The statutory rights of public servants : the experience of officers of the Commonwealth Public Service of Australia

The universal growth of governmental activities and the consequent expansion of public employment since the advent of the industrial revolution have extended the special relationship between the government and its employees to an increasing proportion of the workforce. While the rights and obligations of public employees are identical to those of private employees in many respects, there are important differences which set them apart. The origin, extent, nature and justification of these differences are attracting greater interest on the part of both official and staff sides but the subject is complicated by difficulties of definition and conflicting concepts of rights. It does not seem to belong to a single discipline although the main body would properly belong to the realm of administrative law, as the rights and obligations of public employees involve delegated legislation, administrative tribunals and judicial review of administrative discretion. In common law countries, this specialised aspect of administrative law has been largely confined to the bare outlines of judicial decision, leaving the interpretation of rights and obligations virtually untouched. This study of the rights and obligations of Commonwealth public servants in Australia has a twofold purpose - to raise some of the wider issues involved and to explore a relatively neglected area in Australian administrative law

Approaches and guidance for monitoring, measuring and assessing performance in public-sector programmes

O artigo aborda a evolução da mensuração do desempenho e da avaliação de programas nas organizações do setor público, e destaca-se a significação da mesma na atualidade, fazendo alusão a casos de países em desenvolvimento. Comenta os principais aspectos da implementação de um sistema de avaliação e mensuração de desempenho, e discute seus alcances e limitações. A busca de medidas apropriadas para a avaliação quantitativa e qualitativa das organizações do setor público não é nova. Sem dúvida, nos últimos anos, a preocupação em torno da avaliação dos programas tem aumentado, ao mesmo tempo em que as reformas do Estado avançam com novos critérios. Assim, a avaliação e a mensuração do desempenho passaram a ser parte destas reformas , orientadas para maior flexibilização da gerência, accountability, descentralização, privatização e foco nos usuários. A avaliação e a mensuração do desempenho implicam na obtenção e interpretação de dados sobre vários aspectos do processo produtivo: insumos, produtos, resultados, impacto, produtividade e satisfação do usuário, entre outros. Estes aspectos distintos põem em evidência a complexidade da tarefa e as dificuldades inerentes a mesma. Assim, por exemplo, enquanto é relativamente simples a obtenção de dados sobre insumos, esta pode ser extremamente complexa quando se trata de avaliar o impacto de um programa , onde a dimensão qualitativa é mais relevante que a quantitativa, e as metas não admitem uma mensuração precisa. A introdução da avaliação e da mensuração do desempenho possivelmente encontra ainda mais dificuldades nos países pobres do que nos ricos. É possível que nem todos os governos estejam de acordo em realizar uma avaliação do funcionamento de seus programas por diferentes razões. Por outro lado, para alguns, esta tarefa poderia ser postergada para o momento em que as estruturas institucionais estivessem consolidadas e que o pessoal tivesse capacitação mais apropriada para sua realização. Conseqüentemente, cada país terá que determinar não só a oportunidade para implementar a mensuração do desempenho, como também escolher que tipo de medidas procurará desenvolver, de acordo com as características próprias do contexto em que elas serão aplicadas. Conclui-se que a mensuração do desempenho constitui um instrumento que pode colaborar com uma maior eficiência e eficácia dos serviços públicos, e propiciar maior abertura da administração, com maior transparência e aumento da responsabilização por parte dos funcionários encarregados de tais serviços. Portanto, é recomendável a publicação periódica dos dados concernentes ao desempenho das organizações públicas, tal como o fazem as grandes corporações privadas.Se reseña la evolución de la medición del desempeño y de la evaluación de programas en las organizaciones del sector público, y se destaca la significación de la misma en la actualidad, haciendo alusión al caso de los países en desarrollo. Se comentan los principales aspectos de la implementación de un sistema de evaluación y medición del desempeño, y se discuten sus alcances y sus limitaciones. La búsqueda de medidas apropiadas para la estimación cuantitativa y cualitativa de las organizaciones del sector público no es nueva. Sin embargo, en los últimos años la preocupación en torno a la evaluación de los programas se ha incrementado, al tiempo que se adelantan reformas del Estado con nuevos criterios. Así, la evaluación y la medición del desempeño han pasado a ser parte de estas reformas, orientadas hacia una mayor flexibilización de la gerencia, la asunción de nuevas responsabilidades por los servicios públicos, descentralización, privatización y atención a las necesidades de los usuarios. La evaluación y medición del desempeño implica la obtención y la interpretación de datos sobre varios aspectos del proceso productivo, a saber: insumos, productos, resultados, impacto, productividad y satisfacción del usuario, entre otros. Estos distintos aspectos ponen en evidencia la complejidad de la tarea y las dificultades inherentes a la misma. Así, por ejemplo, mientras es relativamente sencilla la obtención de datos sobre insumos, ella pueda ser extremadamente compleja cuando se trata de justipreciar el impacto de un programa, donde en ocasiones la dimensión cualitativa es más relevante que la cuantitativa, y las metas no admiten una medición precisa. La introducción de la evaluación y la medición del desempeño posiblemente encuentre aún más dificultades en los países pobres que en los países ricos. En efecto, es posible que no todos los gobiernos estén de acuerdo en realizar un escrutinio del funcionamiento de sus programas, por distintas razones. Por otra parte, para algunos esta tarea podría postergarse para el momento en que las estructuras institucionales estén consolidadas y que el personal tenga una capacitación más apropiada para su realización. En consecuencia, cada país tendrá que determinar no sólo la oportunidad para implementar la medición del desempeño, sino también escoger qué tipo de medidas procurará desarrollar, acorde con las características propias del entorno en que ellas serán aplicadas. Se concluye que la medición del desempeño constituye un instrumento que puede colaborar francamente con una mayor eficiencia y eficacia de los servicios públicos, y propiciar una mayor apertura de la administración, con mayor transparencia y asunción de responsabilidades por parte de los funcionarios encargados de dichos servicios. Por tanto, es recomendable la publicación periódica de los datos concernientes al desempeño de las organizaciones públicas, tal como lo hacen las grandes corporaciones privadas. Esta práctica es beneficiosa para la democracia, aún si los datos son negativos para la organización, y se corra el riesgo de que sean manipulados, debiéndose recordar que a mayor transparencia en los procedimientos, menos probabilidades habrá de que los datos sean objeto de manejos dolosos.The article approaches the evolution of performance measurement and programme assessment in public-sector organisations, and it highlights its meaningfulness in present times, referring to cases of developing countries. It elaborates on the main aspects of the implementation of an assessment and measurement system and discusses its scope and limitations. The quest for appropriate measures for the qualitative and quantitative assessment of public-sector organisations is not new. Doubtlessly, in recent years the concern about programme assessment has increased, at the same time, as state reforms advance with new criteria. Thus, performance assessment and measurement have become part of those reforms, geared to a more flexible management, accountability, decentralisation, privatisation and focus on users. Performance assessment and measurement imply obtaining and construing data on several aspects of the productive process: inputs, outputs, outcomes, impact, productivity and user’s satisfaction, inter alia. These distinct aspects expose the complexity of the task and its inherent difficulties. Thus, for example, while it is relatively easy to gather data on inputs, data collection can be highly complex when it is about assessing the impact of a programme, in which the qualitative dimension is more relevant that the qualitative aspect and targets do not allow the performance of an accurate measurement. The introduction of performance assessment and measurement is likely to meet even more difficulties in poor countries than in affluent ones. It is possible that not all governments agree to carry out an assessment of the operation of their programmes for different reasons. On the other hand, for some governments, this task might be postponed to the moment when institutional structures are consolidated and the personnel are more appropriately trained for carrying it out. As a consequence, each country will have to determine not only the opportunity for implementing performance measurement, but also choose which type of measures will develop, according to the specific characteristics of the context in which they will be applied. The conclusion is that performance measurement represents an instrument that may provide more efficiency and effectiveness to public services and propitiate more openness for administration, with more transparency and more accountability. It is therefore advisable to periodically publish the data regarding the performance of public organisations; such as large private corporations do.Número padronizado: v. 52, n. 1 (2001) Revista do Serviço Público - RSP, ano 52, n. 1, p. 78-104Accountability. Prestação de contasAdministração PúblicaTransparência GovernamentalISSN eletrônico: 2357-8017ISSN impresso: 0034-9240Artigo publicado na Revista del CLAD Reforma y Democracia, Caracas, n. 12, (oct. 1998

Public Maladministration: The Ubiquitous Menace to Government Performance

This essay, based on a lifetime’s research together around the world, focuses on the dark side of government: the wrongdoing of public officials that frustrate the efforts of humanity to better itself and to strive for perfection. It dwells on what goes needlessly wrong in public affairs - its failures and harmful actions, not its successes and achievements. All over the world people are increasingly upset with the performance of public authorities when misdeeds are hidden by confined blameworthy inner circles sworn to a secrecy enforced by public instruments, until they are eventually exposed to the public eye too late to correct. Even the most enlightened may be misled by rumors, false information, and propaganda that blur the whole picture and by premature revelations that confuses reality and understanding. Sleuths are discouraged and may have to take risks to life and limb to get to the truth. Upon close scrutiny, nowhere is immune to such public maladministration, described as “rotten eggs in a haven of corruption” (New York Times, 2019). Those who attempt serious investigation are unlikely to be popular with threatened elites and their cronies and sycophants who do not stop at murder in self defense. This paper is not intended to finger miscreants but to encourage further exploration of this dark side of government, exposing and analyzing many of the issues involved, and to contribute to the expectation that eventually effective ways will be found and deployed to diminish maladministration and improve the conduct of public affairs

Toward more democratic governance: modernizing the administrative state in Australasis, North America and the United Kingdom

All over the world, countries are seeking to improve their gorvernance systems through political and administrative reforms, even those considered to be among the best governed and administered. These advanced democracies have rejected radical idelogies in favor of pragmatic centrist policies termed "The Third Way" that consolidates and builds upon well-established institutions and practices. But they are all moving into new territory. Australia's new doctrine of administrative responsibility seeks to hold all executives, poblic and private, accountable for any public harm occuring on their watch. Canada is enlarging its public policy making arena by involving citizens in its new policy research initiative. New Zealand is rethinking its Beveridge style welfare state to reduce its costs and give citizens a wider choice. The United Kingdom intends to put people first in public administration rather than official convenience and bureaucratic prespects. Finally, the United States attempts to prove that public goods and services are worthwhile and rewarding by more accurately measuring government performance through refined indicators. Together, these initiatives if successful promise to strengthen their democratic ethos