Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

Good Practices and InnovATIONS in Public Governance
noted that innovations are context specific. In other words, it is a relative phenomenon
because what constitutes innovation in one cultural or organisational setting may
not be so in another. What works here may not work there.
Therefore, “good practices”, which were successful in one country, should not be
blindly reproduced in another. Rather, their merits should be studied and tailored to
local circumstances. Otherwise, hasty application of such practices will result in considerable
costs to developing countries that are struggling with severe resource scarcity
and (often) extreme poverty, and may not produce the desired results.
Innovations in public governance can often lead directly and/or indirectly to economic
and social development by introducing changes in the following areas:
• Delivery of services: changes in access, coverage and speed of service delivery
often have an immediate client-oriented culture. These changes often have
an immediate effect and get recognized by the citizenry;
• Processes and working methods of an organisation: simplification of procedures,
computerization, improvement of inter-office communication and overhauls
in performance appraisal systems have immediate and long term positive
effects on reducing budget expenditures and the costs of running an organisation,
as well as increasing the efficiency of operations and performance;
• Mindset, behaviour and skills: innovation efforts cannot be sustained without
changing the mindset and behavior of public servants. Changes in midset, behavior
and skills require willingness and committment to continuous learning,
and capacity to adapt to different circumstances;
• Structure: initiatives that introduce major reforms in the structures of government
by, for example, creating new governmental entities, eliminating existing
ones and/or shifting reposnibilities, usually take longer to implement and may
require a substantial amount of resources; and
• Legal framework/constitution: these are major changes, which have a farreaching
impact on a country’s economic and social development, affect all
stakeholders and determine the direction of public policies.
The ultimate purpose of all the aforementioned changes should be directed at eradicating
poverty, promoting people-centred development and ensuring optimal mobilization
and use of resources.
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