The PSC

1
The PSCs Public Administration Monitoring and
Evaluation System First Consolidated Report12
Nov 2003
2
Structure of Presentation

• Introduction and Background to Project
• Purpose of the Public Administration M E System
• Unpacking the Nine Principles
• Conclusions

3
Background to Project

• The PSCs Public Administration System
• Built up in phases
• Scoping exercise
• NC pilot
• Initial round in 2002/3 included research in
  seven nat depts and seven prov depts in three
  provinces
• This report is an overview of the first 14
  research projects

4
Purpose of the Public Admin M E System

• Contribute to improved government and service
  delivery
• Problems are identified, priority areas are
  communicated, good practice is noted
• Departments reflect on own performance
• BUT
• Value and acceptance of findings and
  recommendations remains a concern

5
Assessment Framework

• How is it packaged?
• SA Constitution lists 9 principles that should
  govern our PS
• Assessing Departmental adherence to these
  principles forms the framework
• A high std of prof ethics must be promoted
• Efficient, economic and effective use of
  resources
• Public administration must be development
  oriented
• Peoples needs must be responded to and the
  public must be encouraged to participate in
  policy making
• Accountability Transparency Good HRM and
  career development practices Representivity

6
The underlying programme logic
Overall result Better governance and service
delivery in South Africa
Problems are addressed
Achievements are affirmed and promoted
Departments focus on priority areas
Learning from Good practice examples takes place
FOLLOW UP
Problem areas identified
Good practice by others is identified and promoted
Priority areas in public administration Are
communicated
Departments reflect on their own performance
REPORTING
Public service monitoring
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Professional Ethics

• System Checks
• How cases of misconduct are handled
• Findings
• Basic infrastructure for promoting a high
  standard of professional ethics has been created
  BUT it is still rudimentary and not yet fully
  effective

8
Professional Ethics

• Strategy for improvement
• Depts need to develop a link to the National
  Anti-Corruption Strategy
• Capture ethics-related processes and procedures
  in manuals and guidelines
• Improve record keeping
• Shorten the time of handling cases of misconduct

9
Efficiency, economy and effectiveness

• System Checks
• Expenditure is as budgeted
• Programmes are implemented as planned
• Findings
• National depts are generally spending within
  their targets, although in some instances
  variations were quite high.
• In provinces, while expenditure is more or less
  on target, there are more serious concerns around
  alignment of departmental objectives with
  strategic priorities.
• Programmes are generally being implemented as
  planned

10
Efficiency, economy and effectiveness

• Strategies for improvement
• Research shows that the PS is starting to
  overcome its difficulties in spending funds
• BUT
• Management reporting systems in both national and
  prov depts are unimpressive and can be improved
• Prov depts need support in strategic planning
  processes
• Training will be required
• Key management concepts not well understood
  (outputs, outcomes, activities, objectives, etc)

11
Development Orientation

• System Checks
• Programmes targeting poverty are in place and are
  successful
• Beneficiaries participate in project design
• Good project management standards are maintained
• Poverty alleviation projects and programs are
  integrated into local development plans

12
Development Orientation

• Findings
• Most departments implement programmes that either
  directly or indirectly seek to alleviate poverty.
• Water Affairs and Forestry and Agriculture are
  succeeding admirably in drawing a pro-poor,
  developmental approach into their core business
  strategy.
• PROBLEMS
• Generally accepted development management
  principles are not implemented.
• Generally prov depts slower to support or
  undertake such projects

13
Development Orientation

• Strategies for improvement
• Absence of a single, national social development
  strategy is felt by depts
• Project management manuals and info systems must
  be more widely available
• Institutional learnings need to be captured and
  shared

14
Impartiality and Fairness

• System Checks
• Compliance with the Administrative Justice Act
• Prior notice of the nature and purpose of admin
  action is provided
• Opportunities are provided for people affected by
  admin action to make representations
• Clear statements are provided on admin actions
• Departmental policy for responding to requests
  for the provision of reasons for admin decisions
  is in place
• Request for reasons are properly processed
• Reasons provided for decisions are fair and
  reasonable

15
Impartiality and Fairness

• Findings
• Performance by Depts is disappointing
• In most instances, low level of awareness of the
  Act
• Few efforts to ensure compliance
• Few depts have provided training to their staff
• Almost none have amended business processes
  specifically in order to comply

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Impartiality and Fairness

• Strategies for improvements
• Widespread need for training and increased
  awareness of the Act and its requirements is
  needed
• More effort is needed to monitor compliance with
  this Act by the Dept of Justice and
  Constitutional Dev
• Need for a National campaign?

17
Public Participation in Policy Making

• System Checks
• Policy on public participation is formally stated
• A system for soliciting public inputs is
  effectively implemented
• All policy inputs from the public are
  acknowledged and formally considered
• Findings
• Most depts have a formal commitment BUT this is
  not translated into formal policies and
  procedures.
• However, in some depts eg Justice and
  Constitutional Dev, consultation does take place
  regularly despite the absence of a written
  policy.
• DWAF has a well-structured and useful Guide.

18
Public Participation in Policy Making

• Strategies for improvement
• Strategic direction and executive leadership is
  required to ensure that there is formal interest
  in community views, policies and procedures in
  place
• DPSA to lead process?
• Good practice needs to be shared more widely
  (DWAF)

19
Accountability

• System Checks
• The Auditor Generals assessment of financial
  controls conclude that they are adequate and
  effective
• Fraud prevention plans are in place and
  implemented
• Key staff for ensuring implementation of fraud
  prevention plans are in place and operational
• Fraud prevention plans are based on a thorough
  risk assessment

20
Accountability

• Findings
• Most nat depts appear to have solid internal
  control systems
• In many instances fraud prevention plans had just
  recently been adopted and are in the process of
  being rolled out
• Performance by provinces is less satisfactory
• In many instances the Auditor-General has issued
  qualified audit reports with the lack of internal
  controls a common concern
• In some instances fraud prevention plans are not
  in place

21
Accountability

• Strategies for improvement
• National depts are more advanced in addressing
  this area, but prov depts generally appear to
  need extensive support and assistance.
• Building provincial accountability structures and
  systems will clearly be a long-term process that
  needs to be tackled in a systematic and sustained
  manner
• Financial capacity programmes should be
  accelerated
• Consider accreditation for Public Service
  Financial managers

22
Transparency

• System Checks
• Compliance to Treasury-prescribed standards for
  compiling of Annual Reports
• Reporting on performance against predetermined
  objectives
• Quality of the reports

23
Transparency

• Findings
• Annual Reports have improved in recent years BUT
  many depts do not systematically report on their
  results in achieving strategic objectives
• Annual Reports of Depts of Agric and Social Dev
  of a very high standard (egs of best practice)
• Prov dpets Ars are less succesful in meeting the
  prescribed standards

24
Transparency

• Strategies for Improvement
• Distinct improvement in annual reports is a
  positive trend that must be encouraged
• Depts that do not meet the prescribed stds should
  be advised and assisted
• Now that basic compliance is being addressed,
  more attention should be paid to the style and
  language of annual reports simple and accessible

25
Good Human Resource Management Practices

• System Checks
• Whether vacant posts are filled in a timely
  manner
• Implementation of the Skills Development Act
• A skills development plan is in place
• Activities planned for are implemented
• Results achieved through skills development are
  monitored and recorded

26
Good Human Resource Management Practices

• Findings
• Most nat depts have recruitment policies and
  procedures in place
• However, there are high vacancy rates
• Skills dev plans generally adopted but in many
  instances implementation had not commenced
• Prov depts are less effective in managing
  recruitment processes
• In some instance, take very long to fill posts
• Also less effective in implementing skills
  development plans, with many depts having no plan
  in place

27
Good Human Resource Management Practices

• Strategies for improvement
• Policy and procedure issues need to be addressed
  especially at the prov level
• Implementation of skills development strategies
  need improvement
• Should be a systematic, widespread assessment and
  general upgrade

28
Representivity

• System Checks
• Whether depts are representative of the SA people
  and diversity management measures are implmented
• Findings
• PS is successful in overcoming racial imbalances
  in a fairly short space of time BUT
• Attracting and retaining women into senior posts
  remains a challenge
• Depts are finding it difficult to meet their
  disability targets.
• Few prov depts have diversity management measures
  in place

29
Representivity

• Strategies for improvement
• Attracting and retaining disabled people is an
  area that needs dedicated attention
• Depts should prioritise recruiting and retaining
  women in senior managerial levels
• Diversity management is an area that is
  relatively underdeveloped and needs to be better
  promoted

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Conclusions

• Need for a government wide M E framework
• National depts
• Research results depict a diverse and complex PS
• Appear to be performing better than prov
  counterparts
• Closer compliance to prescribed stds
• Provincial depts
• Tend to be large
• Are often in need of support and development both
  in their management and delivery of core services
• Using research findings in a constructive and
  positive way

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Conclusions

• Using research findings in a constructive and
  positive way
• To be valuable and useful, findings and
  recommendations must be taken up or alternatives
  put in place
• Not clear whether depts are using the research
  findings
• Need for a better and sustained relationship
  between the depts and researchers