Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

Good Practices and InnovATIONS in Public Governance
the telephone connecting services, the government realized an 80 percent cost reduction.
Through this change and others, the expenses of the prefectural government
have decreased by about $400,000.
Replicability and Sustainability
The financial costs of implementing and continuing Collaboration Testing are minimal;
indeed, the fact that the programme reduces government spending helps guarantee its
continuation. Furthermore, as this system approaches its fourth year, it is beginning to
spread its roots and settle within the administrational framework of the Prefecture.
CSOs are another factor ensuring the project’s sustainability. Under Collaborating Testing,
they have gained experience in working with the government to provide public services.
The CSOs, which were formerly in a passive position, are now partially responsible
for the success of the Collaboration Testing system and they support its continuation.
Two other features of the system also contribute to its sustainability. One is the rule that
proposals for better public-service delivery will be accepted unless public officials can
convince the Governor that they are unworkable. The second feature of the system is that
adopted proposals are automatically budgeted by law. Because these features motivate
officials to accept proposals, they support the continuation of Collaboration Testing.
The system is now being implemented in 14 other regions of Japan, and there are
high expectations that it will spread to the international sphere. Several media organisations
have reported on Collaborating Testing—it was even featured as front-page
news by a nationally recognized financial newspaper—and it has gotten attention
both within and outside the country. As a result, prefectural offices accepted on-thespot
research visits from at least 100 administrations and civilian organisations, and
sent documents and relevant information to over 200 public and private organisations
that made inquiries. The United States Embassy and several personnel outsourcing
companies from Australia have also conducted on-site studies of the system. Similar
projects can be implemented in any country that has a democratic base.
Lessons Learned
The biggest obstacle encountered was resistance from the government staff. Some
staff members had “reform fatigue” in the wake of many other reforms implemented
after Governor Furukawa took office in 2003. Furthermore, not all of the staff fully
understood or embraced the concept behind Collaboration Testing when it was first
implemented. Many were hesitant to disclose all the details of their duties, as they had
never been required to do so before. In addition, it was a significant burden for staff
members to participate in the frequent town meetings and to engage in extensive dialogue
with the proponents of new proposals. Furthermore, there was general suspicion
as to whether the private sector was reliable enough to provide public services. Such
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