Glyn Davis

Rediscovering Implementation: Public Sector Contracting and Human Services

There is vast literature on how to implement public policies, with endless case studies emphasising a few key lessons. The drive to contracting in the public sector raises familiar threats to coherent program implementation, and adds those of control and incentives. Contracting fragments program responsibility among multiple contractors, and separates policy agencies from service delivery contractors. It raises questions about political control and accountability, and the prospect of gaps between intention and outcome. This paper ‘rediscovers implementation’ by reviewing the practical difficulties of constructing public-private relationships which can deliver quality human services. After considering broad arguments about the efficacy of contracting, the paper turns to the provision of human services by examining the contracting out of welfare services and the Job Network. Our argument is modest: that public sector contracting fails if the challenges of implementation are not addressed explicitly, since service delivery through the private sector can falter for exactly the same reasons as traditional public bureaucracies.

Are You being Served? State, citizens and governance

Even while democracy triumphs around the world, there is a growing distrust of governments and a suspicion of politicians. Social capital is in decline, citizens want to be less involved and to pay fewer taxes, but they still want governments to meet their needs and solve many of societys problems. What implications do these often contradictory aspirations have for the process of governance in Australia? This book seeks to answer this question. It begins by examining the attitude of citizens to government, and looks at the different ways that citizens now organize: into social movements rather than political parties. It then explains the consequences of these changes, and asks whether consultation is the answer to developing trust and consent. The conclusion draws the lessons together, suggesting that, in part, the problems are caused by a difference in perception. Nevertheless, governments will need a number of solutions and strategies if the problems of governance in contemporary Australia are to be solved.

The English Empire? Global Higher Education

Abstract Australia in the 1950s received and subsidised its first international students from neighbouring Asian countries under the Colombo Plan to train ‘the expert minds’ necessary for development. During the 1980s subsidies were phased out, but the number of international students greatly increased. Migration rules based on points encouraged such students to become skilled migrants. Globalisation brought massive increases in student numbers and competition for revenue from their fees. English-speaking countries have market advantages because of the ‘empire’ of the United States; but it is dangerous to become over-reliant on overseas fee income. Public funding and curriculum structures need reform.

Rethinking Caretaker Conventions for Australian Governments

Australia has well-established conventions for caretaker governments. These conventions regulate how a government should operate once an election is called, and have been documented for some decades. Yet the current conventions date from an era when elections usually produced clear and immediate results. Can our caretaker conventions cope with the emerging reality of indecisive elections and long delays before a new government is confirmed? This paper canvasses the state of Australias caretaker conventions and offers suggestions for an expanded, contemporary code.

Intergovernmental Relations and the Role of Senior Officials: Two Case Studies and Some Lessons Learned

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the most important forum for intergovernmental relations in Australian federalism. Though decision-making processes in intergovernmental relations in Australia have been well documented in recent research, the role of senior officials within the COAG process is less often studied. Though not the primary decision makers, this article suggests senior officials play a significant role in intergovernmental outcomes through advice provision and ‘bargaining in the margins’ of COAG. Case studies of the National Competition Policy and the development of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations suggest both the contribution of senior officials and the constraints on their contribution to intergovernmental decision making.

Where to from here? Australian higher education meets the market

Australian public universities are hybrid public—private institutions. Though established and regulated by government, they have always enjoyed substantial academic autonomy and for most of their history raised some of their revenue privately. Both these aspects have become more marked over the last twenty years, with increased regulation of publicly supported activities coinciding with greater reliance on highly competitive markets for income. Though Australian public universities face major difficulties, combining public and private in the same institution has avoided the two-tier system found in Australian schools and hospitals, and encouraged universities to become more responsive to students