes by outlining the research gaps identified by the study and a series of policy recommendations to enhance public service delivery. The results showed that the Innovation and Evaluation dimensions and their sub-dimensions, Innovating Public Procurement, Collective Learning and Intelligent, Evidence-Based Policy Making and Social Media Impact are the areas with less investigation.This research received support from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Government of Portugal (Grant n.º PEstOE/CJP/UI0758/ 2013) and is also partially supported by the "Programa Operacional da Região Norte", NORTE2020, in the context of project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037 (SmartEGOV). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The challenges of delivering a public library service using volunteers: a qualitative investigation examining key stakeholder experiences

This paper considers the findings of recent qualitative research, which examined volunteer use in public libraries, focussing on the perceptions of four groups of stakeholders (the library managers, front line staff, volunteers and library users) in the light of recent austerity measures in two English case study library authorities. A complex picture of public library service delivery exists, with a move from value-added volunteers supporting staff, to the replacement of paid staff with volunteers. This development challenges the previous positive relationships established by value-added volunteer use, and hints at an underlying societal misunderstanding of public libraries, which affects wider policy and practice. The paper examines the challenges of using volunteers to plug the gaps left by library closures and paid staff reductions, and identifies possible areas of good practice in what has become an increasingly hybrid model of public service delivery

Using Service Design Tool and Qualitative Research Method to Assist the E-Government Service Process Redesign: A Case Study of the Taxation Service Process in Taiwan

Previous studies have determined that information technology dominates numerous e-government projects; information and communications technology has been used mainly as a tool for enhancing the efficiency and service delivery of governments. Electronic government(e-government) should achieve public innovation goals, such as redesigning information relationships among stakeholders, enhancing citizen participation in the policymaking process, and reinforcing policy enforcement to create public value. These goals are more valuable, but also more complex, than the digitization of existing governmental processes. Therefore, this study focused on a crucial e-government service, the Taiwan taxation service, to determine whether, in the current era in which people depend highly on network tools to send and receive information, online services are suitable for taxpayers and how to improve the service process. In this study, service design tools were combined with a qualitative research method, and observation and individual interviews of participants were conducted to record their perceptions of the tax service process. The results of the study facilitate identifying gaps in the seemingly convenient and progressive tax service process of Taiwan, including insufficient information provision, complex website operation, inconsistent information classification with users’ logic, the lack of complete and consistent service for one-stop windows, and difficult document content. The taxation authority should integrate all online taxation services to achieve the expected public service (one-stop e-government window). This research facilitates relevant government agencies to provide effective e-government services, identify problems, and modify service delivery processes

"Promoting Gender Equality through Stimulus Packages and Public Job Creation: Lessons Learned from South Africa’s Expanded Public Works Programme"

Beyond loss of income, joblessness is associated with greater poverty, marginalization, and social exclusion; the current global crisis is clearly not helping. In this new Public Policy Brief, Research Scholar Rania Antonopoulos explores the impact of both joblessness and employment expansion on poverty, paying particular attention to the gender aspects of poverty and poverty-reducing public employment schemes targeting poor women. The author presents the results of a Levy Institute study that examines the macroeconomic consequences of scaling up South Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme by adding to it a new sector for social service delivery in health and education. She notes that gaps in such services for households that cannot afford to pay for them are mostly filled by long hours of invisible, unpaid work performed by women and children. Her proposed employment creation program addresses several policy objectives: income and job generation, provisioning of communities' unmet needs, skill enhancement for a new cadre of workers, and promotion of gender equality by addressing the overtaxed time of women.

Public private partnership contract management failure in information technology service delivery: a qualitative inquiry into the South African Department of Labour ERP implementation project

This PhD research project investigated the failure of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) ICT service delivery project between the South African Department of Labour (DOL) and Siemens Information Services (SIS). The research investigated conditions contributing to management failure of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Implementation project, which had the objective of improving the Department of Labour's service operations and the transfer of ERP technology competence to the DOL. An important objective of this research was to develop an understanding of the special challenges of PPP management in the context of emerging and developing countries. International organizations such as the IMF, World Bank and United Nations (UN) have been encouraging emerging and developing countries to adopt PPPs as vehicles for developing technology competence and improving public sector efficiency. However, little research has been conducted to discover whether these countries have the competencies to successfully implement and manage PPPs. The goal of this PhD study was to develop an understanding of factors and conditions influencing the DOL-SIS PPP failure in order to develop theory and approaches, which could help improve management practices in the area of contracting-out ICT service delivery in the public sector of the Republic of South Africa. The research was guided by an agency theory framework and utilised a multi-method approach to conduct three empirical investigations into the PPP institutional framework, project governance and public accountability aspects of the DOL-SIS project. Some important findings of this research are: (1) Robust institutional policies and governance mechanisms specific to PPPs for ICT service delivery are necessary but not sufficient to combat risks of failure; robust mechanisms for performance monitoring and penalties for shirking are also necessary. (2) Public sector managers need specialised knowledge and competence to effectively manage private partners in the execution of ICT PPP contracts; over dependence on the private partners can significantly increase the risk of project failure, and encourage opportunistic behaviour and shirking by the private partner. (3) Transparent project governance and public accountability mechanisms are necessary to maintaining public support and combating opportunistic behaviour of both private and public partners on a PPP ICT services project. The thesis comprises three empirical studies: Study 1 used an agency theory framework to interrogate the PPP institutional framework to understand its provisions for identifying and managing risk factors in ICT service delivery projects. Study 2 analysed data from interviews with stakeholders, the contract meeting minutes and other relevant documents, guided by the agency theory framework to develop an understanding of project governance challenges. Study 3 focused on identifying public accountability issues and used a critical discourse analysis methodology to interrogate the media discourse concerning the failure of the DOL-SIS ERP Implementation failure. Content analysis with the use of ATLAS/TI and automated tool was used to analyse all the relevant documents for the different studies. The general contribution of this PhD research is an explanatory theory illustrating how interactions among institutional conditions, governance mechanisms, knowledge and management competence deficits, and the behaviour of the PPP actors reinforced dysfunctional organisational conditions, which resulted in project failure. The theory is illustrated using a causal loop modelling technique and a set of five theoretical propositions clarifying the organizational knowledge and competence challenges, which the public sector managers faced, and the consequences of these affecting the success of the PPP project. This is an important contribution to literature on the use of PPPs for ICT service delivery not only in emerging and developing country contexts, but in developed contexts as well. Other contributions specific to the South African perspective are: (1) Study 1 revealed gaps in the institutional framework concerning the management of risks in ICT PPP projects. While South Africa has much experience with managing risks in the engineering and delivery of physical infrastructure, there is a comparable lack experience with managing ICT infrastructure implementation project risks. (2) Studies 1 and 2 reveal gaps in the governance and accountability mechanisms and practices which can be exploited with adverse consequences to the public interest. These studies also point to the importance of robust transparency and governance mechanisms, and high levels of management competence to the effective risk management of PPPs for ICT service delivery. (3) Study 3 reveals importance of the independent media in fostering debate, uncovering evidence, scrutinizing the activities of the actors in the DOL-SIS PPP and defending the public interest. The independent media played a critical role of agitating for public accountability when the DOL was reluctant to do so, and raising issues about SIS underperformance and pushing for public investigation into the governance of the DOL-SIS ERP Implementation project

A study of procurement and administration in the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape

The study investigated issues concerning procurement and administration in the Department of Health (DoH) in the Eastern Cape and has further investigated the role of the implementation of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Act 1 of 1999 in the department. That included issues associated with the administration and procurement in relation to service providers from the private sector. The DoH in the Eastern Cape Province delivers:“ … a quality health service to the people of the Eastern Cape Province promoting a better life for all and ensures accessible, comprehensive, and integrated services in the province, emphasising the primary health care approach, as well as utilising and developing all resources to enable present and future generations to enjoy good health and quality of life” (Department of Health [DoH], Eastern Cape, Departmental Annual Performance Plan, 2013:3). Various researchers have investigated the implementation of the PFM Act 1 of 1999 and have identified gaps and made recommendations regarding the identified gaps. The study is based on the following reports from various authors: According to Pillay (2013), since 1994 every public sector department has lost approximately R385 billion to fraud, corruption and maladministration. Government employees have accepted kickbacks in exchange for rigging tenders, including focusing on high levels of corruption (Albert, 2011:1). The fraud and corruption in the Eastern Cape DoH, which involves nepotism, corruption and fraud amounting to a million rand in the audit report of 2013, have prompted calls by the opposition for interventions (PricewaterhouseCoopers [PWC], 2013:9). Departmental Annual Performance Plan for 2013/2014. Impact of accountability and ethics on public service delivery: a South African perspective which involves accountability stating that all government departments have to be efficient to ensure value for public funds including the qualitative and value-laden expectations of the society (Raga & Taylor, 2008:1). EC (2010:9), Audit Report: Health Department, Eastern Cape. King III Report (2009) – Corporate Governance. The study has built on previous research conducted by other researchers who have conducted research on the issue of the implementation of the Public Finance Management Act 1 (PFM Act 1) of 1999, and had identify further gaps not previously identified by other researchers or in the audits. In addition, this study aims to also identify shortcomings that have been described in the recent audits 2013/2014 of the DoH, Eastern Cape. Together with the new gaps identified in the PFM Act 1 of 1999, the researcher aims to make a number of recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the implementation of the PFM Act 1 of 1999. The PFM Act 1 of 1999 was promulgated by the South African government in 1999. The Act promotes the objective of good financial management in order to maximise service delivery through effective and efficient use of available limited resources as well as credible interaction with private sector service providers. A key objective of this Act is to put in place a more effective financial accountability system over public entities. The objectives of the Act are to: Modernise the system of financial management, Enable public sector managers to manage, while at the same time being accountable, Ensure timely provision of quality information, To eliminate waste and corruption in the use of public assets

Exploring the Relational Impact of Service Quality on Customer Satisfication

Customer Satisfaction has been a psychological attribute inviting attention of the customers and requiring decipher their contribution in overall business performance.Banking has been no exception to this phenomenon.Many Literatures have found a strong relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction In service sector in general and banking industry in particular. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. The study assesses the level of customers’ satisfaction and service quality performance of the select banks. Further the study compares the satisfaction and service quality in select public and private sector banks.The study also identifies the area where the banks need to focus. The research design is descriptive as the research is intended to conclude and suggest measures to zero down on the service quality gaps in select public and private sector banks. The result shows a positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. Service quality dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) show wide service quality gaps. The comparative study of public sector banks and private sector banks show superiority of private sector banks over public sector banks in customer satisfaction and performance of service delivery. &nbsp

Review of community participation and FM services contributions toward provisioning of quality municipal services in Malaysian local authorities

Local authorities’ service delivery in recent times has categorised as a function of multiple players. Connecting with stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, employees, and local communities and their needs in an interactive session or communicative process has been classified as significant for successful Facilities Management (FM) services that bridges gaps that exist between those expectations and service provisioning that meets their wants and specific needs. FM will lead curtail wastage, less downtime and improve the bottom line. Beneficiaries of LAs services need to have a say in the decisions relating to the facilities provided, and if possible to take part in its provisioning or development and to manage it after completion. The methodology adopted in this research is secondary sources of data, were article, textbooks and statutory documents were critically reviewed. This study reviewed the community participation and FM services contributions towards enhancing and provisioning quality municipal services of LAs in Malaysia. This study shows that there are enormous benefits that both the LAs and local communities can achieve when community participation and FM services come together as a factor of service delivery. Service delivery changes have been complemented by improved community participation and FM systems. LAs in Malaysia can be successful in public sector service quality through the adoption of a community participation based on FM services approach. The results of this study shows that local government in Malaysia are yet to attain excellent level in times of community participation and FM service approach for adequate service delivery. A way forward lies on LAs to embrace service delivery best practice through synergy between community participation and FM at local levels, LAs should examine the revenue bases and expenditures of their local authorities, and the extent that their differences affect the capacity of local authorities in providing quality municipal services

An exploratory study on the quality of service in the public sector in Tonga

The Government of Tonga embarked for the first time in a public sector reform program starting in 2001 with the objective, among others,to improve the quality of service delivery to the public.This was the government’s response to address the growing concerns from the public and the media over the integrity and quality of the overall public services, and relating in some instances with alleged malpractices and corruptions in the government’s ministries, including the Ministry of Revenue Service (MRS). The quality of the service delivery of MRS was expected to be improved greatly as a result of the public sector reform program in providing a holistic approach to developing the capacity, and modernisation of the processes in the operations, of the organisation. Eleven years have lapsed from the implementation of the public sector reform program. This research has assessed the level of expectation and perception of external customers over the quality of the service delivery of the government, focussing on the performance of MRS. The analysis has identified notable critical gaps between the level of expectation and level of perception of customers for the factors of service dimensions in the customer service of MRS. This research used MRS as the case study, and conducted field work through questionnaire survey, with 92 participants responded, and a follow up interview with 22 interviewees to clarify their responses to the survey. The field work focused on the three principal external customer sub-groups of MRS, which are: individual customers, business customers and government department customers, and they are also importers and taxpayers interacting with MRS on an on-going basis. The research findings have shown that all three customer group overalls rated a high level of expectation over the service of MRS. They have also indicated that the level of perception over the service of MRS was lower than the level of expectation, revealing gaps in most of the factors of service dimensions. In addition, there were no significant differences existed in the expected level and perceived level of the service of MRS among the three customer groups’ overalls, and within the three customer sub-groups. These results indicate the consistency of rating across the levels of expectation and perception in all customer groups’ overalls and within three customer sub-groups. However, there were significant differences observed in the expected level within the three customer sub-groups in the customer group overall interacting with MRS within 10 years, showing customers different levels of expectations on the ability of the public sector reform to deliver its goal of providing quality service with efficiency. There were also significant differences in the perceived level of the service of MRS within three customer sub-groups in the aggregate customer group overall. These differences in customers’ perceptions reflect their different experiences with the performance of MRS. There were further significant differences found between the expected performance level and perceived performance level of MRS customer services in all categories of customer groups’ overalls, and also within all customer sub-groups indicating critical performance gaps. Moreover, significant differences were shown up between the expected level and perceived level for all twenty two factors of service dimensions for MRS customer service in all categories of customer groups overalls and within customer subgroups. In terms of critical gaps there were nineteen critical gaps identified out of twenty two factors of service dimensions altogether across all customer group overalls. These critical gaps indicate the serious concerns of the customers with almost all aspects of the service of MRS. These critical gaps are clustered into the five broad service dimensions. The highest performance gaps were associated with reliability of MRS performance with five critical factors, followed by responsive and empathy with four critical factors each, and then assurance and tangible with three critical factors each. MRS has to address as top priority the serious concern with the reliability of its customer service. The research concludes that there are significant differences existed between the level of expectations and level of perceptions of customers over the factors of service dimension of the MRS performance. These critical gaps need to be eliminated or reduced so as to improve the quality of the current customer service and its credibility to, and relation with, the public at large. The results of the research reveal that the public sector reform has somewhat failed to meet the high expectation on its objective to deliver a better customer service. Actually, the customer service of MRS has been weighed and found wanting. MRS has therefore had to devise a strategy as a matter of urgency to address the customers prevailing low perception over its customer service

Enhancing Public Service Delivery in a VUCA Environment in South Africa: A Literature Review

There is widespread consensus that the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) environment has contributed to the subpar quality of public sector service delivery in South Africa. Hence, the aim of this paper is to ascertain how the South African government can enhance service delivery in a VUCA world. This article presents a comprehensive study of a number of secondary literature sources. The author makes an effort to draw attention to knowledge gaps that might serve as the foundation for more research in the future. The main finding is that for the South African government to provide good service in a VUCA environment, its employees must be proficient in Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategic Planning, Programme and Project Management Methodology, and Change Management Methodology. There is a severe lack of empirical study on the delivery of public sector services in an environment characterized by VUCA. As a result, there is a need for more research on this topic. Specifically, in order to establish the effect that the VUCA environment has on the governments of emerging nations. The research will be beneficial to the governments of developing countries, notably South Africa, as well as to those who work in the field of public administration