Government at a Glance 2013

Government at a Glance 2013

<p>Cover Download the <a href="http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/government-at-a-glance-2013_gov_glance-2013-en" alt="full report">full report</a>.
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<div id="toc"><h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_about"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">About</span></a>
<ul>
<li class="toclevel-2"><a href="#w_outline"><span class="tocnumber">1.1</span> <span class="toctext">Outline</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-2"><a href="#w_summary"><span class="tocnumber">1.2</span> <span class="toctext">Summary</span></a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_key-findings"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Key Findings</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_chapter-6-women-in-government"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Chapter 6: Women in Government</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_see-also"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">See also</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_references"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_external-links"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div><h2 id="w_about">About</h2>
<p>The "Organisation The OECD Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development (GOV) launched their "Government at a Glance 2013" report in November 2013.
</p><p>"Government at a Glance 2013" provides readers with a dashboard of key indicators assembled with the goal of contributing to the analysis and international comparison of public sector performance. Indicators on government revenues, expenditures, and employment are provided alongside key output and outcome data in the sectors of education and health. "Government at a Glance 2013" also includes indicators on key governance and public management issues, such as transparency in governance, regulatory governance, new ways in delivering public services and HRM and compensation practices in the public service. While measuring government performance has long been recognized as playing an important role in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the public administration, following the economic crisis and fiscal tightening in many member countries, good indicators are needed more than ever to help governments make informed decisions regarding tough choices and help restore confidence in government institutions.
</p><p>"Government at a Glance 2013" demonstrates that, while governments have taken steps to strengthen institutions and improve value for money, much remains to be done.
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<h3 id="w_outline">Outline</h3>
<ol><li>Trust in government, policy effectiveness and the governance agenda
</li><li>Strategic governance
</li><li>Public finance and economics
</li><li>Budgeting practices and procedures
</li><li>Public sector employment and pay
</li><li>Women in government
</li><li>Public procurement
</li><li>Open and inclusive government
</li><li>Special feature – Serving citizens: Accessibility and quality of public services
</li></ol>
<h3 id="w_summary">Summary</h3>
<p>The financial and economic crisis and its aftermath have led many OECD governments to implement structural adjustment plans to restore the health of their public finances. However, trust in governments has declined considerably, as citizens’ growing expectations have been hard to address with limited government resources. Between 2007 and 2012, confidence in national governments declined from 45% to 40% on average, making it difficult for national authorities to mobilise support for necessary reforms.
</p><p>A new approach to public governance is needed if governments are to meet citizens’ expectations with the limited means at hand. This approach should be built around creating strategic capacity, strong institutions, effective instruments and processes, and clear measurable outcomes. The indicators presented in Government at a Glance 2013 show how far OECD countries have progressed towards developing that strategic state.
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<h2 id="w_key-findings">Key Findings</h2>
<ul><li> Public finance challenges remain, despite the significant efforts made by countries to restore financial health.
</li><li> Countries have adopted new budgetary practices and developed new governance institutions.
</li><li> Public employment levels tend to remain stable over the longer term.
</li><li> Further mechanisms are needed to close the public sector gender gap.
</li><li> Countries are using public procurement more trategically.
</li><li> Asset and private interest disclosure by decision makers continues to be an essential tool for managing conflict of interest.
</li><li> Open Government Data (OGD) is gaining importance as a governance tool.
</li><li> Citizens have more confidence in the public services they use than in the abstract notion of national government.
</li><li> Governments in OECD countries are increasingly concerned with delivering quality public goods and services to a wide range of citizens.
</li></ul>
<p>Go <a href="http://www.oecd.org/gov/government-at-a-glance-information-by-country.htm" alt="here">here</a> to look at each country’s fact sheet.
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<h2 id="w_chapter-6-women-in-government">Chapter 6: Women in Government</h2>
<p>Women represent a large and growing share of the public workforce in the majority of OECD member countries. Indeed, governments have taken a variety of steps to guarantee equal opportunities for their female and male employees, such as implementing recruitment and promotion targets and measures to facilitate greater work-life balance. Significant gender
disparities remain, however, between various occupations, and women still face barriers in reaching senior leadership positions in government. Such gender imbalances in the upper
echelons of government compromise the role of women in decision making, including in the legal system, where women are instrumental in protecting equal rights for all citizens. Further efforts are needed to close gender gaps and strengthen the capacity of governments to embed gender considerations in policy and programme design and implementation, thereby ensuring fairness and improving the responsiveness of government policies and services.
</p><p>This chapter features indicators on the share of women in the executive, judicial and legislative branches of government in OECD member countries. Data on women in part-time work and in various positions in government employment are presented, along with a comparison of female employment in the public sector with the total labour force. These data
indicate continued occupational segregation of women, with long-term impacts on pay and career prospects.
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<h2 id="w_see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li> "Organisation <br />
</li></ul>
<h2 id="w_references">References</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/gov/govataglance.htm" alt="OECD’s Government at a Glance website">OECD’s Government at a Glance website</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/gov/governments-can-do-more-to-regain-trust-says-oecd-report.htm" alt="Governments can do more to regain trust, says OECD report">Governments can do more to regain trust, says OECD report</a>
</li></ul>
<h2 id="w_external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/gov/govataglance.htm" alt="Official webpage">Official webpage</a>
</li><li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/gov/government-at-a-glance-information-by-country.htm" alt="Country facts sheets">Country facts sheets</a><br />
</li><li><a href="http://www.oecd.org/gov/gov_glance-2013-sum-en.pdf" alt="Executive Summary">Executive Summary</a>
</li></ul>
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