Activities under this thematic area will be targeted among others at:

[a] administrative decision making

Deciding effectively on cases involving the interests of private parties requires a law on general administrative procedure, or at least a set of principles on the validity of decisions, deadlines, notification and consultation requirements, the right to access relevant documents, and the responsibilities of those deciding. Parties should be able to appeal against decisions, including judicially.

[b] administrative simplification

In order to diminish the burden imposed on business or citizens in their dealings with the administration, a government can adopt ‘better regulation’ programs aiming streamlining administrative procedures, as well as measures such as the elimination of requirements to produce documentation, one-stop-shops acting as a single interface with private parties for several administrations, and others.

[c] quality management

In order to improve the client orientation of the administration, a government can embrace the use of ‘citizens’ charters’ setting quality standards for the provision of services, or the application of full quality management systems such as EFQM, ISO, CAF, etc. This can be limited to individual institutions, or can be the result of consistent government policy, assisted by a central coordinating body.

[d] e-government

Service delivery by electronic means needs a coordinated strategic approach to improvements in connectivity, hardware, software, the administration’s IT skills, automation in back-office procedures, such as records management, workflow systems, and legislation on electronic signature and commerce. Further, actual services can be delivered at various levels, e.g. only information and submission of requests, full two-way transaction, etc.

[e] decentralization

Decentralization or as an alternative, deconcentration is an obvious mean to bring services closer to business and citizens. Thus, governments might consider decentralization to local or intermediate governments levels as service delivery, which has manifold dimensions including financial aspects and some supervision over local government.

[f] public – private partnerships

Provision of public services through the active involvement of the private sector is a way to increase efficiency and effectiveness by transferring risk to the private sector and enhancing the investment environment. In order to facilitate PPPs, a legal framework enabling and safeguarding PPP schemes must be in place; administrative bodies, such as PPP committees, may be created to support the management of PPP projects; and public institutions should have the capacity to manage PPP schemes, evaluating proposals and supporting and monitoring their implementation. Examples of PPPs include projects where end-users pay a fee directly to the private partner – for example infrastructure projects - and projects where the public sector reimburses the private sector.