Dr Muiris MacCarthaigh (QUB)
Where to next with the RPA?: Lessons from international developments in public service reform
As governments across the globe grapple with the effects of the global financial and economic crises, the issue of public service reform has re-emerged as a key ingredient in the restoration of public finances as well as public trust in government. The content of these reforms varies considerably, however, ranging from swinging cuts in personnel numbers and expenditure budgets to the introduction of new performance management techniques, re-organisations and other consolidation measures. As the reforms envisaged under the Review of Public Administration in Northern Ireland continue to be implemented, it is thus timely to consider developments and innovations from elsewhere in respect of a new era in public service reform. This presentation will consider some of the key patterns and variations emerging in Europe and further afield, and will examine what lessons might be gleaned from them.
