“Benchmarking is the formal and structured process of searching for those practices which lead to excellent performance, the observation and exchange of information about those practices, the adaptation of those practices to meet the needs of one’s own organisation, and their implementation.”
About the Conference
In search for practices which lead to excellent performance, EIPA and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands have performed a study to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, satisfaction and trust of citizens, enterprises and other relevant stakeholders regarding available products, services, provisions and outcomes in ten policy areas in 35 countries, with a longitudinal perspective.
During the conference, the EIPA team and external experts will present the results of their in-depth analysis conducted in 2024 in the following policy areas:
Health
Sports
International Best Practices in Social Security Systems
Authors and external experts will share the best practices and trends in the domains and participants will have the opportunity to actively engage with the experts in dynamic Q&A sessions.
The EIPA benchmarking study covering the 2022 to 2025 period examines the performance of the public sector in 27 European Union Member States plus the United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The study includes separate chapters on the following policy areas:
Public administration
Education
Housing
Social Safety
Economy, Infrastructure and Science, Technology and Innovation
Social Security, Employment, Income and Wealth
Environmental Protection and Climate Change
Health
Sports
International Best Practices in Social Security Systems
The study is funded and supported by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands.
Frans Van Dongen, Programme Manager Public Performance, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands
9.20
Public Sector Performance Benchmarking Study 2022 – 2025: objectives, sub-studies, work and first findings
Iwona Karwot, Senior Expert and Project Leader, EIPA
Part I: Health and Sport Chapters
9.40
Performance of the Health Care Sector in 35 Countries: presentation of study results. Best practices and trends.
Enrique Bernal-Delgado, MD, Dr, Senior Scientist, Data Science for Health Services and Policy Research, Institute for Health Sciences of Aragon (IACS)
10.10
Q&A
10.25
Coffee break
10.40
Performance of the Sports Sector in 35 Countries: presentation of study results. Best practices and trends.
Nils Asle Bergsgard, Prof., Dr, Department of Sports, Physical Education and Outdoor Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway
11.10
Q&A
11.25
Conclusions
11.40
Lunch break
Part II: Expert Panel: correlation between health and sports – long term life expectancy
14.00
Expert’s Panel – What’s working and what’s not working and why? What’s the correlation between sport, exercise, and health to ensure a long and healthy life? What are the good practices in tackling disparities in life styles across socioeconomic, educational, gender, age and in gaining years to life?
Caroline Costongs, Director, EuroHealthNet
Remco Hoekman, Prof., Dr, Social Cultural Research, Radbound University
Matthias Wismar, Dr, Programme Manager, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
Bjarne Ibsen, Prof., Centre for Sports, Health, and Civil Society at the University of Southern Denmark
15.00
Q&A
15.15
Coffee break
Part III: Dashboard
15.25
Practical use of the Dashboard
16.00
Q&A
16.15
Conclusions
16.30
End of the first day
Thursday 6 February 2025
9.00
Opening of the second day of the conference
Iwona Karwot
Part IV: International Best Practices in Social Security Systems
9.10
International Best Practices In Social Security Systems: Presentation of six potential best practices in social security policies and their implementation from a selection of OECD countries, focusing on social assistance, housing benefits, family benefits, healthcare, and fiscal policies aimed at low-income households.
Daniël van Vuuren, Prof., Dr, Head of the Social Security cluster at SEO Amsterdam Economics, Professor of Social Security and Economics at Tilburg University and member of the State Commission on Demographic Developments 2050
Jellien Knol, MSc, Researcher, SEO Amsterdam Economics
9.40
Q&A
9.50
Coffee break
10.00
Overview of other SEO Amsterdam Economics research to simplify the systems of income-support systems or social benefits-systems
Daniël van Vuuren
10.30
Q&A
10.45
Expert’s Panel – What’s working and what’s not working and why? What could be a perfectly functioning social security system/income support system? What solutions could we find to simplify and decrease administrative burden in order to improve public performance in Social Security? How could it be more effective and efficient? What kind of problems or barriers do we face to migrate to another system?
Michael Dauderstädt, Dr, Former Director of the division for Economic and Social policy of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Ive Marx, Director, Centre for Social Policy Herman Deleeck, Antwerp University
Werner Eichhorst, Prof., Dr, Director of the unit Labour Policy Europe, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA)
Kerstin Bruckmeier, Dr, Head of the Research Group ‘Basic Income Support and the Labour Market’, The Research Institute of the Federal Employment Agency
11.45
Q&A
12.00
Conclusions
Part V: Future Steps and Closure
12.10
Next Steps: the 2025 update and dissemination activities