Target group
This seminar is designed for civil servants from all levels of government, staff from international organisations, social actors, politicians and other stakeholders involved in serving public interest or carrying out research on this subject.
Description
In times of budget cuts, the debate on the role of government and public administration all over Europe in relation to public values raises the managerial question: what does managing for public value mean? What is its scope? What are its limits? What are the core competencies of modern public administration? How can we create a better image in the eyes of our customers and citizens? Public value can be seen as the next step of reforms in the public sector, emphasising a proactive and entrepreneurial role of innovative value creation.
Participants will gain an insight into the concept of public value, which bridges ideas of traditional Weberian administration with more recent ideas of New Public Management. Basically, the public value approach reconciles tensions between the two paradigms by taking into account the need for balancing values in the light of better social outcomes. Against this background, public value is regarded as the guiding principle for the public sector. The public value discussion has roots in the idea of Mark H. Moore – Harvard Kennedy School of Government – that public intervention should aim to meet citizens’ needs and expectations in a fair, effective and accountable way.
Participants will be introduced to a new method of assessing public value using the Public Value Scorecard. Human resource management (HRM) must take a more active role in terms of creating and implementing management principles. Leadership, collaboration guidelines, and staff training are valuable tools to develop competencies (also supported by new technology). Moreover, public values entail an ethical dimension while they offer a broader way of measuring government performance and guiding policy decisions. Ethical standards play an important role in orienting administrative behaviour towards securing public values.
Method
Combination of presentations, lectures and working groups.
Objectives
The seminar focuses on strategic thinking on how to determine the public value of a given project or planned initiative. To improve practical skills, participants are introduced to the Public Value Scorecard, which facilitates decision-making processes. Participants reflect on and learn more about their individual style of approaching entrepreneurial challenges.
