Responsibility And Public Services

In this important book, Richard Davis looks at the issue of ‘responsibility’ in public services – on both the government’s part and that of the users. While government wrestles with how to cut the cost of services, Davis shows that government can provide responsible, sustainable and effective services significantly more cheaply by focusing on what is of ‘value’ to individuals and communities.

This paper examines why there is so much uncertainty as to what constitutes responsible bureaucratic behaviour and how this uncertainty came about. It discusses the concept of public interest, and examines the duty of the public servant to adhere to the constitutional convention of political neutrality. It also addresses the two interrelated issues of confidentiality and privacy, and analyses the public servant's duty of service to the public. In addition, it looks at the issues of interpretation in the examination of conflict of interest, the public servant's duty to be accountable for her or his decisions and recommendations, and what institutional means and techniques can be used to strengthen and encourage responsible public service.

The work of a manager in a service organisation is not the same as the work of a manager in an organisation that manufactures goods. Managing Public Services, Implementing Changes – A Thoughtful Approach 2e, is for students and managers who intend to work in a service organisation whether it is owned publicly of privately. This book concentrates on how managers can change things for the better and explains ‘why’ as well as ‘how’. The second edition has been fully updated to address challenges facing public services with new material on managing cuts, managing risk, managing innovation, producing funding applications, Lean Management and process review. A new chapter on managing social enterprise and generating social capital has also been added. This text is both solidly practical and theoretically challenging and is supported by strong pedagogical features including: case studies and illustrative vignettes from public service managers working in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US; exercises and review questions. Students will develop learning skills that enable them to transfer their learning from one situation to another and thinking skills that enable them adapt the way that they apply their learning as circumstances change. This comprehensive text has been specifically designed and developed to meet the needs of students studying public services management at undergraduate and postgraduate level. It allows the reader to develop transferable skills in thinking and learning as they work through the book and gives greater awareness of the benefits of continuous learning for staff and managers.

Conflicts of interest in both the public and private sectors have become a major matter of public concern world-wide. The OECD Guidelines define a conflict of interest as occurring when a public official has private-capacity interests which could improperly influence the performance of their official duties and responsibilities. However, identifying a specific conflict of interest in practice can be difficult. And resolving the conflicting interests appropriately in a particular case is something that most people find even more challenging. The Toolkit focuses on specific techniques, resources and strategies for: Identifying, managing and preventing conflict-of-interest situations more effectively; and Increasing integrity in official decision-making, which might be compromised by a conflict of interest. This Toolkit provides non-technical, practical help to enable officials to recognise problematic situations and help them to ensure that integrity and reputation are not compromised. The tools themselves are provided in generic form. They are based on examples of sound conflict-of-interest policy and practice drawn from various OECD member and non-member countries. They have been designed for adaptation to suit countries with different legal and administrative systems. FURTHER READING: Managing Conflict of Interest in the Public Service: OECD Guidelines and Country Experiences