Learning From the Four Corners of the World

(April 23- May 1, 2006)
By Clare Cattleya dG. Amador

Clare Cattleya dG. Amador

Dialogue, I have learned, is one of the strongest and most meaningful words in the development world. It is the most useful tool for cooperation and communication, and though it is oftentimes overused, no one can deny its importance.

The “New Public Management (NPM)” seminar in the IAF was a new level of dialogue for me. We started with an online phase where 114 participants exchanged views on public management, corruption, and cultural differences in governance. Language was no barrier, as texts and information were translated from English into Spanish and vice versa, enabling everyone from Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe to communicate and debate.

The online phase also gave us an opportunity to know each of the participants and their countries – the personalities, the problems, and the possibilities. This paved the way for the 25 offline seminar participants to greet each other as old friends when we all met in Gummersbach a month after the online sessions.

Beyond that, however, the NPM seminar was a venue for exchange and deliberation. The NPM model presented by the Academy had several elements: the lean State, the separation of decision-making levels (i.e. politicians to decide on the “what” and administrators to decide on the “how”), lean management, customer orientation, objectives-based control, product approach, quality management, and decentralization.

Service as the Citizen’s Right, Not Privilege

Parallel to liberal ideals, NPM in Germany is not a political concept; it is a tried-and-tested, independent model that delivers effective results. NPM is also not solely German, as it is also implemented in New Zealand, the UK, and other countries.

The main characteristics of NPM are transparency, accountability, general knowledge and expertise, and customer orientation. Gummersbach, for example, has a Citizen Service office that serves as a one-stop shop for all the needs of the citizens. Its staff and head are all trained in administration and customer service. Unlike in typical bureaucracies focusing on specialization, the Citizen Service staff was trained in all aspects of the city’s services, which gives them the flexibility to answer any query. Even the physical setup of their office gave off a flexible, friendly, and transparent work atmosphere — a detail which largely enhances their service delivery.

NPM pushes the need to manage governments the way private companies are managed —transparent, accountable, and with a lean management that focuses on the needs of the citizens. In this way, citizens become clients without being treated as commodities, and the service delivery from government becomes the citizens’ right rather than their privilege.

On level ground during the seminar, we all laid out the government situations and issues, and then discussed our ideas on possible solutions and NPM implementation. It was interesting to note the similarities of problems and ideas among countries, and equally interesting to learn about the unique issues brought about by culture. Corruption was foremost on everyone’s list, and patronage, thought to be unique in the Philippines, is actually present in India and Latin America as well.

There were also good local government programs in Peru, Honduras, and the Philippines that were used as examples. Problems in Malaysia, such as racial discrimination, and situations in Macedonia and Egypt, among others, were shared. Inter-country working groups were most effective in bringing people together, and resulted in creative presentations and proposals.

A Challenge for All

Changes in public management in Germany were brought about by the demand of the citizens for better services, and for the state to save money and reduce costs (which was its primary motivation). Given our own ballooning financial problems in the Philippines, reforms should be seen as saving graces and as the state's obligation in order to function more effectively.

China is also worthy of note, as one participant said. Despite China’s high GNP, a lot of people remain poor. In a country where almost everything is controlled by the state, NPM would be challenging to implement, much less to advocate. I remember this participant saying that she still has a lot of work to do, so we should give her time.

Actually, we all have a lot of work do. It is a challenge especially for non-politicians and administrators, but it is a welcome task for all of us in the seminar.

Thus, education must play a key role. The politicians and administrators must be informed of innovations and reforms that would save funds and create greater efficiency. Service to the citizens must be ingrained in government employees in order for them to understand the essence of “public service.” Citizens should receive “value for their money.”

On the other hand, citizens must also be informed of their rights, as well as be educated about the service system. Sometimes the problem really is when the citizens themselves are not aware that they have a right to basic services or of their role as stakeholders. In this way, citizens would then demand for better services.

A Challenge to NPM

What struck me about NPM is its soundness and rationality. It is actually logical that similar models have already been implemented in the Philippine cities of Marikina and Naga, as pioneered by their respective mayors. I think the main issue rests on leadership, civic support, and political will — factors that affect the implementation of any kind of reform. Budgeting is also a major area of concern, and for any change to be done, financial support must come along with it.

This I believe would be a problem for NPM efforts in the country. Local governments are the most suitable areas for NPM implementation, supporting the liberal idea that citizens are best served in units closest to them (such as their communities) and that it is easier to reform small units than to begin with huge administrative agencies.

However, while this is the case, financial capability is frequently used as an argument against reforms. Most local government units are yet to be introduced to methods of fundraising outside of taxation and the internal revenue allotment, and to cost-cutting through outsourcing services.

NPM would be useful for the Philippines, especially since we are armed with the Local Government Code. I have always believed in the power of education, and I consider NPM a tool that should be shown to the mayors in this country. It is true that citizens are best served within their localities as accountability would be more pronounced, and that certain local cultures and systems would be an advantage in designing service structures. Smaller units would also mean lesser bureaucracy and higher efficiency.

Still, like in any entrenched bureaucracy, it would be hard to teach an old dog new tricks. But at the risk of sounding too idealistic, I still believe that if there is political will among change agents and acceptance among citizens, reform can be accomplished.

New Ideas and Interests

In retrospect, I have learned so much about the world after one week of bilingual (sometimes even tri-lingual) dialogue in Germany — more than I would have learned in a classroom for a semester. Government systems and the cultural characteristics of countries that were forced on us in grade school became real and interesting during the seminar. I also returned to my country filled with new ideas and interests that I could share with anyone who would listen.

On a lighter note, I have also seen the universality of music, dance, and song in uniting races, and the ability of ping pong to bring together people who do not speak the same language. It was empowering to see the dedication of the participants to implement change, to passionately speak about their countries, and to hear them ask questions about other countries.

It was also memorable to see that no matter from what continent one came from, everyone knew, or could at least dance, the Macarena and then enjoy a bottle of good German beer — all in the name of international dialogue.