publications

Phenomenon-based public administration

Discussion paper on reforming the government’s operating practices

Published

The objective of this discussion paper is to help the national government and ministries to reform their operations in a more strategic, consistent and longer-term direction.

We are primarily proposing functional reforms and, to a limited extent, structural changes, which provide political leaders, ministries and public officials with tools that support them in strategic decisionmaking and effective implementation.

Particular attention is paid to identifying phenomena that are of importance for the future of Finland and require cross-sectoral policy solutions.

The drafting of this discussion paper was supported by a steering group composed of experts from public administration and other sectors. In addition, we consulted a wide range of Finnish and international stakeholders and analysed global benchmarks in order to propose concrete improvements for organising the way the Finnish Government works.

The strengths of Finnish administration are often characterised as stability and predictability. In the future, the maintenance of these traditional strengths and the development of new ones will require an active, future-oriented approach and a strong collaborative culture, for which this discussion paper offers some elements

Publication details

Title

Phenomenonbased public administration

Subtitle

Discussion paper on reforming the government’s operating practices

Place of publication

Helsinki

Year of publication

2018

Publisher

Sitra

Outlook

16 p.

ISBN (PDF)

978-952-347-065-1

ISSN (PDF)

2737-1042

Subject

public administration, strategic leadership, strategic guidance, governments, parliament, reforms, politics, ministries, government officials, government programmes, political decision-making, efficacy, future, cooperation, democracy, society

Series

Working paper

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