Archives for September 25th, 2002

DEREGULATION AND THE DECLINE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION TEACHING

Abstracts, PublicNet: 25 September, 2002

J.A. ChandlerIn 1991 eight polytechnics offered a BA in public administration while five universities provided the degree with either public or social policy. Currently, no higher education institution in Britain offers a BA degree solely entitled ‘public administration’. The subject area is, however, offered in 16 higher education institutions under a variety of names that include the words ‘public’, ‘management’, ‘policy’ and ‘administration’. This paper analyses the reasons for the transformation during the 1990s in undergraduate courses for the public sector. It is argued that these changes do not so much derive from academics, employers or students taking on board an enthusiasm for new public management but are as much the consequences of deregulation of student choice and an expansion in student numbers that has not been matched in financial terms. The consequence has been to increasingly move this sector towards business and management teaching geared to private sector interests and away from its more political and social science roots.

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DRIVE FOR BETTER PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 September, 2002

The Successful Delivery Skills Programme launched by the Office of Government Commerce is the latest initiative in the drive to improve the project management skills of Civil Servants. The Programme brings together the cultures of the different departments to form a comprehensive approach that it is hoped will drive forward improvements in the delivery of complex public sector projects.The Programme is a benchmark standard of successful delivery skills. It is supported by a development programme to help government departments improve the competence of their commercial practitioners and others. It includes a Skills Framework and an Assessment Tool, supported by an innovative training scheme. CMG plc, the global Information and Communications Technology group, has been awarded a three-year contract to provide the training service. It will be responsible for marketing, identifying, delivering and arranging accreditation for the training courses to help government departments ensure projects meet specifications, on time and to budget.

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LEADERSHIP VITAL FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE SAYS WATCHDOG

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 September, 2002

Clear and focused leadership at middle and top levels is vital for the improvement of public services says the Audit Commission. In a guide to managing improvement ‘Performance Breakthroughs’ it sets out reasons for failed attempts to do better and describes ways in which performance breakthroughs have been achieved. The Guide is based on research in 12 organisations drawn from local government, the health service and the emergency services over a period of four months.The Commission quotes examples of leadership failures which stifle attempts at improvement. Some leaders are not interested in improvement. They say the right things in public about the need to manage performance but do not transmit any enthusiasm for it to staff. They do not translate the many and complex demands from the outside world into a clear direction that makes sense for staff. They fail to take tough decisions about services and resources. They are unclear about the problems that new systems are seeking to solve. Where leaders display these weaknesses little is likely to change.

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