This issue

– where to for public value? 
– policy capability for a COVID world 
– 2021 economic and political outlook
– mapping social cohesion
– lawyers, managers and public authority
– policy podcast for your playlist
Plus what I'm reading.

Research brief: Where to for public value?  

Public value has become something of a catch- all in public management and administration. A paper by Professor Janine O’Flynn (University of Melbourne and ANZSOG) in the International Journal of Public Administration reflects on the development, debate and future prospects for public value. Read our brief on the paper.

Policy capability for a COVID World 

A paper from Global Access Partners and the Institute for Integrated Economic Research Australia argues the policy capability of the public service has reached dangerously low levels. While the pandemic has brought out the best of the public service, the warning lights are flashing.   

The public service needs to develop its public policy capability through a number of “bi-focal lenses”:  

• policy/delivery 
• strategy/execution 
• specialist/generalist skills 
• private/public 
• bureaucracy/innovation. 

What this means 

What’s needed is the ability to strike the right balance to manage these dichotomies. This ability needs to be developed as key plank of public sector reform for the post-COVID world.  

Capacity is needed to: 

• adapt and learn 
• align public services and citizen needs 
• govern resilient production systems 
• govern data and digital platforms. 

These kinds of capabilities aren’t developed without deliberate planning and action. Recognising the importance of professional learning/education for public servants and developing promotion pathways for subject matter experts and specialists will be part of this effort. 

2021 economic and political outlook 

CEDA’s 2021 Economic and Political Outlook report examines the opportunities governments have to secure Australia’s recovery from COVID-19.  

Economic outlook 

The economic bounce-back to date is promising but there are challenges and uncertainty ahead. A significant amount of fiscal stimulus (JobKeeper and JobSeeker) is due to taper. Despite the uncertainties, a strong ongoing recovery is expected in 2021.  

As the economy reopens, consumers will likely continue to use their extra savings to boost spending. That is likely to be stronger mid-year as the vaccine boosts confidence as does growth in house prices.  

There needs to be a shift from survival mode policies to performance-enhancing reforms, including:  

• encouraging trade diversification 
• building up better local industry supply chains 
• maintaining strong support for productivity-enhancing infrastructure builds (including the internet) 
• reducing the cost of doing business through microeconomic reform. 

Policy outlook 

While short-term responses remain necessary, governments should be looking towards co-ordinated long-term responses to critical policy challenges. These include: 

1. Investments that secure the economic recovery and deliver long-term economic and social benefits. Social infrastructure, including investments in social housing, childcare and aged care should be high on the list. 
2. Health policy needs to remain front and centre: 2020 showed jurisdictions that best managed the health impacts of COVID-19  also had the strongest economic outcomes. 
3. Mental health must be a policy priority: addressing mental health brings long-term benefits to economic and social participation and productivity. 
4. The release of the Federal Government’s delayed 2020 Intergenerational Report mid-way through this year should provide a blueprint for the future development of the nation.  
5. Some policy debates that had taken a back seat in 2020 are likely to re-emerge including climate change and housing affordability. 

First conducted in 2007, the Scanlon Foundation survey is Australia’s longest-running national study on social cohesion. The latest report:

• presents the findings of two surveys from 2020 
• provides insight into the resilience of Australians when faced with a major crisis. 

Key findings 

• The pandemic, followed by the economy, then climate change were identified as the most important problems facing Australia. 
• The 2020 level of trust in government was the highest ever recorded, reversing the low level of trust over the last decade. 
• Around one-in-four respondents indicated their employment was impacted by the pandemic. 

• Nearly three-quarters of respondents agreed accepting immigrants from many different countries makes Australia stronger. 
• Four-out-of-five respondents agreed multiculturalism was good for the country. 
• Only a quarter of respondents indicated they were pessimistic about the future. 

About the survey 

• Two national surveys were conducted last year in July and November.  
• The first survey was completed by 3,090 respondents, the second by 2,793. 

Lawyers, managers and public authority ​

Sometimes law and management are uncomfortable partners. A paper from Mark Prebble (former State Services Commissioner in Aotearoa-New Zealand) shows how they may complement each other.  

Principles derived from common law can promote the effective and constructive use of public authority as: 

1. Every action needs legal authority.  Public managers must base their actions on legal authority rather than rely on personal moral judgments. 
2. Every decision needs relevant facts. 
3. Every person may make a case. Public managers should guard against considering people and their needs with a cookie-cutter mentality.  

Read Mark’s article for ANZSOG about the paper.

Policy podcast for your playlist ​

The Seriously Social podcast features insights and new research from Australia’s leading social scientists. Recent episodes have covered a wide range of topics including: 

• Symbolism and sentiment: Professor Megan Davis on the representation of Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.  
• Education for an uncertain future. 
• Artificial intelligence: building a new way of thinking. 

1. Don’t give up on a great idea just because it seems obvious 

Sometimes innovation comes to be a stop because the idea appears too obvious. This Harvard Business Review article argues this sense of obviousness can be a reason to develop the idea. However obvious answers aren’t always obvious, partly because they need an enabling problem. This requires imaginative solutions and much thought, especially when the solution seems obvious. 

2. Where have all the criminals gone? 

Contrary to the opinion of shock jocks, the data shows crime has plummeted in Australia between 2001 and 2017. Evident in all states and territories, it can be seen across almost two decades of reporting and it appears in multiple independent datasets. An Inside Story article attributes the drop in crime to a number of factors: 

• Australia’s ageing population explains the drop in theft and assault, homicide and robbery. Fewer young people means less crime. 
• Improvements in security and technology have helped the decrease in motor vehicle thefts. 
• The decline in alcohol consumption among young people appears to be the primary reason for the decline in assault. 

‘Til the next issue

Maria Katsonis