Lessons for Public Services Reform in Scotland: workshops for policy makers and practitioners
24th September 2008, Edinburgh
Over the last few years, attempts to drive up standards in Scotland’s public services have resulted in a period of substantial reform. The aim is to improve public service performance by creating a clearer, simpler and more effective public sector that addresses socio-cultural, economic, and political changes. While there is widespread agreement that reform and improvement are needed, there is less agreement on how this can or should be achieved.
The aim of these two half-day workshops was to explore some of the insights that have started to emerge from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Public Services Programme and to
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bring together policy makers, practitioners and academics to explore and discuss the meaning and value of these insights for Scottish policy and practice contexts.
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provide a forum for networking amongst the different stakeholders involved in, and affected by public services reform.
The workshops took place in Edinburgh on September, 24th, 2008. They formed part of the ESRC Public Service Programme research project ‘Public Services Reform in Scotland: Current Knowledge and Future Prospects’ (ESRC Reference RES-153-27-0015). Additional resources were provided by the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Directorate and the University of Edinburgh Business School.
The programme for the day revolved around four presentations and two sessions of focused group discussions. The issues addressed in the presentations were:
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What can be learnt from the divergence in performance testing regimes between the different countries in Britain?
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Does the third sector deserve its reputation for innovation? How might government maximise its impact?
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The evidence on public service performance, citizen and user satisfaction, and public expectations?
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Why do policy makers fail to see their policies implemented?
The presentations’ themes and their relevance to the Scottish context were taken up in the questions that formed the basis for the group discussions:
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How can performance management regimes best enhance the delivery of public services in Scotland?
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What should be the appropriate role of the third sector for public services reform in Scotland?
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What are appropriate ways for fostering innovation in the public services?
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Does satisfaction with public services matter? Why? How?
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What are the broader implications from today’s workshop for the public service reform agenda in Scotland?
For a copy of the workshop programme, please click here.
For a copy of the speakers' backgrounds, please click on their names:
For a copy of the workshop report Lessons for Public Services Reform in Scotland - Insights from Discussion, please click here.
The work forms part of the Economic and Social Research Council's Public Services Programme. It is co-sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and The Scottish Government (ESRC Reference RES-153-27-0015).
