EPSA Wissenstransfer – Trends und Best Practices
aus dem European Public Sector Award 2011
Wien (AT), 7 März 2012
Welche Trends der Verwaltungsentwicklung
zeigt uns der EPSA?
Alexander HEICHLINGER
EPSA Manager & EIPA Expert
European Institute of Public Administration
Showcasing and Rewarding European Public Excellence
© www.epsa2011.eu
The European Public Sector Award...
More than just and award!
 The EPSA brings together the best, most innovative and
efficient performers from the European public sector. By
highlighting exemplary models of innovative public
performance, the award serves as a catalyst for continued
progress in addressing Europe’s most pressing concerns.
Tool for disseminating new problem-solving models and
for supporting the EU 2020 strategy for a smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth.
 Vision: To create an arena in which Europe’s public sector
institutions can excel and become an exemplar for the rest of
the world.
© www.epsa2011.eu
The EPSA 2011 Institutional (Co-financing)
Partners
 EU
InsrtCommission
your own text here
 Austria
 Cyprus
 Denmark
 Germany
 Hungary
 Italy
 Luxembourg
Insert
your own text here
 The Netherlands
 Poland
 Spain
 Switzerland
With the support of:
Private Sponsors:
© www.epsa2011.eu
EPSA 2011 Final Conference & Award Ceremony
Maastricht (NL),
15 – 17
November 2011
© www.epsa2011.eu
The EPSA 2011 – Overview of General Results
 In total, more than 350 European public
organisations have registered on the EPSA
online system;
 274 applications have finally been submitted and
were eligible;
 Applications were received from 32 European
countries and 7 from EU institutions;
 Among the "top submitters" were countries such
as Spain, Romania, Austria, Italy, Poland and
Germany.
© www.epsa2011.eu
Applications per Country
Albania
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
FYR Macedonia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
1
24
10
8
3
3
1
4
3
3
2
1
19
2
8
8
23
Lithuania
Malta
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom
EU Institutions
TOTAL
2
2
7
3
21
11
30
1
1
47
1
11
2
1
4
7
274
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Applications by Administrative Level
Local:
116
Regional:
66
National:
85
EU Institutions: 7
Total:
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274
Applications by Thematic Area
Theme 1:
103
Theme 2:
115
Theme 3:
56
Total:
274
© www.epsa2011.eu
EPSA 2011 Themes
Theme I
Smart Public Service Delivery
in a Cold Economic Climate
Related to key aspects of Europe’s
crisis, i.e. stabilising public finances
Innovation in how services are
delivered
Improving services at the same
or lower cost
Maintaining diversity in and
quality of service objectives while
reducing costs
Redefined service at significant
lower cost level
Better measurement of service
delivery
Imaginative
performance
measurement linked to service
objectives
Theme II
Opening Up the Public Sector
Through Collaborative Governance
Enhancing openness, transparency
and accountability of governments
and public administrations
Prepare citizens through openness
(access to information and ICT
systems) to take part in decisionmaking processes
Match between the involvement
objectives and those of the policy
area
Collaborative way of working has to
contribute tangibly to the service
delivery objectives, evidence has to
be provided
 Provide evidence that the new way
of working justifies the opportunity
cost of the resources devoted to
collaborative governance
© www.epsa2011.eu
EPSA 2011 Themes
Theme III
Going Green: Concrete Solutions
from the Public Sector
Projects relating to the enforcement of
environmental legislation and implementation
of policy goals
Innovative
solutions
for
reaching
environmental objectives of legislation
(waste, air, etc.)
Solutions for the stimulation of a greener
economy (econ. instruments, information
campaigns)
Internal environmental management by
public administrations
New
approach
to
environmental
management systems
Innovative procurement practices
Internal energy or transport concepts
Greening public companies
© www.epsa2011.eu
Theme 1  Key messages and trends
Need for a successful strategic
framework for budget & services reform
 What public expenditure level is
sustainable?
 What level of public
delivery is acceptable?
service
 Clarity of objectives (linked to
ability to set priorities)
 Need to secure a wider consensus
for the decisions to be made by PA.
 Co-design and production of
services by users and selfmanagement of the outcomes (e.g. in
personalised services such as health
care).
Importance of commitment at all
levels for reform processes
 Budgeting and service reviews are,
in the end, political decisions, so
political support is essential.
 A fully-fledged process of reform in a
public administration works better
when it engages those responsible
for making it work at middle
management and operational level
(bottom-up approach), rather than
being imposed on a top-down basis.
© www.epsa2011.eu
Theme 1  Key messages and trends
Importance of size and level
of government
 Successful processes happen at
all levels of government and in
different political systems;
 No indication or evidence per se that
such reviews or reforms are easier or
more difficult in a specific form of
governmental structure (centralized,
decentralized etc.)
 Questions rise about the extent to
which
smaller
sub-national
entities are likely to have resources
to pursue reforms.
Importance of technological
innovation in service reform
 Technological innovation can result in
significant improvements in service
delivery standards and/or reduced
costs.
 In considering innovation, public
authorities should actively seek out
good practice from other public
authorities, i.e effective adaptation
to local circumstances of good
practice from other sources can be
as effective as the search for ideas
not previously applied elsewhere.
© www.epsa2011.eu
Theme 2  Key messages and trends
Opening up certain areas
of processes to citizens
Active use of new social media
& transparent communication
Social Integration
 Collaboration benefits all
parties.
 The use of the internet is
the
most
significant
element in facilitating the
overall
aim
of
transparency.
 Showing
initiative
to
integrate specific social
groups within the general
public takes the idea of
collaborative governance
even further.
 The
general
trend
concerning benefits for the
PS are budget and
administration.
 This
grants
greater
influence
to
active
involvement of citizens
and more generally, the
private sector.
 It also results in greater
administrative efficiency,
as well as the financial
benefits of not having to
allocate as many resources
to a particular area or
process.
 Access to information
brings
citizens
into
decision-making
process.
 New technologies also
simplify
processes,
thereby
increasing
efficiency and reducing
administrative costs.
 Increased trust in the
public sector as another
result.
 Encouraging collaboration
at all levels of society
and ensuring that all are
included and can benefit
from this partnership
enhances
social
inclusion.
 Working together towards
a common goal, creates
ownership and increases
outcome acceptance.
© www.epsa2011.eu
Theme 2  Key messages and trends
Ownership
 The
ownership
of
decisions and processes
shifts from governmental
bodies to individuals or
collective groups of
private stakeholders.
 The responsibility of
decision makers does
not change, only the level
of openness.
 Acceptance, ownership
and
quality
of
democracy
are
thus
secured.
 Border lines between
private and public sector
have weakened.
Make lessons transferable –
through evaluation
 Measuring and evaluating
outcome is essential when it
comes
to
transferring
knowledge.
 Challenges
related
to
performance measurement are
linked to expectations and
CBAs.
Problems
become
obvious when it comes to
measuring
the
political
benefits of projects.
 Satisfaction, disappointment
and mistrust cannot be
measured, but are felt during
public processes.
© www.epsa2011.eu
Theme 3  Key messages and trends
Innovation builds on continuation
at the municipal level
’Branding’: an important
awareness-raising tool
 Front-runner projects from very
ambitious municipalities with longterm sustainable development and
low-carbon economy programmes
indicate that long-term expertise
and administrative capacities are
major
preconditions
for
successful greening policies.
 Communication and awareness
raising are important elements of
many initiatives in the field of
greening
or
sustainable
development.
 Membership to a regional or local
network very much improves the
quality of the initiatives.
 Best practices in this theme could
stimulate a broader debate as to
whether there is often a need for
more expertise in the field of
successful communication.
 Innovation needs continuation and
a strong exchange with other
administrations.
 ‘Branding’ can be an essential
element
of
a
communication
strategy.
© www.epsa2011.eu
Theme 3  Key messages and trends
Long-term partnerships by including
interests in the project design
 Need to find good partners in the
business sector or in civil society
at
all
levels,
especially
for
consultation
and
information
purposes.
 Finding the right partners is also very
essential for subsidy programmes
where parties can apply for funds.
 Many administrations today face
tremendous financial problems, so it
is worth thinking about possibilities to
start projects without funds.
 The role of initiator and motivator
is certainly different to the normal
routine of administrations.
Ownership as a core to
real changes in administration
 There is very often political
leadership in this field and general
acceptance
to
change
administrative routines. Greening
the practices is more difficult in
other parts of the administration.
 The
stimulation
of
green
procurement or the introduction of
EMS systems within all departments
is still a major challenge in the EU
at all levels.
 ‘Greening’ is possible with an
intelligent participatory strategy.
The core element has been
ownership.
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EPSA 2011 Publications
© www.epsa2011.eu
The EPSA 2011 Team
© www.epsa2011.eu
Contact address
Alexander Heichlinger (AT)
EIPA Expert & Head
European Public Sector Award (EPSA)
EIPA-ECR Barcelona
Tel.: +34 93 567 24 04
E-mail: a.heichlinger@eipa.eu
Visit our web-pages at:
www.eipa.eu;
www.epsa2011.eu;
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