Admin and Education: Alternative service delivery

Answer these two question separately Question 1This unit builds on last week¡¯s discussion about the relations between public services and the public. The focus is on how public administrators deliver services to citizens, and how this delivery can be improved. The delivery of public services was significantly affected by the rise of NPM. It encouraged people to think of the public sector as being just like the private sector, with citizens as customers of government. Canadian government thinking, about service delivery in particular, continues to evolve with the current focus of many being on the citizen. For more information, see the following websites: Service Canada: http://www(dot)servicecanada(dot)gc(dot)ca/eng/about/index.shtml Service BC: http://www(dot)servicebc(dot)gov(dot)bc(dot)ca/about_servicebc/ Service Ontario: http://www(dot)ontario(dot)ca/en/services_for_residents/ONT04_024954.html Alternative service delivery is the term used to describe new service delivery arrangements that draw upon NPM for inspiration. In Canada, governments have learned from other jurisdictions and have avoided some of the worst failings of NPM while incorporating some of the best practices. One consequence is that Canada has ranked number one in the world for a decade in terms of excellence in public service delivery. (For example, see: http://www(dot)servicecanada(dot)gc(dot)ca:80/eng/about/reports/ar_0607/chapter1.shtml) So, the first question for you is, what are the benefits and drawbacks of alternative service delivery? Furthemore, do you think these new approaches lead to better service for all citizens, or only some? Does ASD help citizens to hold public service providers accountable, or does it hinder accountability? What obstacles might governments face when implementing ASD? Question 2Welcome to our discussion on managing public sector employees. This issue is of central importance, as services in the public sector are delivered by people who need to be managed in a a fair and equitable manner if they are to do their job of serving the public. In any branch of public administration effective human resource management implies a tension between strict application of the merit principle, and the need for equitable representation. In your discussion for this Unit, drawing on the readings, your experience, and your own thinking, post brief comments on how you think this tension of the requirements for both the merit principle and equitable representation might be addressed. Remember, this is a discussion where we are interested in your own creative thinking. There is no right or wrong here, and no mark, except for the contribution to your final participation grade.