Target Group

The workshop will be of interest to policy makers, public officials and advisers at all levels of government, who must respond during times of crisis. Officials in European organisations and institutions as well as academics will also benefit from attending this unique workshop, which fills a gap in the market.

Description

The crisis has generated budget cuts which have direct implications for the organisation of the public sector, as well as affecting public service delivery. However, this is only the beginning of the challenges, as governments must take action to use public expenditure and policy intervention in pursuit of a recovery. This combination of scarce resources and the need for growth in countries with high and low unemployment alike is unprecedented. The role of the state is more important, precisely at a time when its capacities are diminished. Managing in crisis involves risk-taking at a time when people are more likely to be risk-averse, as well as innovation at a time when conservative pressures are intensifying.

What different kinds of crises are there? What are the lessons of experience that can be applied? What are the criteria for success when managing in crisis? Knowing what not to change is as important as knowing what to do differently. Assuming that the current crisis will not end soon, how can the public sector be managed so that it can protect the public interest and restore trust in government? What does the search for new sources of growth imply for the management of core sectors and for better regulation?

To answer such questions, the workshop will provide participants with a conceptual framework for understanding crises as a normal socio-economic and political phenomenon. There will be an opportunity to discuss the unique multi-national features of the crisis in 2010-12. A systematic approach to managing in crisis includes topics such as: priority-setting and time management; cross-sectoral and multi-level coordination; reinforcing core values of transparency and accountability; data, information and indicators; forecasting and preparedness; the governance of relations with civil society and the private sector; coping with a change of government.

The workshop will link better public sector management to the search for new sources of growth. Governments must promote innovation (including in public services). The impact of the crisis on different groups in society calls for a fresh assessment of core education, health and environment. Constrained in their use of fiscal and monetary levers, they must renew whole-of-government efforts to apply regulatory tools to improve business conditions, and to strengthen regulatory agencies. Infrastructure investment is a priority which calls for strategic planning and capacity for public-private partnership.

Learning Methodology

The workshop will draw on the most recent OECD studies on public governance, including public service delivery, regulatory reform and implementing sectoral reform, supported by case studies of crises at the national and sub-national levels. There will be a mix of lectures and discussions. Participants will be asked to scope a project to cope with an endemic crisis, one extending over several years.

Objectives

Participants will improve their understanding of:

•  the dynamics of crises and how to create opportunities for innovation in the public sector;

•  the tools that help set priorities, target interventions and communicate results;

•  the link between public administration and its performance on the one hand, and business activity on the other;

•  the strategic objectives of public sector management during - and after - a crisis.

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