Latest Books from EIPA

European Public Sector Award 2011- Project Catalogue - by Marga Pröhl & Alexander Heichlinger

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The catalogue is structured into three parts. In the first chapter, data and statistics on the applications are provided, i.e. an overview of the projects by countries, administrative level, and size of administration or sectorial area of the submitting institution. Subsequently, the EPSA multi-step selection and assessment methodology and process is decribed in detail. The third chapter illustrates all the good practices following a brief introduction to each of the three EPSA 2011 thematic areas - Smart Public Service Delivery in a Cold Economic Climate (Theme I), Opening Up the Public Sector Through Collaborative Governance (Theme II) and Going Green: Concrete Solutions from the Public Sector (Theme III) - and ordered by country and EPSA registration number. Each case description also provides the reader with contact details of the submitter and how to find more information about the project in order to facilitate the exchange of good practice and lessons learnt.

EPSA Trends in Practice: Driving Public Sector Excellence to Shape Europe for 2020 - by Alexander Heichlinger

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This publication is again the result of the many applications received during this edition. Its main purpose is thus to shed light on the many public administrations efforts and to draw the future trends from these practices when analysing the innovative performances. The state of affairs and development of the three EPSA 2011 themes are mirrored against the respective applications received and the emerging, best or nominated practices are highlighted in order to subsequently arrive at common conclusions and recommendations. In addition, this book provides – for the first time – some insight into the grounds and motivation behind why public organisations participate(d) in initiatives such as the EPSA (EPSA Testimony), as well as outlining a possible model for measuring and defining the potential public added-value of such participation and the return on investment one may expect.

Competitive Dialogue - A practical guide - by Michael Burnett

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Competitive Dialogue has been hailed by some as the new solution for public authorities wanting to award contracts for complex infrastructure projects, while others see problems in applying it effectively to obtain value for money for the public sector. Objective advice for decision makers on when and how to use Competitive Dialogue is hard to find. This book - written for politicians, public officials and their professional advisers - is an independent guide for those facing these challenges at all levels in Europe.

After an explanation and analysis of legal framework for Competitive Dialogue, the book sets out how Competitive Dialogue emerged, how it compares to the Negotiated Procedure, the legal challenges in applying Competitive Dialogue, when it is appropriate to use it and where it is being used in the EU. Successive chapters then analyse the key issues arising in the implementation of Competitive Dialogue at each stage of the process and how they should be addressed. Finally, the book draws together the key conclusions for the future use of Competitive Dialogue and the actions needed to implement them at EU and national level. Taken together, they add up to an agenda for the future effective use of Competitive Dialogue.

Book Review
What people have said about “Competitive Dialogue – A practical guide”

“Burnett and Oder...have produced an essential practitioner’s guide into the complex area of concluding public contracts” Professor Christopher Bovis (in European PPP Law Review)
Read the review here.

“Has added to our understanding of the Competitive Dialogue process. If it is read and its guidance is followed there could be significant improvements in public sector procurement outcomes” John Tizard (in Government Opportunities)
Read the review here.

“This book is a unique addition to the existing literature on Competitive Dialogue...Burnett and Oder set out their findings in a clearly written, illustrative and practically relevant manner” Sylvia de Mars (in Public Procurement Law Review)
Read the review here.

European Public Sector Award 2009 - Project Catalogue - by Marga Pröhl & Alexander Heichlinger

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The catalogue is divided into two parts. In the first chapter, data and statistics on the applications are provided, i.e. an overview of the projects by countries, administrative level, and size of administration or sectorial area of the submitting institution. The subsequent chapter illustrates all the good practices following a brief introduction to each of the four EPSA 2009 thematic areas - Performance Improvement in Public Service Delivery (Theme I), Citizen Involvement (Theme II), New Forms of Partnership Working (Theme III) and Leadership and Management for Change (Theme IV) - and ordered by country and EPSA registration number. Each case description also provides the reader with contact details of the submitter and how to find more information about the project in order to facilitate the exchange of good practice and lessons learnt.

Taking the Pulse of European Public Administrations - key Findings of the European Public Sector Award 2009 - by Marga Pröhl, Alexander Heichlinger, Peter Ehn, Melanie Pissarius, Michael Burnett, Anita Rode, Tony Bass, Herma Kuperus

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

During the last 15-20 years the public sector has faced a number of challenges connected to changing socio-economic, environmental and political factors, including among others:

Demographic changes such as an ageing population, a diminishing working population and increased immigration;
Environmental changes, such as climate changes and shortage of space;
• Urbanisation including pressure on metropolitan areas, commuting and citizens’ demand for housing;
Globalisation, internationalisation and Europeanisation;
Diminishing “social capital”, including participation in elections and mistrust towards public administration and public services;
The emergence of complex social issues, arising from social fragmentation, not susceptible to single agency action and/or one dimensional responses;
Less willingness to increase resources to the public sector, despite higher demands and expectations of citizens for better services.

These issues are strong drivers for change in Europe’s public administrations and generally cut across traditional boundaries of government departments, and in some cases of the responsibilities of different levels of government; this presents challenges to public administrations in the way they deliver their public services. Consequently, a number of profound reforms have taken place and continue to do so at all levels of public administration. The (ultimate) purpose of the different reforms is to make governments more responsive to society’s changing needs and demands.

Training and Human Resource Development in the European Union Member States: New Practices and Innovative Trends - by Danielle Bossaert

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In an age characterised by rapid economic, political and technological change, training has become a key element in the development of a more professional human resource management (HRM) as well as an important lever for facilitating cultural change at the workplace.

During the last decade, many European countries have reviewed their training approach in the context of the reform processes in the public sector and of the introduction of a more professional HRM. Although these processes vary in scope and ambition in the different countries, it is interesting to analyse whether there have been any common developments in the field of training during the last decade and what impact modernisation of the public sector has had on training in general.

One major objective of this publication is to take a closer look at some modern practices in the field of training, by focusing on questions to determine who the main actors in the field of training and what their competences are, how training is organised, how it is linked to the other elements of HRM (selection procedures, career development, promotion etc.) and what the prerequisites of an effective evaluation methodology are.

This publication will be of interest to practitioners who have to muddle through sometimes difficult reform processes as well as academics studying recent developments and trends in the field of public sector training.

21st Century Comitology: Implementing Committees in the Enlarged European Union - by Thomas Christiansen, Johanna Miriam Oettel and Beatrice Vaccari (eds)

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

21st Century Comitology brings together an international group of experts, from scientific scholars to policy makers, who provide an up-to-date and comprehensive account of comitology today. The book looks at comitology - the system of committees working with the European Commission to implement EU legislation - from a range of different perspectives; examining the theoretical foundations, the past evolution, the current practice and the future challenges of the system. Individual chapters are devoted to recent developments in key sectors (such as financial services regulation or the authorisation of genetically modified organisms), whilst other authors address the respective roles of the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice in developing the rules of the system.

A major theme of the book is recent changes to comitology; with authors addressing the outcome of the 2006 legislative reform, the debates about comitology in the context of the current round of Treaty reform, and the impact that enlargement with the arrival of 12 new Member States has had on the system. With respect to comitology reform, the book also contains contributions from insiders providing accounts from the perspective of the Parliament, Council and Commission.

Quality Development in the Field of Justice - by Patrick Staes and Nick Thijs

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The public sector has to cope with a lot of challenges and respond to the many new needs and demands of modern society. Consequently the public sector is frequently the object of major reforms. These reforms and modernisation initiatives are characterised by a multiple focus on "citizen and user orientation", "efficiency and effectiveness", "transparency", "quality care", "benchmarking", "result orientation" and "accountability". As with all sectors of the public service, the judiciary and judicial authorities face the challenges and pressures and are subject to wide-ranging reforms.
The key question in this respect is: How can the basic requirements of a legal system, such as equal justice for all and the independence and autonomy of the courts in administering justice be combined with effectiveness, efficiency and quality? Questions raised in this publication include: Can quality models such as the Common Assessment framework (CAF) be used in this context, or does the specific nature of justice demand an alternative approach? How do organizations in the field of justice deal with their "citizen/customers"? How do they deal with efficiency and effectiveness and what are the initiatives they take to improve quality?
As a study of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and its application in the judicial sector, this publication is divided into two parts:

The first part provides a comprehensive introduction to quality management in general; touching upon its evolution, the different models used, and a more specific explanation of CAF and how it is used in the public sector. As well as the history and context of the model, the practical side is looked at in detail - from implementation to results, improvement actions and performance measurement.
The second part puts flesh on the theoretical bones of the first: Judicial institutions from different European countries introduce Good Practices for improving quality in the field of justice. Among them are the Courts of Denmark, the Court of Appeal in Western Sweden, the Bolzano Public Prosecutor's Office in Italy, the work done by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) of the Council of Europe, and the Belgian, Finnish and Dutch approaches to the judiciary.

This publication is an attempt to contribute to the debate on quality management in the field in justice, based upon experiences in the public sector field by the editors, and by gathering interesting cases from all over Europe, in the hope it will provide inspiration.

Regulating Conflicts of Interest for Holders of Public Office in the European Union - by Christoph Demmke, Mark Bovens, Thomas Henökl and Timo Moilanen

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Only available in English

More and better rules on conflicts of interest for Holders of Public Office should - at least in theory - lead to more trust, greater accountability, more integrity and less unethical behaviour/corruption. New rules should also provide a tool for identifying and resolving potential conflicts of interest, as well as:
• increase public confidence in the government;
• demonstrate the high level of integrity of the vast majority of Government officials;
• prevent conflicts of interest from arising because official activities would be subject to public scrutiny;
• deter persons whose personal finances would not bear up to public scrutiny from entering public service; and
• better enable the public to judge the performance of public officials in the light of their outside financial interests.

This book discusses the (effectiveness of) existing rules and standards for Holders of Public Office as regards conflicts of interest in the Member States of the EU as well as in the EU institutions. It presents findings from a comparative study for the European Commission which analyses and compares the various rules and standards contained in the laws, regulations and codes of conduct for Members of Government, elected Members of Parliament (legislators), Judges of the Courts of Justice (Supreme Courts or Constitutional Courts), and Members or Directors of the Courts of Audit and Central or National Banks.
By conducting exhaustive empirical research on the ethics systems of the various national and European institutions, in-depth insight in an extremely complex and politically very sensitive subject could be gained. As can be demonstrated, current reform processes in the field of conflicts of interest are leading to new trends and innovations that can be of great interest for national and the EU institutions who are eager to reform their policies and instruments.

State Aid Policy in the European Community: Principles and Practice – Second Edition - by Phedon Nicolaides, Mihalis Kekelekis and Maria Kleis

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Only available in English

Following directly on from the completion of the European Commission's State Aid Action Plan, this thorough guide provides a concise review of the current state aid policy of the European Community. Certain kinds of state aid are no longer allowed, some other kinds are now possible, while certain types and amounts of aid are now subject to more detailed and rigorous assessment. Increasingly, Member States tend to shift emphasis from supporting individual companies or sectors, towards pursuing horizontal policy objectives.
The book not only explains the principles on which European state aid policy is based and how it is applied in practice, but also highlights recent legislation adopted with the ultimate aim of directing Member States towards meeting the Lisbon objectives and responding to successive European Council calls for "less and better targeted aid". The authors identify the most recent sources of EC law on state aid, and analyse the latest landmark European Commission decisions and judgements of EU Courts. They also offer useful guidance on how to design state aid measures.
Among the many specific topics covered are the following:
• the balancing test for compatibility with the common market;
• exceptions for transport and "services of general economic interest";
• the Commission's supervisory control; and
• state aid monitoring procedures.

Numerous revealing case studies are presented, and useful appendices offer legislative texts and insights into defined areas of practice such as de minimis aid, the SME definition, risk capital for SMEs, aid for research and development and innovation, aid for rescue and restructuring, regional aid, or finally aid for agricultural, environmental or transport purposes.
The guide has developed from seminars on EC state aid law and policy organised during the past decade by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA). In line with those seminars, this book will be of great practical value for policy-makers and practitioners managing state aid in the public administrations of the EC Member States and its partner countries.

* €60.00 for participants in EIPA seminars.

Measuring Individual and Organisational Performance in the Public Services of EU Member States - by Christoph Demmke, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Renate Meyer

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This study compares and analyses the different individual and organisational performance assessment systems used by the public administrations of the Member States of the European Union (and Norway).
This publication presents an analysis and comparison of the various performance assessment systems in place, their objectives, working procedures, challenges and effects. The focus, therefore, is less on concepts and more on the actual practices of managers doing performance assessments.
The overall goal is to explore the main management challenges and success factors of implementing individual appraisal systems in public services in Europe. Based on deepening insights and practical experiences, the study intends to:

make available up-to-date information on experiences across European public administrations;
identify the main leadership challenges in successfully conducting individual assessments and linking them to organisational performance;
present and discuss good practices in the field;
provide practical guidance, by identifying the factors that will assist organisations in the design, implementation and revaluation of their systems in order to make performance assessments run more smoothly and contribute to improved organisational performance.

Another purpose of this comparative study is to present more empirical evidence on the relationship between the assessment of individual and organisational performance. What are the criteria used? What is the relationship between organisational performance and individual performance? How can organisational and individual performance be measured? What are the main challenges in measuring organisational performance and individual performance? Are recent reforms in the field of individual performance assessment enhancing organisational performance?

Managing Structural Funds: A Step-by-Step Practical Handbook - by Robin Smail, Luc Broos and Elsa Kuijpers

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This handbook describes and explains the series of programming and management tasks involved in implementing Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund programmes and projects for the programming period 2007-2013.
Many of the tasks described relate specifically to the new regulations which govern the use of the Structural Funds. These regulations are designed to reflect the most recent reform of EU cohesion policy, which aims to simplify the policy, further decentralise administration, increase financial accountability and enhance the effectiveness of the Funds.
However, the tasks, tools and procedures described in this handbook go beyond the new regulations. They cover, for example, project development activities, programme and project evaluation techniques and the fundamentals of monitoring procedures.
The handbook provides a step-by-step guide to the tasks to be performed, as far as possible in a chronological order. The descriptions provided here should be complementary to the information found in official documentation.
The handbook is split into three parts. Part I deals with the reformed cohesion policy and the new programming context, and explains how National Strategic Reference Frameworks have been put together. Part II covers the vast array of programme preparation and management tasks. It includes descriptions of how operations get started, what the financial management and control tasks are, and how to monitor, evaluate and close programmes. Part III looks at project development, project management and all stages of project monitoring and evaluation

Publications test entry - by Robin Smail , Luc Broos and Elsa Kuijpers

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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Performance Assessment in the Public Services of the EU Member States: Procedure for Performance Appraisal, for Employee Interviews and Target Agreements - by Christoph Demmke

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Also available in German
Classic performance appraisals have in the past few years been viewed very critically across Europe. Frequently performance appraisals were (if conducted at all) perceived as necessary chores in the everyday administrative life. Neither the superiors nor the employees were interested in the appraisals. However, this lack of interest derived from different reasons. Whereas the one group did not wish to conduct evaluations, the other group did not wish to be evaluated. Frequently performance appraisals had no consequences: In many cases, the appraisals had no significant effects on the work conditions of the personnel. The principle of life- long employment contracts, the seniority principle and more or less automatic promotions put the use of performance appraisals into question. The appraisal system itself represented another weakness: Bureaucratic requirements and a multitude of criteria to be evaluated led to subjective results. This subjectivity has been frequently and rightly criticised. Another point that yielded much criticism is the tendency to assign ratings that are too high, in order to prevent internal personnel management conflicts.
In the meantime, the traditional legitimation problems involved with the instrument of performance appraisal have changed fundamentally. Additionally the instrument itself has significantly gained importance. In many Member States, the performance appraisal is increasingly and more consistently linked to consequences for the personnel. These consequences affect performance agreements, performance-related pay, career development, promotions, and increasingly also job security. With these changes, the instrument of performance appraisal has gained a position at the core of human resource management. Yet the changes are not limited to the increased importance of this instrument. In fact, the increased significance also demands improved application and professionalisation of the entire management process.
This publication by Christoph Demmke investigates and analyses this reform process from a comparative and empirical point of view. It examines the situation in the public services Member States of the EU, Norway and the European Commission.

Leistungsbewertung im öffentlichen Dienst in den Leistungsbewertung im öffentlichen Dienst in den Mitgliedstaaten der EU: Verfahren zur Leistungsbewertung, für Mitarbeitergespräche und Zielvereinbarungen - by Christoph Demmke

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Auch in Englisch erhältlich
Klassische Leistungsbeurteilungen wurden in den letzten Jahren europaweit sehr kritisch bewertet. Häufig wurden Leistungsbeurteilungen (wenn sie überhaupt durchgeführt wurden) als notwendige Pflichtaufgaben im Verwaltungsalltag empfunden. Weder Vorgesetzte noch Mitarbeiter hatten ein Interesse an Beurteilungen, beide allerdings aus unterschiedlichen Motivationen. Während die eine Gruppe nicht beurteilen wollte, wollte die andere Gruppe nicht beurteilt werden. Häufig waren Leistungsbeurteilungen ohne Konsequenzen: In vielen Fällen hatte die Durchführung von Beurteilungen keine durchgreifenden Auswirkungen auf die Arbeitsbedingungen des Personals. Das Prinzip der lebenslangen Anstellung, das Senioritätsprinzip sowie mehr oder weniger automatische Beförderungen, stellten den Nutzen von Leistungsbeurteilungen in Frage. Ein zusätzlicher Schwachpunkt stellte das Beurteilungssystem dar: Bürokratische Anforderungen und eine Vielzahl an Beurteilungsmerkmalen führten zu subjektiven Beurteilungen. Zu Recht wurde diese Subjektivität sowie die häufige Tendenz immer wieder kritisiert, zu gute Noten zu vergeben, um interne Konflikte im Personalmanagement zu vermeiden.
Mittlerweile haben sich die klassischen Legitimationsprobleme des Instruments der Leistungsbeurteilung grundsätzlich verändert. Daneben ist das Instrument als solches wesentlich wichtiger geworden. In vielen Mitgliedstaaten ist die Leistungsbeurteilung heute stärker und konsequenter mit personellen Konsequenzen verbunden, die Auswirkungen auf Leistungsabsprachen, Leistungsbezahlung, Laufbahnentwicklung, Beförderungsentscheidungen und – zunehmend – Arbeitsplatzsicherheit haben. Mit diesen Änderungen rückt das Instrument der Leistungsbewertung in das Zentrum des Personalmanagements. Hingegen ist dieses Instrument nicht nur wichtiger geworden. Vielmehr erfordert die gestiegene Bedeutung des Instruments auch eine verbesserte Anwendung und Professionalisierung des gesamten Managementprozesses. In dieser Studie wird dieser Reformprozess untersucht und analysiert.
Diese Veröffentlichung von Christoph Demmke untersucht den gegenwärtigen Reformprozess von einer vergleichenden – und (erstmals) empirischen Perspektive in den öffentlichen Verwaltungen der EU-Mitgliedstaaten, der Europäischen Kommission und Norwegen.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) - A Decision Maker's Guide - by Michael Burnett

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Book review by EPPPL

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are now firmly established in the European political landscape as a means of public service delivery. Their use has grown rapidly in recent years and the main drivers – particularly the gap between the financing needed to modernise infrastructure and improve public services and the public funds available at EU, national and sub-national level – are as strong as ever.
But the way PPP are often implemented is in need of reform. The main needs are to increase legal certainty and the transparency and competitiveness of PPP procurement processes and to develop an approach which better fits the needs of the public sector for value for money.
Yet objective advice for decision makers on when and how to use PPP effectively and how to create the right policy, legal and operational framework is hard to find. Cutting through the jargon and the misconceptions, this book is an independent guide for those facing these challenges at all levels in Europe. In particular, it aims to move beyond the mindset in which PPP is used as the default option for public investment projects without a pragmatic and rigorous assessment on a case by case basis.
Written from a public sector perspective, this book has two main audiences in mind, i.e.:

European decision makers responsible for creating an appropriate legal framework at EU level for PPP and wanting to understand the impact of European policy decisions on how PPP are used to implement them
Politicians and senior public officials at national level currently facing choices about when and how to use PPP and also how to remove administrative and legal barriers to using them.

After an introduction which explains what PPP are and how and why they have emerged, successive chapters deal with the management of a national PPP programme, an analysis of the policy, legal and operational framework for PPP (including how private sector suppliers and financiers view PPP) and how and why auditors should play a key role in ensuring the effective implementation of PPP.
Finally, the book includes recommendations to improve the future use of PPP, aimed at better legislation, more effective policy making, more effective implementation of PPP and an enhanced role for auditors as the guardians of value for money.
The recommendations add up to an agenda for reforming the implementation of PPP in Europe. It is an agenda which will need political will both at national and European level to implement, but it is one which, as the author argues, needs to be implemented to secure the future of PPP as an option available to policy makers responsible for delivering public services.

Dezentralisierung und Verantwortlichkeit als Schwerpunkte der Modernisierung der öffentlichen Verwaltung: Herausforderungen und Folgen für das Personal-Management - by Christoph Demmke, Gerhard Hammerschmid und Renate Meyer

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Die Dezentralisierung von Verantwortlichkeiten innerhalb von Behörden mit einer damit einhergehenden Zunahme der Führungsautonomie zur Leistungssteigerung sowie zur verbesserten Anpassung des öffentlichen Dienstes an lokale Erfordernisse waren während der letzten beiden Jahrzehnte in zahlreichen Ländern Hauptthemen bei der Modernisierung der öffentlichen Verwaltung. Eine gesteigerte individuelle Motivation und Leistungsfähigkeit werden oftmals als Belege hierfür angeführt. Insbesondere hinsichtlich der HRM-Praxis scheinen zahlreiche europäische Länder Strategien zu verfolgen, mit denen hoch zentralisierte HRM-Systeme und -Verfahren durch dezentralisierte HRM-Prozesse ersetzt werden, bei denen Entscheidungen lokaler getroffen werden, so dass leitenden Beamten/innen und verantwortlichen Führungskräften größerer Ermessensspielraum und mehr Verantwortlichkeit zugewiesen wird.

In dieser Publikation von Christoph Demmke, Gerhard Hammerschmid und Renate Meyer wird analysiert, inwieweit HRM-Zuständigkeiten und Befugnisse in den europäischen Ländern auf untere Führungsebenen verlagert wurden und wie die unterschiedlichen Beteiligten, wie etwa die für den gesamten öffentlichen Dienst arbeitenden HRM-Einheiten, die zuständigen Minister, die ministeriumsinternen HRM-Einheiten, die leitenden Verwaltungsebenen, das zuständige Management und die Arbeitnehmervertreter/innen in die Entscheidungsfindung der HRM-Praxis einbezogen werden. Kommt es zu einer Europäisierung der Verwaltungsreformprogramme und zu einer allgemeinen Auflösung traditioneller hierarchischer, zentral organisierter HRM-Leitlinien aufgrund einer zunehmenden Machtdezentralisierung hin zu den unteren Ebenen der öffentlichen Verwaltung oder zu den teilautonomen Verwaltungen (Agenturen usw.)? Wie finden die Verwaltungen des öffentlichen Dienstes und der Regierungen in Europa einen angemessenen Ausgleich zwischen den zeitgleich vorliegenden Forderungen nach Dezentralisierung von Verantwortlichkeiten und der Berücksichtigung von Zentralkoordinierung sowie Kontrollerfordernissen?

test 13 char ISBN - by Me

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

ISBN no. will be 13 chars from 2007

Decentralisation and Accountability As a Focus of Public Administration Modernisation: Challenges and Consequences for Human Resource Management - by Christoph Demmke, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Renate Meyer

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Decentralisation of authority/responsibility and an increase in management autonomy to improve performance and to better adapt public services to local needs have been main themes of public administration modernisation in many countries throughout the last two decades. Higher individual motivation and performance are often used as arguments. Especially regarding HRM practices, many European countries seem to be pursuing strategies to replace highly centralised HRM systems and policies by more decentralised HRM environments, where decisions are made closer to the point of delivery, and, thus, to provide senior officials and line managers with greater discretion and responsibility.

This publication by Christoph Demmke, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Renate Meyer analyses the extent to which HRM competencies and authority have been passed down to lower levels of management in European countries and in what way various actors such as government-wide HRM units, line ministers, HRM units within ministries, senior administrative levels, line management and employee representatives are involved in decision making on HRM practices. Is there a common European modernisation agenda and a general obsolescence of traditional hierarchical, centrally organised HRM policies due to an increasing devolution of powers to lower levels of public administration or semi-autonomous bodies (agencies etc.)? How do European public administrations and governments find an appropriate balance between the simultaneous demands of decentralising responsibilities and satisfying central coordination and control requirements?

Tripartite Arrangements: An Effective Tool for Multilevel Governance? - by Gracia Vara Arribas and Delphine Bourdin (eds)

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

The gap between Europe and its citizens has been growing as the process of European integration has become more complex and more distant from the regional and local levels. In 2001, the European Commission's "White Paper on European Governance" identified a number of reform initiatives that could be undertaken at European level to address this problem. One of the proposed reforms is the object of this book: target-based contractual tools agreed by the European Community, a Member State and regional and local authorities in order to more flexibly manage the implementation of Community law and policies with a strong territorial impact.

Although the Commission's initiative initially seemed to be a promising, if not revolutionary approach to tackling these issues, it is facing a stagnation of sorts. The concerns about the meaning of the term "flexible implementation" of European law, the presumed potential legal consequences of a tripartite contract in which the sub-state level of government is involved, and diverse political concerns resulting from this have all thwarted progress.

The idea is still to give territories more room to manoeuvre in implementing EC legislation. But the lesson to be learned from recent years is that with its White Paper the Commission has not been able to bring the different actors on board. And as the Commission itself recognised some time ago, "the Commission alone cannot improve European governance. Change requires concerted action by all the European institutions, present and future Member States, regional and local authorities, and civil society". The question four years after this statement may be: is there the political will to improve European governance? The response to this question is of major importance. If the answer is yes, tripartite arrangements still have a future. Without political will, no further efforts to re-launch these instruments will succeed.

Employing a varied research methodology, combining analysis of published institutional texts with interviews and forums of debate, and exploring new areas of development, this book is the first to present an overall analysis of the situation of tripartite contracts and agreements, the difficulties and the potential way forward.

The authors of the book are as follows (in alphabetical order): Delphine Bourdin, Thomas Christiansen, Pamela Lintner, Martin Unfried and Gracia Vara Arribas.

Preliminary Remarks by Gérard Druesne, Director-General of EIPA
Preliminary Remarks by Eduardo Sánchez Monjo, Director of the European Centre for the Regions, EIPA-ECR
Foreword by Neil Kinghan, Director-General, Local Government and Fire Group, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM �" UK)

Die europäischen öffentlichen Dienste zwischen Tradition und Reform - by Christoph Demmke

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Auch in Englisch erhältlich
Die Diskussion über die Zukunft des öffentlichen Dienstes und die Reform des Managements seiner Humanressourcen ist nur allzu häufig durch Mutmaßungen bestimmt, die die Schlagzeilen dominieren. Diese Veröffentlichung hebt sich hiervon ab, indem sie ausgewogen Bilanz über neue Trends und Entwicklungen in diesem wichtigen Politikfeld zieht.
Der Autor argumentiert, dass die Reform des öffentlichen Sektors nicht – wie vielfach behauptet wird – durch klare Veränderungen und Fortschritte gekennzeichnet ist. In ihrem Ergebnis zeigt sich vielmehr ein komplexeres Bild von Stückwerk und paradoxen Veränderungsmustern.
Im 21. Jahrhundert sind die demographische Entwicklung, die wachsenden Erwartungen seitens der Bürgerinnen und Bürger, die Einführung neuer Technologien, die Individualisierung, Übertragung von Befugnissen und Dezentralisierung, der Finanzdruck und der Trend zur Internationalisierung die entscheidenden Faktoren für die Veränderung des öffentlichen Dienstes geworden. Reformmaßnahmen begünstigen heute allseits die Auflösung und die Dezentralisierung des öffentlichen Dienstes. Darüber hinaus werden politische Maßnahmen des öffentlichen Sektors in immer komplexeren Netzwerken vollzogen, unter Nutzung dezentralisierter Verwaltungsstrukturen, öffentlich-privater Partnerschaften und kooperativer Projekte zwischen Nichtregierungsorganisationen (NGO), Consultants und Verwaltungsstellen. Der traditionell zentrale Begriff des öffentlichen Dienstes als eines einzigen, homogenen Arbeitgebers schwindet ebenso.
Die Studie geht von der theoretischen Annahme aus, dass – auch wenn gute Gründe für eine Kritik der traditionellen öffentlichen Dienste bestehen – die meisten Reformstrategien und –vokabularien durch „Worthülsen" geprägt sind und dass sich aus den eingeschlagenen Reformwegen ebenso viele Probleme wie Verbesserungen ergeben. Insbesondere der Ruf nach einer stärkeren Europäisierung, mehr Flexibilität, Innovation, Veränderung und Leistung und weniger Bürokratie ist sehr allgemein und ihm fehlt das spezifische Wissen über die besonderen Merkmale einer Beschäftigung im öffentlichen Sektor sowie die Kenntnis der Strukturen des öffentlichen Dienstes. Darüber hinaus mangelt es dem „Reformprozess" an einem begrifflichen Verständnis seiner eigenen Begriffe.
Zumeist werden Reformen des öffentlichen Dienstes und des Managements der Humanressourcen zudem als politische, rechtliche oder wirtschaftliche Reformen geplant. Die Kombination von finanziellem Druck, einem schlechten Image des öffentlichen Dienstes und übereilten Reformen führt dazu, dass Reformstrategien im öffentlichen Dienst und Reformen des Managements der Humanressourcen häufig zu wenig das Ergebnis einer rationalen Debatte und eindeutiger Fakten sind. Oft scheint der Wunsch nach einer neuen Form der Verwaltungsführung (und nicht nach einer neuen Verwaltung) mehr über unsere Erwartungen, Überzeugungen und Kultur auszusagen als über den wirklichen Reformbedarf.

* Einschließlich Porto und Verpackung.

Are Civil Servants Different Because They Are Civil Servants? - by Christoph Demmke

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

For a lengthy period, all European societies believed that civil servants were linked to the authority of the state and could not be compared to employees in the private sector. This group of public employees were seen as agents intended to uphold the rule of law and to implement government policies. Consequently, civil servants had to have high standards of integrity and be entrusted with a single task: working for the common interest. In this conception, where the state was separated from society and citizens, it was inconceivable that civil servants should have the right to strike or the right to conclude collective working conditions agreements.
However, in the past years, many areas of the public sector have lost this uniqueness and have become quite similar to the general employment system. Does this mean that the idea of a civil service as a specific structure is outdated, at least in some countries?
Today, there are now as many different categories of public employees as there are different public functions and organisations, e.g. employees in a ministry differ from those in an agency, the police, the health service, border control, public-private partnerships, a school or a food inspectorate. Working conditions and working life have changed and – occasionally – differ from organisation to organisation. In some Member States senior civil servants differ very little from senior managers in private companies. Are these managers still different from those in the private sector?
Whatever the right answer is, one thing is sure: the term "civil servant" is more difficult to define than ever. He or she has very different tasks, positions, legal relationships and working conditions in the various Member States. The objective of this publication by Christoph Demmke is neither to defend a specific civil service model nor to abolish it. Instead, the interest in this study is to illustrate who these public employees actually are, how they perform and how they work. Naturally, another interest is also to examine the many existing clichés, images and perceptions about public servants (are they right or wrong?) and whether public servants differ at all from those working in the private sector. Do public employees, civil servants and private sector employees have a different work ethos and work motivation? Are they performing differently? Do they need different performance incentives? Are they more rule-oriented and job-security-minded?
These questions are of more than academic interest, they are in fact highly sensitive, political and more and more relevant. An increasing number of Member States find it increasingly difficult to argue why certain tasks should be given to civil servants, why civil servants should be treated differently to other employees and why civil servants should have working conditions different to those of other employees in the public or private sector.

Administrations publiques et services d’intérêt général : quelle européanisation ? - by Sous la direction de Michel Mangenot

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Sous la direction de Michel Mangenot
Avant-propos de Gérard Druesne, Directeur général de l'IEAP
Préface de Claude Wiseler, Ministre luxembourgeois de la Fonction publique
et de la Réforme administrative

Disponible également en anglais et en allemand
La construction européenne affecte de plus en plus les politiques domestiques des Etats membres. Mais qu'en est-il précisément, en 2005, des administrations publiques et des services d'intérêt général (SIG) ? Ces deux domaines aux frontières fluctuantes sont traités ici au travers d'une approche comparée en termes d'européanisation.
Dans le cadre de la constitution d'un espace administratif européen, le droit communautaire affecte les principes, l'ouverture des carrières ainsi que les conditions de travail des fonctionnaires. La coopération administrative entre Etats, en dehors de toute compétence communautaire, provoque, elle, des effets en termes de socialisation, de développement d'approches communes et d'invention d'instruments (comme le CAF).
S'agissant des services d'intérêt général qui disposent d'une base juridique depuis 1957, la logique d'européanisation apparaît bien différente. S'il intervient au départ dans un contexte de forte divergence en matière de traditions nationales, le processus communautaire agit ici dans le sens d'une plus grande convergence. On observe, en application des règles de concurrence, une libéralisation des différents services d'intérêt économique général (SIEG) sans pour autant que ce mouvement soit directement lié aux processus de privatisation et de régulation.
Au moyen d'une méthodologie variée et innovante, mêlant une analyse des législations nationales et de la jurisprudence communautaire à une étude statistique qui compare six secteurs libéralisés (audiovisuel, électricité, gaz, poste, chemin de fer et télécommunications), cet ouvrage est le premier à présenter une vision d'ensemble de l'Union européenne élargie à Vingt-cinq.

Ont contribué à cet ouvrage : Lucie Cluzel, Christoph Demmke, Gilles Dumont, Michel Mangenot, Spas Sodev, Michael Stassart, Frédéric Varone et Christian de Visscher. Avec les conseils de Pierre Bauby et Jean-Michel Eymeri.

Öffentliche Verwaltungen und Dienstleistungen von allgemeinem Interesse: welche Europäisierung? - by Herausgegeben von Michel Mangenot

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Herausgegeben von Michel Mangenot
Vorwort von Gérard Druesne, Generaldirektor des EIPA
Geleitwort von Claude Wiseler, Luxemburgischer Minister für
den öffentlichen Dienst und die Verwaltungsreform

Auch in Englisch und Französisch erhältlich
Das europäische Aufbauwerk wirkt sich immer stärker auf die Innenpolitik der Mitgliedstaaten aus. Wie aber sieht es im Jahre 2005 mit den öffentlichen Verwaltungen und den Dienstleistungen von allgemeinem Interesse im Einzelnen aus? In dieser Veröffentlichung werden diese beiden Bereiche einander mit einem vergleichenden Ansatz im Hinblick auf die Europäisierung gegenübergestellt.
Im Rahmen der Schaffung eines europäischen Verwaltungsraums wirkt sich das Gemeinschaftsrecht auf die für die Beamten geltenden Grundsätze, die Öffnung der Laufbahnen sowie die Arbeitsbedingungen aus. Die Verwaltungszusammenarbeit zwischen den Staaten ruft ihrerseits außerhalb jeder gemeinschaftlichen Zuständigkeit Wirkungen im Hinblick auf die Sozialisation, die Entwicklung gemeinsamer Ansätze und die Ausarbeitung von Instrumenten (wie dem CAF) hervor.
Bei den Dienstleistungen von allgemeinem Interesse, für die es seit 1957 eine Rechtsgrundlage gibt, stellt sich die Logik der Europäisierung ganz anders dar. Auch wenn der gemeinschaftliche Prozess zu Beginn von stark divergierenden nationalen Traditionen geprägt war, wirkt er sich hier doch im Sinne einer stärkeren Konvergenz aus. Bei der Anwendung der Wettbewerbsregeln ist eine Liberalisierung der verschiedenen Dienstleistungen von allgemeinem wirtschaftlichem Interesse zu verzeichnen, ohne dass diese Entwicklung unmittelbar mit den Privatisierungs- und Regulierungsprozessen verbunden wäre.
Mit Hilfe einer variablen und innovativen Methodik, die eine Analyse der einzelstaatlichen Gesetzgebungen und der gemeinschaftlichen Rechtsprechung mit einer vergleichenden statistischen Untersuchung von sechs liberalisierten Sektoren (Rundfunk, Elektrizität, Gas, Post, Eisenbahn und Telekommunikation) verbindet, legt dieses Werk erstmals eine Gesamtübersicht für die auf 25 Mitglieder erweiterte Europäische Union vor.

Autoren: Lucie Cluzel, Christoph Demmke, Gilles Dumont, Michel Mangenot, Spas Sodev, Michael Stassart, Frédéric Varone und Christian de Visscher. Beratung: Pierre Bauby und Jean-Michel Eymeri.

Public Administrations and Services of General Interest: What Kind of Europeanisation? - by Under the direction of Michel Mangenot

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Under the direction of Michel Mangenot
Preliminary Remarks by Gérard Druesne, Director-General of EIPA
Foreword by Claude Wiseler, Luxembourg Minister for the Civil Service and Administrative Reform

Also available in French and German
The construction of Europe is having an increasing impact on the domestic policies of Member States. But what exactly is the situation with respect to public administrations and services of general interest (SGIs) in 2005? A comparative approach in terms of Europeanisation has been adopted in the discussion of these two areas whose boundaries fluctuate.
In the context of setting up a European administrative space, Community law affects basic principles, the process of opening up careers and working conditions for civil servants. Administrative co-operation between States outside the scope of Community competence has an impact in terms of social intercourse, the development of common methods and approaches and the invention of new instruments (e.g. the CAF).
There appears to be a very different approach to Europeanisation as regards services of general interest, which have had a legal basis since 1957. Although it initially crops up against a background of considerable divergence in national traditions, in this instance the Community process is moving in the direction of greater convergence. We can observe, in accordance with the rules on competition, a liberalisation of the various services of general economic interest (SGEI) without this movement being in any way directly linked to the processes of privatisation and regulation.
Employing a varied and innovative methodology, combining an analysis of national legislations and Community case law with a statistical study that compares six liberalised sectors (audiovisual, electricity, gas, post, railways and telecommunications), this book is the first to present an overall view of the enlarged European Union of Twenty-five.

The following have contributed to this book:
Lucie Cluzel, Christoph Demmke, Gilles Dumont, Michel Mangenot, Spas Sodev, Michael Stassart, Frédéric Varone and Christian de Visscher.
With advice from Pierre Bauby and Jean-Michel Eymeri.

State Aid Policy in the European Community: A Guide for Practitioners - by Phedon Nicolaides, Mihalis Kekelekis and Philip Buyskes

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

As full market integration in the EC comes into clearer perspective, the danger of distortions of competition become more evident. Although state aid may be provided to undertakings for a variety of reasons that may be considered to be beneficial to the economy, effective liberalisation may be undermined by state interventions, which weaken competition and prevent the achievement of market integration. State aid is thus considered to be in principle incompatible with the common market, although the well-known qualifications in Article 87 EC imply that certain exceptions are possible.
This guide, which has grown out of seminars conducted by the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht, provides a concise overview of the state aid policy of the European Community. It explains the principles on which this policy is based, and how it is applied in practice. It also identifies the primary and secondary sources of EC law on state aid and makes references to landmark Commission decisions and Court cases, both of which sources it cites extensively.
Among the many important issues the book addresses in depth are the following:

what constitutes effective competition;
effect on trade of aid incompatible with the common market;
evaluating necessity, proportionality, and other criteria for providing aid;
agriculture, transport, and other exceptions;
"services of general economic interest" (SGIE);
new aid versus existing aid;
formal investigation procedure; and
recovery of unnotified aid.

The presentation focuses on those issues that are of practical relevance to policymakers and practitioners managing state aid in the public administrations of the EC Member States and its partner countries. It offers the quickest and most reliable guide to applying Commission decisions and Court rulings on state aid, as well as to practice in the various Member States.

* € 45.00 for EIPA members and participants in the State Aid seminars.

Main Challenges in the Field of Ethics and Integrity in the EU Member States - by Danielle Bossaert and Christoph Demmke

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Ethics and integrity have become important issues in the practice and theory of politics, public administration, law and economics. The EU Member States but also many international organisations have become increasingly active in this area over the last years.
This book reflects the discussions that took place during the Irish and Dutch Team Presidency and among the 25 Member States in 2004. It offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of successes, challenges and difficulties in their fight against unethical behaviour, fraud and corruption.
Furthermore, new approaches in integrity policies are analysed, as well as the main existing (political and legal) instruments. Finally, practical proposals are put forward aimed at enhancing Member States' efforts to fight any form of unethical behaviour.
This publication is therefore of great relevance to policy makers, civil servants, personnel managers and academic researchers.

European Social Dialogue and the Civil Services. Europeanisation by the back door? - by Michel Mangenot and Robert Polet

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Also available in French
Since 1993, the social partners, who are increasingly organised at European level, have been involved in the formulation of EU social policy via a structured dialogue. If they wish, their agreements are transformed into directives by the Council and thus become an autonomous source of Community law. As a result, collective bargaining can take the place of legislative work. Now that European case law has placed civil servants on an equal footing with workers within the meaning of the EC Treaty, public administrations are affected by this bargaining between social partners at European level while the Member States, as employing authorities, are not institutionally involved in this process. This book is the first to deal with this "public" dimension of the European social dialogue, analysing it as a specific way of Europeanising the civil service outside government channels.
European trade union organisations of civil service employees have already been organised for a long time and have put this problem on the political agenda. But the question of the representation of the Member States within the European interprofessional social dialogue now arises as public enterprises are represented (through CEEP ) differently from private sector employers ( UNICE ).
Within the sectoral dialogue �" the second mode of Community social dialogue �" the setting up (in January 2004) of a local and regional government committee (the 29th Sector Committee) has rekindled the debate surrounding the central government level.
Who are the players involved? What are these European public-sector trade-union federations? What texts have already been adopted? What is their specific impact on the civil service? Where does the Commission fit into this? What should be the role of CEEP and the European network of Directors-General responsible for public administration ( EUPAN ) following the new Constitutional Treaty? What are the prospects for constructing a social dialogue for central administrations? These are some of the questions addressed in this book, which takes a historical, sociological and institutional perspective.
A different way of managing relations between Member States and the European Union is emerging as well as a new "secularised" vision of public administration.

Dialogue social européen et fonction publique. Une européanisation sans les Etats? - by

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Disponible également en anglais
Les partenaires sociaux, progressivement organisés au niveau européen, participent depuis 1993 à la formulation de la politique sociale de l'Union européenne par l'intermédiaire d'un dialogue structuré. Leurs accords, s'ils le souhaitent, sont transformés en directives par le Conseil et deviennent ainsi une source autonome du droit communautaire. La négociation collective peut se substituer ainsi au travail législatif. Avec l'assimilation des fonctionnaires à des travailleurs par la jurisprudence européenne, les administrations publiques sont désormais influencées par ces négociations entre partenaires sociaux au niveau européen alors même que les Etats comme autorités employeurs sont absents institutionnellement de ce processus. Cet ouvrage est le premier à traiter de cette dimension "publique" du dialogue social européen, analysée comme une voie spécifique d'européanisation de l'administration, en dehors du canal étatique.
Si les organisations syndicales européennes d'employés des fonctions publiques se sont organisées depuis longtemps et ont mis ce problème sur l'agenda politique, c'est aujourd'hui la question de la représentation des Etats au sein du dialogue social européen interprofessionnel qui se pose alors même que les entreprises publiques disposent, elles, avec le CEEP, d'une présence distincte de celle du patronat privé (UNICE).
Au sein du dialogue sectoriel, seconde expression du dialogue social communautaire, la formalisation en janvier 2004 d'un Comité des administrations locales et régionales �" le 29 e Comité sectoriel �" vient relancer l'interrogation pour le niveau central.
Quels sont les acteurs concernés? Qui sont ces fédérations syndicales européennes du secteur public? Quels sont les textes déjà adoptés? Quel est leur impact précis sur la fonction publique? Comment situer la Commission? Quel rôle pour le CEEP et le réseau européen des Directeurs généraux de la Fonction publique (EUPAN) suite au nouveau Traité constitutionnel? Quelles sont les perspectives de structuration d'un dialogue social pour les administrations centrales? Telles sont les questions abordées dans ce livre, adoptant une perspective à la fois historique, sociologique et institutionnelle.
En même temps qu'une gestion inédite des relations entre Etats et Union européenne, c'est également une nouvelle vision de l'administration publique "sécularisée" qui est en jeu.

Regional Programme for the Promotion of the Instruments and Mechanisms of the Euro-Mediterranean Market (EuroMed Market) 1st Phase - Vol I (June 2002-June 2003) - by Eduardo Sánchez Monjo (ed.)

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Also available in French - Free of charge
The European Centre for the Regions (ECR), Antenna of the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Barcelona, was appointed by the EuropeAid Cooperation Office of the European Commission as the Programme Management Unit for the "Regional Programme for the Promotion of the Instruments and Mechanisms of the Euro-Mediterranean Market" (EuroMed Market Programme) in the framework of the EU Euro-Mediterranean policy. This Programme is funded by the EU MEDA Programme.
This regional industrial cooperation programme of the European Commission, aimed at all 27 Euro-Mediterranean Partners (the 15 EU Member States, plus 12 Mediterranean Partners), with a duration of three years (May 2002-May 2005), falls under component 2 of the Barcelona Declaration of November 1995, pursuing the establishment of a Free Trade Area in the Mediterranean Region by the year 2010.
Within this regional programme, a series of eight priority fields pertaining to the Single Market have been identified: Free Movement of Goods; Customs, Taxation and Rules of Origin; Public Procurement; Auditing and Accounting; Intellectual Property Rights; Protection of Personal Data and e Commerce; Competition Rules; and Financial Services.
The programme has two phases. The first was an "information" phase, with a duration of 12 months, and included two conferences and eight workshops on the abovementioned issues from the perspectives of the EU Member States and the Mediterranean Partners (MPs). The second phase, lasting 24 months, concerns "training and networking", and involves study visits, targeted technical assistance, tailor-made training activities, training of trainers, twinning actions, setting up networks, and a closing conference.
The first phase started in June 2002 and ended in June 2003. Participants were experts from both the public and private sectors, from the 27 Euro-Mediterranean Partners.
The body of this volume includes the text of the presentations made by the various speakers as well as the Final Declarations approved by all participants at the end of each workshop and conference of the first phase.