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CAF Education Revision
The CAF Education shares knowledge on countries’ practices by evaluating the performance of public services from the perspective of citizens. The use of such data enhances decision-making processes in relation to the design and delivery of services that meet citizens’ needs. The upcoming version of CAF Education will serve multiple purposes, including a review of countries’ experiences with performance measurement and management, a revision of the Serving Citizens Framework and further guidance on indicators to measure citizen-centred service design.
With the CAF Education Concept, we measure the performance of public services in education from a citizen-centred perspective. The framework considers the three main dimensions of access, responsiveness and quality, as well as citizen satisfaction. Access is the ability to obtain an appropriate service when needed . Responsiveness refers to how quickly and well public organisations respond to people’s expectations, considering the needs, preferences, perspective and dignity of individuals who use them, without undue delay. Finally, quality refers to the extent to which services increase the likelihood of desired outcomes and are consistent with current expertise
Across Europe, satisfaction with frontline services such as education is relatively high: in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 68% reported being satisfied with the education system and schools (OECD, 2021b). Satisfaction reflects how citizens’ experiences of a service compare with their prior expectations (which may be predictions, anticipation, beliefs or normative assertions about how a service should be). Dissatisfied citizens can express their discontent in a variety of ways, including using their voice as a protest (e.g. at demonstrations), opting out (e.g. switching providers) and gaming (i.e. playing the rules to their advantage), which can generate disruptions in the provision of services.
People-centric public services are those that are inclusive (i.e. accessible to all groups of society, including the most vulnerable), tailored to the needs and expectations of citizens (i.e. both those who are in need of more government support and those who require less assistance and would prefer to use self-service channels) and of high quality (i.e. that meet people’s expectations and improve their well-being) (OECD, 2019).
The evolution of citizens’ satisfaction with public services will depend on how governments adapt to their needs and expectations in the future, in line with the complex challenges that our societies are facing. The population structure is changing with increasing life expectancy and low birth rates, leading to reduced pension contributions and higher expenditure. Consequently, the costs of certain public services, such as education, are expected to rise, while others, such as public transportation, will have to adapt to a changing user-base. Similarly, climate change is likely to increase demand for services that are currently of marginal importance, such as space coolers, and change the way services such as housing and electricity are provided. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the digitisation of public services, a process that sometimes takes place without an accurate analysis of users’ needs.
Furthermore, the measures taken to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus (e.g. lockdowns and travel restrictions) have strained public finances, raising questions about the sustainability of public spending in the medium- to long-term. In 22 OECD-EU countries for which data are available, public debt increased from 97% of GDP in 2019 to 115% in 2020 (OECD, 2021b).
In addressing these challenges, governments need to ensure that public services continue to contribute to people’s well-being. Citizen-centredness means that people’s needs, and voices are taken into account in the design, delivery, implementation and evaluation of public policies and services. Citizens’ insights can inform decisions that lead to improvements in public services, both subjectively (i.e. the inner feelings and sensitivities of those affected) and objectively (i.e. observable by third parties).