In November 2006 The Work Foundation completed the first phase of a major research project on the topic of Public Value. The final report Deliberative Democracy and the Role of Public Managersprovides an in depth exploration of the theory of public value and its implications for public managers operating in the UK's political system.
The second phase of the research began in January 2007 and is sponsored by the BBC, Capita Group plc, Department for Culture Media and Sport, London Borough of Lewisham, Metropolitan Police, NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, Ofcom, Quality Improvement Agency, Royal Opera House and the Scottish Government.
The final report of the consortium is now scheduled for publication in the autumn of 2008 to coincide with our programme of events for the party conference season. This will examine how public institutions understand what the public value as well as how they shape expectations and public demand. The report will build on the practical insights gained from in depth research, case studies and position papers that we have completed for each of the sponsor organisations.
We also undertake research and consultancy with both public and private sector organisations to help them think about the concept of public value and service delivery. Click here to find out more
Public Value Workshops 2007/08
As part of the consortium The Work Foundation ran a series of workshops exploring the central themes of public value and how organisations are applying them in practice.
The events enabled senior public managers from across the public sector to question speakers and other participants about what works in practice, and how public value can be built into organisational culture.
How politics works: Understanding the new realities of the political process in public management
is a new paper from Professor Gerry Stoker and Francesca Gains, which was presented at the second workshop. To download a pdf of the full report please follow this link.
Further details of the events and speakers can be found below. Presentations from each of the workshops and additional papers by leading acaedmics will be published on the website soon.
Workshop 1: Trial by citizens’ jury? Public services and public participation
Wednesday 17 October 2007
Workshop handout (pdf 298kb)
Speakers:
Ruth Jarratt, Director of Policy Development at the Royal Opera House on running the Royal Opera House’s first Citizens’ Jury and how this has informed ROH’s strategy.
Dr Marcia Kelson, Associate Director: Patient and Public Involvement Programme, NICE on patient, carer and public involvement in the development and implementation of NICE guidance. View her presentation here (pdf 576kb)
Kate Hawkins, Research Manager, BBC Trust on the range of methods that the BBC are using to engage the public and how this relates to issues of accountability and trust.
Ricardo Blaug, political theorist at the University of Leeds on the theory of public participation, the benefits and limitations and how recent initiatives are faring.
Workshop 2: Hitting the target, missing the point? Performance measurement and public value
Thursday 29 November 2007
Speakers:
John Kay, one of Britain’s leading economists, with a career spanning academia, media, policy and business, presented his critique of why centrally determined targets for public services don't work. View his presentation here (pdf 76kb)
Colin Talbot, Professor of Public Policy at the University of Nottingham responded with a new paper outlining how performance measurement regimes can reflect the outcomes that the public value. View his presentation here (pdf 259kb)
Workshop 3: Renewing the public realm: The changing relationship between politicians and public managers
Monday 10 March 2008
How are politicians’ and public managers’ respective roles changing? This workshop looked at whether public managers are becoming more visible and closer to the public than their political masters, and how their values, skills and behaviours are changing.
Speakers:
Sir Steve Bullock was elected as the London Borough of Lewisham’s first executive mayor in May 2002 and has a long experience of working local government.
Dr Ita O’Donovan is Chief Executive of Haringey Borough Council, with 20 years experience of working in and with local government, most recently as City Manager and Chief Executive of Stoke-on-Trent .
Professor Gerry Stoker is Professor of Governance at the University of Southampton and was founding Chair of the New Local Government Network. View his presentation here (pdf 259kb)
Workshop 4 - Engaged Staff: Responsive Public Services
Tuesday 18 March 2008
The Work Foundation's interpretation of public value theory argues that responsive public services can only be delivered by an engaged workforce that understands the service from the perspective of the citizen. The workshop offered participants the opportunity to question speakers and other participants about what works in practice, and how public value can be built into organisational culture.
Speakers:
Peter Housden is Permanent Secretary of Communities and Local Government and was previously Director-General for schools at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Peter spoke about how CLG have addressed questions of management quality, work organisation and job design to create an internal culture in which public value can flourish. View his presentation here(pdf 35kb)
Sian Thomas is joint Director of NHS Employers and is responsible for delivery of employer support on 18 weeks and Large Scale Workforce Change. Sian spoke about the challenges of engaging the country's largest workforce to deliver major public service reforms and examples of success.
Tom Wilson is Head of Organisation and Services Department at the TUC. Tom discussed the importance of listening to staff and the constructive role that unions could play in advocating change.
Public services and ICT programme
For the past two years The Work Foundation, supported by Adobe, has been conducting independent research into the issue of how ICT can be used more effectively to enable more efficient, customer-focused and high quality public services. This work has been in three phases. Click here to find out more.