Evaluating the Quality of Public Governance: Indicators, Models and Methodologies

Abstract

This article provides an overview for this special issue on the evaluation of the quality of public governance. It charts the move in the public sector during the 1990s from concern largely with excellence in service delivery to a concern for good governance. It examines what we mean by governance and ‘good governance’ and the dimensions of ‘good public governance’. It demonstrates that there is now widespread interest in measuring not only the quality of services but also improvements in quality of life and improvements in governance processes. It discusses how measures of good governance are being used in different contexts around the world. Finally, it considers how the measurement of good governance can be encouraged, e.g. through awards, inspections, setting funding conditions and empowering stakeholders to demand better evidence.

Six Smartness Dimensions in Cultural Management: Social/Cultural Environment Perspective

“…Competencies in managing the development (Albert & Fetzer, 2005;Alperytė, 2010;Bovaird & Loffler, 2003) Conditions are created for cultural sector specialists for their continuous study and improvement…”

“…Understanding the logic and importance of shared value creation Core idea of shared value creation (Porter & Kramer, 2011) Decision-making is grounded by the development of a shared value Decision-making for a better-shared value (Jucevičius, 2014;Jucevičius & Pauliukevičiūtė, 2017) Democratic cooperation culture is dominating Democratic cooperation (Albert & Fetzer, 2005;Bovaird & Loffler, 2003;Cray & Inglis, 2011) Fast response to the change in internal and external circumstances which are important for shared value creation to be assured Ability to respond quickly and make decisions fast (Jucevičius & Jucevičienė, 2017;Jucevičius & Pauliukevičiūtė, 2017) The development of high technology sectors, increase in efficiency of national/regional economic systems could be defined as a critical precondition for successful cultural development (Melnikas, 2014). Cultural management is in the need of smartness and smart decisions because the development of the cultural sector is like the ever-changing process in which new challenges arise regarding changes in policies and civil society, also the global and national economy.…”

The Evolution of University Governance in Ghana: Implications for Education Policy and Practice

“…A governance system that is effective and efficient means and implies good governance. Governance, according to Bovaird and Löffler (2003) is the ways in which stakeholders interact with each other in order to influence the outcomes of policies for the public. By 'good governance', Bovaird and Löffler (2003) meant the negotiation by all the stakeholders in an issue of improved public policy outcomes and agreed governance principles, which are both implemented and regularly evaluated by all stakeholders.…”

“…Effective and efficient university governance therefore must not just be what happens on the university campus but what also happens in the outside world with the university's graduates. The challenge however is that, universities might be able to control the outputs but might not be in the position to determine the outcomes as Bovaird and Löffler (2003) put it; outcomes are often contingent on factors outside the direct control of the agency responsible for delivering particular outputs. Whiles 'good governance' is still very much a contested area, such that measures of 'good governance' are used in widely different ways in different contexts around the world, it is important to also say that there is now widespread international and local interest in measuring not only the quality of services but also improvements in quality of life, both overall and in specific dimensions (Bovaird & Löffler, 2003).…”

“…The challenge however is that, universities might be able to control the outputs but might not be in the position to determine the outcomes as Bovaird and Löffler (2003) put it; outcomes are often contingent on factors outside the direct control of the agency responsible for delivering particular outputs. Whiles 'good governance' is still very much a contested area, such that measures of 'good governance' are used in widely different ways in different contexts around the world, it is important to also say that there is now widespread international and local interest in measuring not only the quality of services but also improvements in quality of life, both overall and in specific dimensions (Bovaird & Löffler, 2003). In that regard, universities must also take serious interest in how the lives of their products (graduates) are improved upon and not just on the fact that they have turned out huge numbers from their departments, faculties or institutions.…”