Public management institutions’ alignment: the case of Egypt

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to show the aligned development that took place in public administration and public financial management toward serving public values. By analyzing the mode of institutions’ interaction, the paper attempts to pinpoint the changing trends in budget institutions in Egypt, probing the extent to which they can be read from an administrative perspective and the possibility of enhancing budgetary outcomes under the existing administrative arrangements. Design/methodology/approach An analytical framework for public management administrative and budgetary institutions’ alignment is presented. A ladder analysis is developed to highlight the consistency of rationale between the two sets of institutions. The alignment is demonstrated at three consecutive levels: control and discipline, efficiency and effectiveness and openness and communication. Findings The international experience reveals that the alignment of administrative and budgetary institutions is both theoretically traceable and practically applicable in the case of developed economies. Whereas, in the case of Egypt, both sets of institutions have been exposed to best practices; yet, they are not seen as complementary and enforcing each other. The internalization of the benefits of reforms in the two tracks into an integrated public management context in the case of Egypt is not reached. Practical implications Egypt needs to ensure the alignment of both dimensions to maximize the benefits of reform. Originality/value The ladder approach sorts the developments in both administrative and budgetary institutions into three levels to help assessing the maturity and conformity in countries’ public management systems.

Strengthening national public health institutes: a systematic review on institution building in the public sector

“…Besides, leaders and managers may strive for pragmatic solutions and “quick wins,” especially in settings of weak governance, to reinforce political support and to create virtuous cycles of change ( 31 ). With reference to “New Public Management,” Abdellatif et al ( 66 ) propose leaders and managers to focus on improving efficiency and effectiveness (maximization of outputs), and to pay attention to budget procedures and to specific insights of public sector financial performance.…”

“…These codes can be “voluntary (not forcing), comply-or-explain codes and mandatory codes.” They should be widely disseminated, and stakeholders should receive training about their content. Compliance with such codes should be monitored, evaluated, and be part of the performance assessment processes ( 66 ).…”

“…Many sources of evidence in this review show that for any organization, measuring performance and results is crucial for institution building, and that there is a wide array of approaches and instruments ranging from performance measurement, monitoring and evaluation to different types of audits. As state-owned and public organizations often suffer from poor reputation, low legitimacy, and are often perceived by the public as being corrupt ( 45 , 47 , 66 , 69 , 79 ), control and the transparent dissemination of findings is critical.…”

“…Transparent management of resources is good business practice ( 22 , 66 , 79 ), increasing the recognition by the society and increasing its support ( 5 , 44 ). The integrity of public sector institutions is a crucial basis to prevent corruption.…”

“…The integrity of public sector institutions is a crucial basis to prevent corruption. This includes a close monitoring of the budget’s execution and spending, and a proactive dissemination of data and information ( 76 ), as well as the measurements of performance and processes along with the communication of the results to the public ( 31 , 66 , 85 ). Awareness campaigns and educational behavioral programs for all citizens, focusing on children and youth, is a way to seed a culture of engagement and integration with the public sector ( 76 ), thus strengthening social accountability.…”