Public service and Governance

1. Introduction

“A public service is a service benefiting the public that is provided for by the government because it is underprovided by the market. The public benefits from outputs and outcomes of the given service, not merely inputs. For instance, buildings, textbooks, teachers, assurance of pedagogical training and quality instruction, are all inputs for delivery of education service, but the public service is to yield an output of students with skills” (World Bank, 2014).

So public service is a mechanism of government to provide its services to the people. Good governance is a process of executing a coherent governing plan for the nation based on the interests and priorities of the people.

Its purports are to create a society based on the principles of inclusiveness, liberty, equality and cooperation. Those who are in the office, especially the elected ones, must represent the concerns, values and needs of the people and empower them through the realization of their basic rights, including the right to development and self-determination, by developing their access to markets, assets, goods and services and institutions (Dahal, Uprety, & Subba, 2001).

 

Principles and Policies of Local Self-governance: Government shall, in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the Constitution of Nepal, 1990, on decentralization; pursue the following principles and policies for the development of local self-governance system (Government of Nepal, 1999):

(a) Devolution of such powers, responsibilities, and means and resources are required to make the Local Bodies capable and efficient in local self-governance.

 (b) Building and development of institutional mechanism and functional structure in Local Bodies capable the government to consider for local people and bearing responsibilities.

(c) Devolution of powers to collect and mobilize such means and resources as are required to discharge the functions, duties, responsibility and accountability conferred to the Local Bodies.

(d) Having the Local Bodies oriented towards establishing the civil society based on democratic process, transparent practice, public accountability, and people's participation, in carrying out the functions devolved on them.

(e) For the purpose of developing local leadership, arrangement of effective mechanism to make the Local Body accountable to the people in its own areas.

(f) Encouraging the private sector to participate in local self-governance in the task of providing basic services for sustainable development (Government of Nepal, 1999). However, practically the situation is quite opposite

 

The creation and strengthening of local institutions can be ascertained with the links of five key governance issues:

1) The natural way of governing citizens;

2) Way of deepening democracy-power devolution reaching from central to the very local;

3) Accountability and responsiveness of the government;

4) Correction of the failure of top-down approach; and

5) The cost effectiveness of the government

 (Rai & Paudel, 2011)

 


2. Public Service Delivery

·         The practice of power for the management of economic and social resources in the development of the state the rules that answer the questions who, what and how decisions are made and enforced 87 is Local governance whereas exercise of political authority and the use of institutional resources to manage society's problems and affairs and system that manages the public affairs related to social and economic resources locally is local governance (Regmi, Naidoo, Greer, & Plkington, 2010)

·         It has been argued that decentralization improves governance and public service delivery in four ways:

o     by increasing allocated efficiency adhering to the local needs and interests;

o     Improving efficiency through increased accountability of local governments;

o     Having fewer bureaucratic layers; and

o    By providing equitable opportunities for people

(Regmi, Naidoo, Greer, & Plkington, 2010).

Similarly, these public services reforms in the form of a decentralization plan were implemented in Nepal on both political – strengthening democracy, accountability and participation by bringing government closer to its public – and economic grounds, such as the need to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and responsiveness of public service provision (Regmi, Naidoo, Greer, & Plkington, 2010)

3. International Practice of Governance in Public Service Delivery

From Asia Development Blog: India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand are paving the way for technology to make governance more effective.

One aspect of new technology that receives considerably less attention is the transformative impact that it could have in improving the effectiveness of government.

According to the World Governance Indicators compiled by the World Bank, on a scale of 0 to 100 in terms of government effectiveness, for e.g., India scores 57, Indonesia 55, the Philippines 52, and Thailand 67. For perspective, advanced economies in Asia such as Japan and Singapore score 93 and 100, respectively.

New technologies hold great promise for improving government effectiveness, a multi-faceted concept that includes, among other things, control of corruption and efficient delivery of public goods such as education, health, social security, and transport. Here are five examples of how governments in developing have begun harnessing technology for better government.

A. National ID systems to improve tax compliance and provision of public services.

Asia is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population with no official proof of identity. India’s Aadhaar digital ID program has now registered approximately 1.2 billion Indians covering 99% of the adult population, and it is being used to deliver government subsidies, benefits, and services.

  Success of India’s Aaadhar ID system has spurred interest across Asia          

On the back of this national ID program, India is improving governance in other areas such as tax enforcement and compliance. In July 2017 it rolled out the Goods and Services Tax (GST), with all filings required to be done electronically through the GST Network, a web-based one-stop shop for all of India’s indirect tax requirements.

The GST Network is linked with the national ID system, which is in turn linked to individuals’ bank accounts; unlinked accounts are to be frozen by banks. The mandatory electronic tax filing minimizes taxpayers’ physical interaction with tax officials and has already broadened the tax base substantially – in just six months the Indian government added 3.4 million new indirect taxpayers to its rolls.

B. Reducing corruption in land management systems using blockchain.

According to a study by Transparency International, an estimated $700 million is being paid in bribes at land registration administrators across India. The government of Andhra Pradesh state is utilizing blockchain technology to address issues of fraud and corruption in the state by implementing a blockchain-based platform which would make land ownership data records encrypted and thus incorruptible and transparent.

  Crowdsourcing technology can improve quality of public education

C. Quality education and training: skills for the future.  

As highlighted by the 2018 Asian Development Outlook theme chapter How Technology Affects Jobs, quality education is key for preparing the workforce of the future. Workers with better foundational skills—which include not only basic reading, writing, numeracy but also social and emotional skills and digital literacy—are better placed to learn new skills and adapt to working with new technologies.

More generally, new technologies have the potential to transform public education through new approaches such as adaptive learning (powered by machine learning) and massive online open courses.

D. Better provision of healthcare services.

Thailand is pursuing ambitious plans in healthcare delivery, spurred by its desire to become Asia’s healthcare hub. The government created a Ministry for Digital Economy and Society in 2016 and has developed a National Digital Economy Masterplan with a four phase 20-year schedule.

The first masterplan (2017-2022) includes a digital ID system, with plans to establish government Big Data with a Data Analytics Centre, which “will create preparedness for utilizing artificial intelligence.” It will integrate the Thai Public Health System and Personal Health Records (PHR), allowing both professionals and patients to access information to monitor progress, seek advice and make doctor appointments online. The PHR system will issue smart health ID numbers to access healthcare services.

E. Transport and urban management.

We do not need to wait until automated vehicles to arrive in mega cities in developing Asia to see that new technology promises to transform public transportation and urban development.

                4.Governance Principles Critical To The Public Sector        

Unique governance principles arise from the unique nature of the public sector. For example, unique to the public sector is the importance of political forces, the not-for-profit nature, and the ultimate objective of public service for many public sector activities. Simultaneously, public sector entities hold coercive (e.g., police, taxation, and regulatory) powers over citizens and economic enterprises, and thus they must enact protections to ensure fairness and accountability in the use of those powers and in the delivery of the expected services. These protections are fundamental in political systems in which citizens endow the public sector entities with their powers. In general, any form of public sector entity can benefit from accountability measures that ensure officials use resources and authority to meet the mandated goals and objectives. Moreover, good public governance requires fair and impartially enforced laws and regulations. The absence of good governance structures and lack of adherence to basic governance principles increases the risk of public corruption, which is defined as the misuse of entrusted power for private gain. Therefore, in addition to the basic governance principles described in the previous section, upholding the principles of accountability, transparency, integrity, and equity are essential in the public sector.

-Accountability. “Accountability is the process whereby public sector entities, and the individuals within them, are responsible for their decisions and actions, including their stewardship of public funds and all aspects of performance, and submit themselves to appropriate external scrutiny. It is achieved by all parties having a clear understanding of those responsibilities, and having clearly defined roles through a robust structure. In effect, accountability is the obligation to answer for responsibility conferred.” (Source: IFAC, Governance in the Public Sector: A Governing Body Perspective, 2001).

-Transparency. The principle of transparency relates to the openness of a public sector entity to its constituents. Good governance includes appropriate disclosure of key information to stakeholders so that they have the relevant facts about the public sector entity’s performance and operations necessary to clearly understand motives and reach correct conclusions about the impacts of its actions. Accordingly, the public sector’s decisions, actions, and transactions must be conducted in the open. Many public sector entities are required by law to make public documents available upon request. Additionally, many public sector entities are required by law to publish meetings notices including specific agenda items. Although the public’s interest is sometimes served by protecting information from disclosure — such as instances where national security, criminal investigations, or the proprietary information of a private company would be compromised — the transparency of public sector actions and information plays a significant role in public oversight.

Auditors can provide a direct link between transparency and the credibility of the public sector entity. Lawmakers and the public look to audits for assurance that public sector actions are ethical and legal, and that financial and performance reporting accurately reflect the true measure of operations.

-Integrity. The principle of integrity calls for public officials to act consistently with the ethical principles and the values, expectations, policies, and outcomes of the public sector entity. The erosion of public trust if public information and actions are not credible and reliable undermines the public sector’s legitimacy and ability to govern. The political, social, economic, and environm ental costs to society can be extensive. The principle of integrity also applies when information is disseminated to lending authorities or other principals who have an interest other than an ownership share. The consequences of violating the expectation of the highest integrity can be swift and shattering when the people’s trust in the public sector, its institutions, and leadership is undermined.

-Equity. The principle of equity relates to how fairly public sector officials exercise the power entrusted to them. The public grants its agents — public sector officials — both money and power to carry out their responsibilities. However, it is concerned with the misuse of public sector power, waste of resources, and any other issues involving corruption or poor management that could negatively impact the entity’s obligations and service delivery to citizens.

Public sector equity can be measured and evaluated across four dimensions:

1.    Service costs are paid using taxes and fees charged by the public sector entity and borrowed funds that will be paid from future taxes. Service costs also may include indirect or future costs resulting from current public sector action or inaction.

2.    Service delivery includes direct services, such as transportation infrastructure, public education, and health, as well as indirect services such as financial stewardship and human capital management.

3.    Police and regulatory power concerns the public sector entity’s use of its  coercive powers: arrest, property seizure, eminent domain, and regulatory  processes such as granting liquor licenses or building permits.

4.    Exchange of information relates to transparent decision-making, including  access to public sector officials and records, and the ability to be heard.

 

5. Conclusion

Nepal still faces challenges in public service delivery. A sizeable number of people do not yet have access to basic public services. It is not uncommon to find people who have hardly had access to basic public services. Likewise, the efficiency and quality of the services being delivered is still generally low. Some health facilities, for example, are devoid of essential medicines and equipment or the medical personnel to work at the facilities.

This poor state of service delivery has been causes of public concern both Central Government (CG) and Local Bodies (LBs) are responsible for providing services (Regmi, Naidoo, Greer, & Plkington, 2010). The role of the CG in service delivery is critical, since it has the lead role in policy formulation, financing, regulation and actual delivery.

However, the delivery of the CG has not been as efficient and effective, as would be desired, owing in part to a long chain involved from policy formulation to service delivery, lack of local control, poor match between financial allocation and local preferences among others. In recent years, the role of the LBs in service has been increasing. Delivery has substantially increased. However, they are yet to be established as institutions of public service delivery (Regmi, Naidoo, Greer, & Plkington, 2010). Suman Kharel Research Nepal Journal of Development Studies (Volume I Issue 1, 2018 May) 88 another source of inefficiency of the public service delivery system at the LB level is the lack of local control over their staff and thus, weak accountability relationships with clients/ citizens. Since the secretaries/chiefs of the LBs are centrally controlled in terms of their transfer, promotion, dismissal, salary and other pecuniary benefits, there is no incentive for these officials to be accountable to the LBs' political representatives. The constitution should provide for proper and adequate institutions ensuring accountability of the local governments without which there is no guarantee that local public service delivery will improve. In this regard, the role of the electoral system, intergovernmental relations and citizen empowerment in development programs is critically important. Likewise, fiduciary issues (financial management, procurement, budgeting, accounting, auditing and reporting) will require focus and clarity across the tiers of government. Rights to information, including enhanced social accountability mechanisms and cognizance of environmental and social safeguard issues will be important. Hence, Scandals involving public officials have often captured world attention. Most of these scandals are as a result of the deteriorating ethical behaviors of the public officials who have indulged themselves into all sorts of malpractices. There is therefore a genuine demand that public sector institutions should strengthen ethics, integrity, transparency, accountability and professionalism.

 

 


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