Transcript DPADM/UNDESA PowerPoint Presentation

Innovation in Governance and
Public Administration
Lessons Learned from the
United Nations Public Service Awards
Adriana Alberti
Coordinator, United Nations Public Service Awards
Governance and Public Administration Officer
What is Innovation in governance?
 Many definitions. Innovation can refer to new products,
new policies and programs, new approaches, and new
processes.
 It is a creative idea which is implemented to solve a
pressing problem of public concern. It is the act of
conceiving and implementing a new way of achieving a
result and/or performing work. It can involve:
 The incorporation of new elements
 A new combination of existing elements or
 A significant change or departure from the traditional way of
doing things
 “Innovation is mankind’s effort to endlessly pursue
change for a better world”
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
2
Why should governments innovate?
 Complex domestic and international challenges and
opportunities require that the public sector continually
adapts to changing circumstances.
 Governments are faced with 3 main domestic
challenges:
 More far-reaching and higher quality services with less resources
and capacities
 More accountable, responsive and effective
 Respond to the demand from citizens for greater participation.
 Although government is still central to society, it is now
widely recognized that governance is not the sole
prerogative of governments
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
3
The Innovation Imperative
 PA must innovate its organizational structure, its practices,
its capacities, and how it mobilizes, deploys and utilizes
resources (human, material, information, technological
and financial) for service delivery
 In order to do so, PA needs to be transformed into a
learning organization that is able to explore and find new
and better ways of achieving its mission.
 Since good governance is not a one-time exercise, but
an open-ended process, innovation in governance is a
must for all countries and should become a culture
embraced by public sector managers at all levels.
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
4
What are the positive effects of
innovation in governance?
 First, it can help maximize the utilization of resources and
capacities to create public value.
 Second, by improving public services, and therefore
image of the public sector, it can help governments
improve their legitimacy and perform even better
(increase trust in government ).
 Third, innovation in governance can boost the pride of
civil servants working in the public sector, as well as
encourage a culture of excellence and continuous
improvement. Innovations can have an inspirational
capacity which builds a sense of the possible among
public officials.
 Fourth, although innovations are limited governance
interventions or micro-level initiatives, they can produce
a domino effect.
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
5
What are the most common strategies in
innovation in public administration?

Integrating services

Decentralizing service delivery

Utilizing partnerships

Taking advantage of ICT

Engaging citizens
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
6
What Can Governments Do to Create
an Enabling Environment?
 A number of factors are critical to building an enabling
environment for innovation, including:
1.
Strong and Effective Leadership
2.
The Human Factor as Lever for Change
3.
Organizational culture and policies supportive of
innovation
4.
Accurate assessment of the problem as well as
strategic planning, monitoring, follow-up and
evaluation
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
7
What Can Governments Do to Create
an Enabling Environment?
5. Shared Vision and Measurable Outcomes
6. Building horizontal networks across government
7. Citizens’ Engagement and Participation
8. Open Communication among Committed
Stakeholders
9. Resources Availability (human, technical, etc.) and
Sustainability
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
8
The Critical Role of Sharing and Adapting
Knowledge on Innovations in Governance
 It provides governments with a set of concrete and
workable options on how to achieve internationally
agreed goals.
 It affords the opportunity to shift attention from what
governments “should do” to respond to increasingly
complex challenges “to how they can do it”.
 It can save time, inspire new reforms, and in some cases
help countries to leapfrog stages of development.
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
9
The Critical Role of Sharing and Adapting
Knowledge on Innovations in Governance
(ctd.)
 It is relevant not so much in the sense that countries can
transfer an existing model from another country into their
own administrative system, but rather that they can
adapt elements of successful practices in other contexts
to their internal circumstances.
 Most importantly, this process can serve as an incentive
to jump start other similar initiatives.
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
10
The Logic of Sharing
TRANSFER
INNOVATION
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
REPLICATION
11
United Nations
Public Service Awards
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
12
About the UNPSA

The United Nations Public Service Award is the most prestigious
international recognition of excellence in public service.

It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service
institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public
administration in countries worldwide.

Through an annual competition, the UN Public Service Awards promotes
the role, professionalism and visibility of public service.
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
13
Call for Nominations
The United Nations Division for Public Administration and Development strongly encourages
the nomination of public service institutions that conduct work in any of the following
categories:

Category 1:


Category 2:
Category 3:

Category 4:

Deadline for the 2010 United Nations Public Service Awards is 31 December 2009.

To apply, go to: http://www.unpan.org/unpsa
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
Improving transparency, accountability, and
responsiveness in the Public Service
Improving the delivery of Public Services
Fostering citizen engagement in public administration
through innovative mechanisms
Advancing knowledge management in government
14
Global Knowledge Base on
Public Administration
 Creating a one-stop shop of information and
knowledge on key principles and practices of
public administration from various regions of the
world;
 Establishment of regional networks of focal
points to share knowledge in the above areas
starting from existing charters/principles of
excellence to promote good performance of
civil servants. (LA, Africa, Asia, Western Asia,
etc.) We would like to build this together by
working with focal points in each country of the
gulf region.
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
15
THANK YOU
SHUKRAN!
WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR
NOMINATIONS
http://www.UNPAN.org/DPADM/
16