Program Budgeting and Accountability in Local Government

Much has been written about program budgeting and its relevance to improved efficiency and effectiveness. However, there is little discussion about the relationship between the use of program budgeting and accountability. While, organisations using program budgeting focus on the issues of performance, the accountability of management to an elected body, such as a local council has been given little attention. In this article three questions are posed: (1) Is the performance information available to enable councillors to form a judgment about management's performance?; (2) Is management involved in determining issues of policy, such as objectives, programs and performance measurement?; and (3) Are councillors confronted by a greater volume of budgetary documentation but with no increase in time to consider it? The results show that program budgeting does not always enhance accountability in local government.     

An Analysis of Introducing Program Budgeting in Local Government

Program budgeting has been in use for 30 years. It has had a checkered history, being considered alternately a great advancement or an unworkable system. Little has been written about the consequences for the organization that has adopted it. This study was undertaken concerning local government across the State of Victoria, Australia. A questionnaire was sent to all municipalities. There was a 60 percent response rate. Results show that information generated by planning programming budgeting (PPB) is used for decision making but in a limited way. The proposition that PPB will have an impact on the operations of councils is only partially supported.     

The Home Insulation Program: An Example of Australian Government Failure

The public concern surrounding the Australian Government Home Insulation Program (HIP) continues despite the abrupt termination of the program in the light of its deleterious safety consequences and fiscally wasteful management. This enduring unease has been reflected in a variety of official inquiries and reports including the Hawke Review (2010) , an inquiry by the Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts References Committee (2010), a performance audit by the Commonwealth Auditor‐General (2010) and two Departmental annual reports (DCCEE 2010; DEWHA 2010). Taking into account this body of evidence, we argue that the HIP represents an example of government failure, which, in turn, led to a range of unintended ‘human costs’ including the tragic deaths of four young installation workers. Moreover it is also argued that, in future, programs like the HIP are best administered by state/territory and local governments which are often best placed to deliver ‘on the ground’ services.     

电子政府在社会信息化中的地位和作用

信息化是当今世界经济和社会发展的大趋势。深刻认识电子政府在社会信息化进程中的地位和作用,对于促进我国的电子政府建设、推进社会信息化具有重大意义。     

Making Government Accountable: Lessons from a Federal Job Training Program

This article describes the evolution of a performance measurement system in a government job training program. In this program, a federal agency establishes performance measures and standards for substate agencies. The performance measurement system's evolution is at least partly explained as a process of trial and error characterized by a feedback loop: The federal agency establishes performance measures, the local managers learn how to game them, the federal agency learns about gaming and reformulates the performance measures, possibly leading to new gaming, and so on. The dynamics suggest that implementing a performance measurement system in government is not a one-time challenge but benefits from careful monitoring and perhaps frequent revision.     

反贫困治理结构中政府功能的缺陷及完善对策

到2000年底,我国的贫困人口还有4 200万人没有解决温饱问题,在这4 200万人中有半数以上处于极端贫困状态,缺少最基本的生产生活条件。此外,在已脱贫的人口中,有10％～20％的人口由于各种因素的影响,生活水平在逐渐下降,又回到了贫困人口的行列。因此,我国的反贫困工作已进入了攻坚阶段。如何在加大反贫困力度的同时,确保反贫困政策和措施的有效性,就成了反贫困战略目标的关键。总结国内外反贫困的成功经验,建立健全有效的反贫困治理结构,消除政府反贫困功能的缺陷,将会大大提高反贫困的效率。     

政府科技计划绩效评价维度、方法及模式

政府科技计划是一种竞争性很强的稀缺资源,不仅需要受控,而且要权责相符。建立科学合理的政府科技计划绩效评价制度,既是政府公共管理和政务公开的要求,又能在一定程度上有利于政府科技经费安全使用,提高资源配置和使用效率。文章通过对国外科技计划绩效评价模式的分析,研究了计划绩效评价的维度和方法论。在此基础上,对我国科技计划评价提出了建议。     

论责任政府与政府责任

民主政府必然是责任政府,依法行政必然要求权责一致.在现代中国,中央和地方各级政府由于为人民服务与依法行政的理念所决定,必然要建立责任政府,对人民承担一定的政治责任、道德责任和法律责任.     

政府声誉、政府能力与非政府组织对政府的信任

非政府组织对政府部门的信任非常重要,政府声誉和政府能力是其重要影响因素.为了揭示政府声誉和政府能力对政府信任的影响,作者以非政府组织的项目负责人和志愿者为抽样对象,以非政府组织与政府部门的关系为背景,通过对政府声誉、政府能力与信任之间的相关分析和回归分析,分析了政府声誉、政府能力对政府信任的影响.研究表明,政府声誉、政府能力对政府信任产生正向影响,政府能力比政府声誉对政府信任的影响更加明显.因此,能否树立良好的声誉、培养较高的能力对政府部门获得非政府组织的信任与支持具有十分重要的现实意义.当然,影响非政府组织对政府部门信任的因素还包括非政府组织特征、制度特征等;研究模型可以进一步扩展,更全面地考察非政府组织与政府部门间的信任形成机制.     

Less Haste,More Speed: The Fit for the Future Reform Program in New South Wales Local Government

In August 2011 the New South Wales (NSW) Government established the Independent Local Government Review Panel to examine the options for improving the sustainability of the NSW local government sector. In October 2014 the NSW Government set out its response in its Fit for the Future reform program. This paper provides a critical assessment of the Fit for the Future program. We show that it contains errors, relies on unreliable data, and neglects important factors, which may be ascribed to the haste with which it has been constructed. This could have serious consequences given the potential impact the Fit for the Future program will have on NSW local government. We thus conclude that it would be prudent to address these matters before proceeding further with the program.     

政府再造与政府能力之提升

政府再造对政府而言是一场革命,其实质与终极目的就是为了提升政府能力;在当今全球化的时代,政府能力已是一国核心竞争力的综合体现。就我国政府目前的状况而言,可通过创造良好的行政文化,政府组织机构的重塑,合理的分权和权力下放,改革公共服务的提供体制,建立和推广电子政务,培养积极主动和精明强干的公务员队伍等途径来提升政府的能力。并建立健全提升政府能力的常效机制,在政府改革的动态进程中长期持续,与时俱进。     

电子政务与政府流程再造——兼谈新公共管理

电子政务是信息技术在政府管理的广泛应用的结果,但是,它不仅仅是一种纯粹的技术活动。为了充分发挥信息技术的潜力,降低信息化的投资风险,在实施电子政务过程中进行政府流程再造是必然的选择。结合企业信息化的经验,论述了电子政务实施过程中进行政府流程再造的必要性,以及在不同的电子政务应用层次对政府流程再造的不同要求。但是,随着电子政务应用层次的提高,也对政府管理提出了更高的要求;从新公共管理的角度对电子政务进行了进一步的探讨,研究了新公共管理对我国电子政务的借鉴意义和存在的障碍。     

Do State‐Funded Property Tax Exemptions Increase Local Government Inefficiency? An Analysis of New York State's STAR Program

This study tests the effects of a growing form of indirect state aid—state‐supported property tax exemptions—on local government efficiency. We hypothesize that larger exemptions, by lowering the effective tax price paid by local homeowners and thus their incentive to monitor efficiency, will reduce local government efficiency. We test this hypothesis by examining the introduction of New York State's large state‐subsidized property tax exemption program, which began in 1999. We find evidence that, all else constant, the exemptions have reduced efficiency in districts with larger exemptions, but the effects appear to diminish as taxpayers become accustomed to the exemptions.     

有限政府:民主政府的时代内涵

民主政府的实质是国家的一切权力属于人民,政府的权力来自于人民的授权,由于人民对政府的授权是有限的,因而,政府就必然是有限政府。鉴于市场对资源的配置起着基础性的作用,市场经济形式下的政府也只能为有限政府。有限政府是政府介入社会和市场的程度在无限政府和无为政府之间,其权力、职能、规模和行为方式上要受到法律的限制。     

Better Government

The decline in future trend economic growth coupled with the ever increasing demands of an ageing population mean the public sector will need to deliver better for less. This will require a smarter bureaucracy using the latest behavioural advances and using wellbeing as a measure of success. Spending will need to be directed more to prevention rather than cure. Radical tax and benefit reform is needed to make work pay and offset the rise in inequality. Decision making could be improved by attracting more diverse, experienced people into politics by, for example, more use of open primaries, a level playing field for independent candidates and better training. Ministers could be set proper objectives and have constructive appraisals. A proposed Office of Taxpayer Responsibility could screen policies to avoid the worst ones, backed by no evidence, from being introduced as it is very hard to abolish bad policies.     

数字化时代的政府转型与数字政府

随着数字技术的发展,人类社会进入了数字化时代。数字化成为推动社会变革的主要力量。数字技术也正在推动着政府治理的转型和变革。数字政府重视和强调的是数字化时代的政府转型,其重点并不在于技术本身,而是如何利用现代数字技术促使政府数字化转型。数字政府是政府数字化转型的结果,它代表着一种新的治理模式和服务典范的变迁。政府数字化转型的同时,也面临劳动的富余、技术的偏差、责任的落差、隐私的威胁、数位的独裁和文化的冲击等诸多风险和挑战,因此推动政府的数字化转型需要系统化的治理。