Efficiency Of Public Organizations Research Articles

Izazovi i ograničenja novog javnog menadžmenta - empirijsko istraživanje u Srbiji

Taking into account the requirements and challenges of dynamic business environment, New Public Management becomes a dominant paradigm in managing the public organizations. The paper aims to identify the main features, i.e., challenges and barriers of new public management generally, and particularly in Serbian public organizations. Therefore, the paper focuses on analyzing the NPM as a contemporary management paradigm in public sector which contributes to enhancing effectiveness and efficiency of public organizations. The results of empirical research conducted in public sector organizations in the Republic of Serbia are presented with the aim to reveal employees' perceptions regarding challenges and barriers of NPM implementation. The results demonstrate that, although some aspects of NPM can be observed, the practice of NPM is not sufficiently developed in Serbian public sector organizations. Additionally, the results indicate the need for emphasizing the employees as one of the main factors of success by public managers, with enabling the appropriate training for employees, effective communication as well as an adequate leadership style.

Early retirement incentive programs as a human resources restructuring strategy in public sector

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the conceptual framework about human resources downsizing and restructuring and how organizations of the public sector can do that effectively and efficiently. These facts drive to the conclusion that the implementation of early retirement incentives requires the most elaborate planning and execution to be effective, predictable and safe in the long term.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts an analytical, descriptive methodology approach to describe the basic features of the data by using the descriptive research design. Data have been collected through different sources, which include secondary data, to introduce the theoretical literature of the subject as books, journals, articles, published working papers and referred previous studies related to the same subject.FindingsDownsizing process is a deliberate administrative process that includes, but is not limited to, workforce reduction and is primarily aimed at achieving efficiency in public organizations. The definition of workforce downsizing may be narrowed to reducing the number of workers, or more likely to refer to general efforts to restructuring human resources in public organizations, Early Retirement Incentive Programs (ERIP) represents a viable alternative for organizations seeking to reduce staff. For the ERIP to be successful, the program coordinator must understand the business objectives and goals that the organization is trying to obtain.Originality/valueHuman resources strategies concerning downsizing public administration workforce should be more appropriate to those who leave the organization and those who stay at work, reducing the negative psychological, administrative and economical effects. This could be achieved through a strategy called early retirement incentive programs.

Knowledge vacuum: An organizational learning dynamic of how e-government innovations fail

In spite of attempting to implement e-government innovations to enhance efficiency in public organizations for several decades, e-government innovation has often not met the expectations of citizens, legislatures, or the organizations. Although a wide range of causes from poor planning to improper implementation have been suggested for explanation of failures, it is still challenging to theoretically construct an explanation of what the overarching dynamic is behind those causes. To further develop the understanding of the conditions of unrealized benefits of e-government innovation, we propose a conceptual framework of a knowledge vacuum, which is an organizational condition in which excessive exploration and organizational inertia interact to create a vicious cycle of low performance. We first review the history of e-government and factors that affect the success and failure of e-government innovation. Next, we develop the conceptual framework, and apply the concept to review an e-government innovation failure case for an illustrative purpose. We conclude by discussing theoretical and practical implications of the conceptual framework and its limitations in understanding the current state of e-government innovations.

Examining the potential of language technologies in public organizations by means of a business and IT architecture model

New technologies have the potential to improve the quality and efficiency of public organizations. However, it is not always clear what new technologies exists, why they should be introduced, how they can be applied, and how they fit within existing business and IT architectures. In this paper, we examine the potential use of new technologies in the form of language technologies and tools, such as text mining, information extraction, and question and answering systems. We do this examination by introducing a business and IT architecture model. The model contains an overview of IT systems and information traditionally used by public organizations in their interaction with citizens. The model also includes a set of problems facing public organization using traditional IT solutions. More importantly, the paper presents an extension to the model showing how language technologies can be used for supporting operational and strategic processes in public organizations, and addressing the identified problems. The model, its extension and the identified problems are based on and exemplified by cases from Swedish public organizations.

Guiding the Public Sector: Assessing the Use of Recommended Practices in the Budgeting Process

ABSTRACTPublic administration is a field defined by principles, best practices, and recommended guidelines. According to advocates, these guidelines have the potential to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public organizations. However, this potential is predicated on the degree to which they are actually followed in practice. Using an original survey of local budgeting officials across the United States, this study examines the correlation between current budgeting practices and established, recommended practices. While a significant number of current practices closely match those that have been recommended, notable variations were present. The trends and their implications conclude the assessment.

Managing productivity of public health insurance services

In recent years, considerable emphasis has been given to the determination of the efficiency of public organisations and public service units using the data envelopment analysis method (DEA), which evaluates the relative efficiency of the units under examination. The ability to model both quantitative and qualitative factors in its structure extends the usefulness of the method. Moreover since DEA was initially developed as an efficient measurement tool for non-for-profit situation and since such situations commonly exhibit ‘soft factors’, the capability to handle such factors becomes a necessity in the field of healthcare system. In this study, we assess the efficiency of the primary healthcare units of the principal Greek public insurance provider the Social Security Institute (IKA).

Le sens de la mesure. La gestion par les indicateurs est-elle gage d'efficacité ?

Résumé La conduite d’une politique fondée sur les indicateurs est fermement intégrée à une approche technique sous-jacente et à une philosophie gestionnaire qui s’appuie sur une vision simplifiée des relations organisationnelles entre concepteurs, utilisateurs, conseillers et contrôleurs des politiques. Ce modèle de gouvernance reposant sur le principe de la responsabilité pose deux questions. L’une concerne l’efficience – sa capacité à améliorer la productivité en termes d’ outputs . L’autre concerne sa contribution à l’effectivité des politiques publiques – en d’autres mots, leur capacité à produire les outcomes (les objectifs ultimes) visés par ces politiques, souvent liés au bien-être social ou à la croissance économique. Après avoir examiné la place que tiennent maintenant ces indicateurs dans la décision publique et après avoir identifié leurs propriétés, leurs vertus et leurs effets pervers, l’article analyse leur performance en termes d’efficience des organisations publiques et d’effectivité de la politique publique. L’article conclut en soulignant les conditions pour une utilisation adaptée des indicateurs dans la prise de décision et la gestion du secteur public.

Critical factors for evaluating the public value of e-government in Sri Lanka

This paper aims to identify the critical factors for evaluating the public value of e-government in Sri Lanka from the perspective of the delivery of public services and the efficiency of public organizations. To fulfill these aims of the study, a conceptual framework is developed based on a comprehensive review of the related literature by considering the delivery of public services and the efficiency of public organizations. With the collected survey data from Sri Lanka, the conceptual framework is empirically tested and validated by performing a confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling. The study shows that the delivery of quality information and services, user-orientation of information and services, efficiency and responsiveness of public organizations, and contributions of public organizations to the environmental sustainability are the critical factors for evaluating the public value of e-government in Sri Lanka. As the first study in examining the critical factors for evaluating the public value of e-government in Sri Lanka, the findings of the study would be of practical significance to the continuous development of e-government in Sri Lanka and other countries in the world.

The Investment In Management Information Systems And Its Effect On The Efficiency In Public Organizations When Putting Into Practice The Alignment Function Of Information Technologies Governance

In a globalized world, companies creating computer software (software) try to standardize problem solving for all kinds of organizations, whether public or private. While there are powerful tools for the analysis, design and implementation of systems management, some public enterprises acquire systems instead of creating them, with a costly and unproductive maintenance. The so-called Balanced Scorecard is used in this process, which measures systems management productivity through the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, making efficient investments in Information and Communication Technologies as a result. This paper is an exploratory research, which will review the degree of control over the systems that exists in public organizations in Mexico.

University governance reforms: potential problems of more autonomy?

University governance reforms are very much a reflection of the broader New Public Management reforms that are focusing on increasing efficiency in public organizations. The article deals with how university reform ideas of a generic nature, emphasizing that universities should be treated and reformed like any other public organizations, are important and reflected in specific reform measures. The special empirical focus is on that universities through reforms are changing their formal affiliation to superior ministries in a more autonomous direction, implicating more autonomy in financial, management and decision-making matters. One the other hand, universities are also through reforms more exposed to more report, scrutiny and control systems, financial incentive systems, pressure to get resources from other sources than the government, cut-back management, etc. So a main question in the analysis is whether universities, as traditionally having quite a lot of real autonomy, through the reforms in fact are getting less autonomy, not more, like the reforms entrepreneurs often are promising. The analysis is based on a transformational approach from organization theory, representing a combination of structural, cultural and environmental factors of explanation for reforms processes and their effects. Empirically the article is based on the author’s own empirical studies of university reform and reviews of comparative studies.

Rola przedsiębiorczości w kształtowaniu społeczeństwa informacyjnego

There is assumption in the paper that in the new phase of social development new qualitativefactors – the development of technology, the qualitative growth of human capital, newinstruments for stimulate the development, and the efficiency of public organizations – playthe more important role. In this context the attempt was made to mark out the responsibility ofthe entrepreneurship for forming the information society.

Rola przedsiębiorczości w kształtowaniu społeczeństwa informacyjnego

There is assumption in the paper that in the new phase of social development new qualitativefactors – the development of technology, the qualitative growth of human capital, newinstruments for stimulate the development, and the efficiency of public organizations – playthe more important role. In this context the attempt was made to mark out the responsibility ofthe entrepreneurship for forming the information society.

The Meaning of Efficiency in Public Organizations in Saudi Arabia: A Field Study

The Meaning of Efficiency in Public Organizations in Saudi Arabia: A Field Study

Uses and Misuses of Privatization

When a consensus was reached in the late 1970s that redistribution through taxation and budgeting was becoming a less attractive policy for state and local governments in the United States, a series of new, off-budget policy instruments were advanced to provide localities and the Federal government with other ways to act in the presence of fiscal restraint. In both public policy and the academic literature, limits became the watchword-limits not only in fiscal resources but also in the ability of government effectively to influence social or economic direction: the limits of etat power. Strategic planning, land-use planning, exactive zoning, community-sponsored public benefit corporations, public development corporations, public-private partnerships, and many other initiatives can be gathered under this umbrella. Indeed, not since the first half of the nineteenth century has such intense activity been seen in these areas. One of the concepts in vogue is privatization. Although the concept itself is unclear, it might be tentatively defined as a general effort to relieve the disincentives toward efficiency in public organizations by subjecting them to the incentives of the private market. There are in fact several different concepts of privatization, but this theme unites them all. Depending on the emphasis of the advocates, the theoretical grounding of privatization comes from either publicchoice theorists, students of monopolistic behavior in economics, or political scientists with a prescriptive view of interest-group analysis. This essay presents some of the limits to privatization; not so much to reject the concept-the introduction of a policy instrument can only be beneficial for the professional public manager -but to reduce its ideological character to practical guidelines. For privatization is not new. It has been tried and, at least in four cases in New York City, has not always succeeded.