New Directions in Public Administration
| Author | Jocelyne Bourgon |
| Published date | 01 July 2009 |
| Date | 01 July 2009 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0952076709103813 |
| Subject Matter | Features Section: Public Policy and Practice |
© The Author(s), 2009.
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0952-0767
200907 24(3) 309–330
New Directions in Public
Administration
Serving Beyond the Predictable
The Honourable Jocelyne Bourgon, P.C., O.C.
Keynote address at the 2008 Public Administration Committee Annual Conference,
York, UK, 1 September 2008
Abstract
Governments serve as a vehicle through which citizens, communities and
societies express their values and preferences (Bourgon, 2007). Some of these
values and preferences remain constant; while others change as societies
confront new situations and evolve. Periodically, new values surface whose
energy transforms the role of government and the practice of public
administration. Reflecting back on the last three decades, we can see how
public administrators around the world embarked on a journey of
experimentation and innovation in response to changing circumstances and
public expectations (Bourgon, 2008a). The nature and pace of change has
been astonishing. The theme of the conference is ‘New Directions in the
Study and Practice of Public Administration’. In addressing this theme, I will
argue that the search for new directions in research and the practice of public
administration should relate to the search for a new balance in the role of
government.
Keywords
complexity, emergence, public sector reform, public sector performance,
resilience, shared governance
30 Years of Experimentation
Before exploring new avenues to respond to the challenges and dilemmas of
governance in the 21st century, it is useful to reflect back on the last three decades.
It has been an extraordinary period.
We have witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. The
birth and expansion of the European Union brought peace and prosperity to half a
DOI: 10.1177/0952076709103813
The Honourable Jocelyne Bourgon, P.C., O.C., Canada School of Public Service, 373 Sussex Drive,
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6Z2, Canada.
309
Public Policy and Administration 24(3)
billion people. There has been an unprecedented convergence towards a global
market economy, which has contributed to a prolonged period of growth over
most of the period. We have seen the rise of China and India and the emergence of
new regional economic engines. We have embraced the Internet and other techno-
logical innovations. All these have transformed the world economy, our global
society, the role of government and citizens’ expectations. Today, people are
simultaneously citizens of their country and citizens of the world.
‘May you live in interesting times’, someone once said. Indeed we have.
During this period, public sector reforms have swept the globe. No matter which
country we come from, researchers and practitioners of public administration have
all lived with and participated in a phenomenal rate of reform. If there has been a
constant in our globalizing world, it has been the rapid pace of public sector
change and reform (Kettl, 2002).
Many of these reforms aimed to make the public service more efficient and
more productive. Some strove to make governments more flexible and adaptable
to changing circumstances and emerging issues.
The pace of reform is not likely to abate because public sector organizations are
not yet aligned with the new global context or with the problems they have for
mission to serve.
The transformation we have witnessed over the past 30 years is an incomplete
journey.
Compliance: A Strong Foundation
Many of the public institutions were born in the Industrial Age of the 19th and
early 20th centuries, at the same time that bureaucracies and scientific manage-
ment became central to administrative thinking, action and organization. The
institutions were founded upon a number of conventions, including a strict sepa-
ration of political and professional activities, public service anonymity and politi-
cal neutrality.
The public service was governed by precise rules and thus expected to exercise
minimal discretion in executing tasks. Its power structure was top down and hier-
archical. It valued and encouraged impartiality and predictability (Kernaghan,
2002). Public sector organizations were expected to perform ‘predictable tasks’.
Rigorous controls ensured performance and accountability for delegated authorities.
This is a ‘compliance model’ of the role of government. In the past, this model
encompassed most government activities. Today, it covers a decreasing fraction of
the work of government.
This model remains relevant in the 21st century to accomplish many of the
fundamental tasks and regulatory functions of government. It is relevant for
undertaking predictable tasks that require equality of treatment under the law, pre-
dictability and uniformity.
From this period, we retain and value
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Bourgon: New Directions in Public Administration
• respect for the rule of law;
• respect for democratic institutions;
• due process, including fairness, transparency and accountability for the exercise
of power; and
• an expectation that public servants will exhibit integrity, probity and impartial-
ity in serving the public trust.
These institutionalized values and practices give public administration a solid
foundation.
Performance: An Incomplete Journey
As their role became more complex and demanding, governments needed more
flexibility. They needed a wider range of policy options and instruments, faster
decision-making processes, more and better service delivery channels and, above
all, a higher level of performance. By the late 1980s and the early 1990s, these
needs became particularly urgent. Many governments were facing difficult fiscal
realities. They were attempting to seize the opportunities and confront the chal-
lenges associated with economic globalization and the rise of information com-
munication technologies. They were also facing rising expectations from citizens
with respect to policy outcomes and the quality and scope of public services.
Governments responded in a variety of ways. Many experimented with a range
of ‘organizational responses’, including the use of special agencies, arms-length
bodies and partnerships with private and non-governmental organizations. Some
introduced innovations by creating ‘framework laws’ that gave public administra-
tors a higher degree of discretion with which to address a diversity of needs. Most
used the power of modern communication technologies to increase productivity
and quality of services. Almost all deepened their reliance on the scientific man-
agement paradigm, pursuing detailed measurement of the inputs, activities and
outputs of public service organizations. Many of the reforms of the past 30 years
have involved a debate about governance; striving to rebalance the roles of the
public sector, the private sector, civil society and citizens.
The search for more suitable models of governance has been central to recent
reforms. In some countries, it led to privatization. In others it led to decentraliza-
tion. In most, it led to some degree of deregulation and an enhanced role for civil
society. In all countries, however, the need for flexibility led governments to
redraw their roles and to reposition themselves relative to other partners.
Since there is no such thing as ‘good governance’ without ‘good government’
and ‘well performing public sector institutions’, this search included a push for
more productive, efficient and effective government. A premium was placed on
achieving results.
For the past three decades, governments have placed a sharp focus on perform-
ance. Today, they pay much more attention to service delivery than they did in the
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Public Policy and Administration 24(3)
PREDICTABLE
UNPREDICTABLE
PERFORMANCE
• Results
• Governance
• E-Government
• Performance Management
• Rule of Law
• Predictable Tasks
• Due Process
• Accountability
COMPLIANCE
Figure 1 Public Sector Reforms: Performance
past. They are more aware of the need for ongoing improvements to respond to the
needs and expectations of citizens and changing circumstances. These considera-
tions now feature as equals alongside governments’ policy and regulatory func-
tions.
From the period of experimentation, governments retain a number of values,
practices and lessons learned:
• A better understanding of the importance of governance that incorporates other
sectors and actors. It recognizes that governments do not need to ‘do it all’ for
the collective interest to be well served. Governments have learned to share
resources and to build on the strengths of others;
• A better appreciation of the power of e-government, which is transforming the
role of government, the role of public servants and the relationship with citizens;
• An increased focus on performance and results.
The progress to date has been real but remains fragile. The inherited management
systems and practices have not kept pace with new realities. Governments have
paid insufficient attention to building the support systems needed to sustain a
commitment to results, continuous performance improvements and innovation.
By way of example, I will mention three sets of reforms that might help to con-
solidate the progress to date and provide a foundation for sustaining a commitment
to performance and results. The first reform is to clarify and reconcile the
commitments to compliance and performance (including how government uses
controls and performance measurement). The second is to focus on the results that
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Bourgon: New Directions in Public Administration
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