OECD work on public governance has demonstrated that leaders struggle to build “the business case” for engaging stakeholders in comprehensive reforms, which are often perceived as a means of reducing expenditures rather than of addressing policy challenges.
Despite sector-specific differences, the OECD Recommendations of the Council in the area of public governance reflect a common set of baseline enablers that can contribute to a better definition and implementation of reforms across government, including:
- Commitment, vision and leadership, both politically and in the civil service, to ensure the sustainability of reforms across the public sector.
- Equitable and evidence-informed policy-making, to prevent unbalanced interest-based influence while strengthening good governance in using evidence in decision-making.
- Whole-of-government co-ordination, notably but not exclusively led by the centre of government, to ensure a coherent, integrated approach to multidimensional challenges.
- Innovation and change management to introduce and implement new ideas by reinforcing the state’s strategic agility and its forward-looking nature while enabling it to support society in transitioning to a better future.
