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The controversy in Singapore earlier this month when public servant salaries were increased focused attention on the role of the public sector in economic growth. However, if accompanied with more training and professionalization, increasing the skills and rewards for public servants can only assist the private sector and the economy as a whole. The management of the public sector has always been a priority for many Asian economies as they move to more professional management in government. The old concept of the "public service" connotes something for free and to be taken for granted. Public sector salaries in economies that experienced rapid growth in the 1980's and early 1990's are still alarmingly low while private sector salaries boomed, and many of the top positions are still occupied by appointees with strong government connections. This perception of "service" is reinforced further by governments, as in Malaysia and Indonesia, which insist that government servants vote for the ruling government, let alone communist countries such as China, Vietnam and Laos where the distinction between the ruling élite and the people is even more obtuse. Such a policy suggests that public servants are there to serve the government rather than the people, and are in positions of patronage rather than professionalism. Low salaries also beget corruption as public servants are forced to supplement their wages by petty bribes and kick backs. Any businessperson who has dealt with immigration almost expects to pay funds under the table to hurry along a shipment or indeed get customs inspections completed in a reasonable time. Public employees deserve the same attention in training and developemt as well as rewards as do private sector employees - and of course, be subject to the same accountability and appraisal of performance. The following articles feature several case studies and empirical research on improving the management of the public sector to be more professional.
Financial reporting by Malaysian local authorities: A study of the needs and requirements of the users of local authority financial accounts This study investigates and explores the needs and demands of Malaysian local authority taxpayers for financial information published by Malaysian local authorities. The study found, in the absence of standard financial reporting requirements placed on these authorities, a large expectation gap between the needs and demands of local taxpayers and the financial reporting practices adopted by Malaysian local authorities. Based on a sample of 305 local taxpayers in three local authorities studied, the results reveal that a significant percentage of taxpayers who expressed interest in reading the annual financial accounts of these authorities had a general desire for more financial information. The results also reveal that there are statistically significant differences in terms of taxpayers' willingness to pay local tax demands between local authorities with high local tax arrears and local authorities with medium and low local tax arrears if such financial information were to be provided.
Keywords: Accountability, Financial information, Financial reporting, Local authorities, Taxation This paper begins by describing the trends and drivers of privatisation, as well as the benefits derived from privatisation programmes. It then considers the ownership debate, i.e. whether superior performance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) can be achieved under state ownership. While empirical work shows that private ownership is associated with superior performance, the experience of Singapore is a clear example to the contrary. Singapore Telecom is described as a case where state ownership combined with several contextual factors has led to sustained world-class performance, in spite of global trends such as deregulation and technological advancement which create turmoil and reduce profitability in the telecommunications industry. These contextual factors include a clear corporate strategy combined with an efficiency focus by Singapore Telecom, a long-term national policy of infrastructure improvement as a strategic resource for national economic development, and a robust economic and regulatory environment. The implications of the Singapore experience are then discussed.
Keywords: Privatization, Telecommunications industry, Singapore
Measuring performance in policy advice output: Australian developments This paper is based on work undertaken for the Commonwealth Department of Finance and Administration and reports on recent developments within the Australian public sector of performance measurement in policy advice output. It outlines the role of performance information in an accrual-based outcomes and outputs management framework, examines the merits of a model for developing criteria for "good" performance information and explores how these design principles might be applied to policy advice output. The paper identifies the key attributes of policy advice output from the perspective of both providers and clients and their linkage to proposed performance indicators, and concludes by surveying the political and accountability problems associated with specifying and measuring policy advice in government.
Keywords: Performance management, Performance measures, Australia, Central government The relationship between organisational culture, organisational
climate and managerial values This paper begins with a comprehensive review of the management literature on culture, and demonstrates close parallels with research and writings on organisational climate and values. The paper then reports the findings from an empirical investigation into the relationship between the organisational culture, climate, and managerial values of a large Australian public sector agency. The relative strengths of four dimensions of culture in this organisation were measured using Hofstede's instrument. Added to this were items from a questionnaire developed by Ryder and Southey, derived from the Jones and James instrument measuring psychological climate and providing scores across six specific dimensions of organisational climate. Measures of managerial values, drawn from a questionnaire by Flowers and Hughes, were also incorporated. Results show that levels of culture within this particular organisation are at variance with those reported by Hofstede from his Australian data. Findings indicate a strong link between specific organisational climate items and a number of managerial values dimensions. Additional relationships between particular dimensions of culture, climate and managerial values are also reported. From this, a hypothesised, predictive model of linkages between the constructs is presented.
Keywords: Culture, Organisational climate, Managerial values, Organisational effectiveness,
Public sector, Police
Globalisation and Australian universities: policies and impacts Explores how globalisation has affected Australian public policy in general and higher education policy in particular. Considers the impacts of globalisation on Australian universities, and examines the ways in which university leaders invoke the rhetoric of globalisation to set the foundations for institutional change, pursue the repositioning of their institutions, and to develop a new discourse for the sector. The effects of globalisation on Australia and its universities are seen to be significant, and to impact in both direct and indirect ways.
Keywords: Globalisation, Australia, Universities, Change, Policy Privatisation: a false hope Examines Eastern Europe's struggle to privatise since the end of Communism; in particular reports on the experiences of Poland, Czechoslovakia and Russia. The danger of fast privatisation without restructuring is demonstrated by Czechoslovakia's experience. Poland shows the importance of employing tight budget constraints. Russia demonstrates that privatisation in chaos is unlikely to produce real change.
Keywords: Privatisation, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia
Public administration: From bureaucratic culture to citizen-oriented culture This paper analyzes how public administration may improve the service it offers to citizens through a suitable organizational culture; for this purpose, it starts by studying the specific features of the culture of public administration. In this respect, it analyzes the existing taxonomies in public administration, the role of culture in these agencies and how a diagnosis of such culture is made. Then, it describes the problems of bureaucratic culture, typical of many public agencies, and briefly describes the features of a public service, citizen-oriented culture. Finally, it proposes a specific methodology for the modification of a bureaucratic culture into a culture based on the notion of serving the citizen, together with an analysis of when modification is necessary.
Keywords: Corporate culture, Public administration, Bureaucracy, Organizational change
International economic assistance and sustainable development: A comparative analysis of the Palestinian and the Cambodian cases Compares Palestine and Cambodia with respect to the involvement of NGOs in generating sustainable development. Both countries have suffered war and both still struggle for a fragile peace; success appears to hinge on the international community's ability to achieve economic development and real social and political improvements. Results can be achieved through: co-operation between donor services and local authorities, using assistance to increase local entrepreneurship, economic independence and active participation; making formal agreements between NGO and local authorities as to duties and remit of the aid operations; establishment of a workable accountability system; formation of a structured co-ordination framework; and using UN agencies more frequently and extensively.
Keywords: Cambodia, Palestine, Sustainable development, United Nations
As always we have only skimmed the surface of relevant articles this week and only those that are particularly relevant for Asia-Pacific managers. Many other articles are available as well including those focusing on other countries and international perspectives.
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