From postbox to policy powerhouse: The history and politics of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 1911-2010. Understanding our national government and its development is vital if we are to know the foundations on which we build. As more and more appears to be dragged towards the centre, because of the need to coordinate the big issues such as climate change, capacity constraints, terrorism and skills shortages, so the capacity of the centre becomes more important. This longitudinal ....From postbox to policy powerhouse: The history and politics of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 1911-2010. Understanding our national government and its development is vital if we are to know the foundations on which we build. As more and more appears to be dragged towards the centre, because of the need to coordinate the big issues such as climate change, capacity constraints, terrorism and skills shortages, so the capacity of the centre becomes more important. This longitudinal study of continuity and change in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet will provide insights into the way that governments can build for the next 100 years.Read moreRead less
The politics of decision: leadership and policy processes in historical perspective. Concerns about leadership and policy dysfunction are widespread, but are they accurate? This comparative review of policy processes and the politics of decision making, at key turning points in post-war Australian history, will assess such claims and identify what needs reform to address the challenges of the twenty-first century.
Academic networks and performance frameworks: Comparing the impact of policy on knowledge generation across disciplines and countries. Australian universities are central to the infrastructure that develops and fosters human talent and encourages innovation, through producing research, providing training, and transferring the knowledge they generate to government and the Australian community. This proposal falls with National Research Priority 3 - promoting an innovation culture and economy. It ....Academic networks and performance frameworks: Comparing the impact of policy on knowledge generation across disciplines and countries. Australian universities are central to the infrastructure that develops and fosters human talent and encourages innovation, through producing research, providing training, and transferring the knowledge they generate to government and the Australian community. This proposal falls with National Research Priority 3 - promoting an innovation culture and economy. It will provide an essential framework for immediate use in examining the consequences of the new research performance and funding arrangements being introduced in 2007, and assessing the impacts of policies that encourage collaboration. The comparisons with three other countries with similar policy goals will generate insights on how policy can best support knowledge generation.Read moreRead less
The Contractualisation of Government: Public Accountability and Performance. Contracting has changed the delivery of government services and infrastructure in Australia. This project examines how such 'contractualisation' has affected accountability at the federal level and how current practices may be improved. Four key research questions are addressed. First, what changes, if any, in public accountability were expected from contractualisation? Second, through an analysis of case studies, ho ....The Contractualisation of Government: Public Accountability and Performance. Contracting has changed the delivery of government services and infrastructure in Australia. This project examines how such 'contractualisation' has affected accountability at the federal level and how current practices may be improved. Four key research questions are addressed. First, what changes, if any, in public accountability were expected from contractualisation? Second, through an analysis of case studies, how have public accountability practices altered in reality? Third, how might public accountability be strengthened whilst maintaining the benefits of contractualism? Fourth, what kind of performance information would assist Auditors General to strengthen their role in supporting public accountability and good governance?Read moreRead less
Whole of Government: Evaluating frameworks for integrating policy development, implementation and delivery of public services. The Australian Government is committed to whole of government approaches to policy, implementation and service delivery. This research will help make whole of government work better, by analysing its fundamentals and providing guidance on best practice. It links five key government agencies, coordinating departments and those at the front line of service delivery. Case s ....Whole of Government: Evaluating frameworks for integrating policy development, implementation and delivery of public services. The Australian Government is committed to whole of government approaches to policy, implementation and service delivery. This research will help make whole of government work better, by analysing its fundamentals and providing guidance on best practice. It links five key government agencies, coordinating departments and those at the front line of service delivery. Case studies include national security, avian flu and indigenous policy coordination. The project will build ongoing collaboration between academic researchers and public servants. It will develop practical guidelines to assist government organisations better serve clients and solve complex policy challenges.Read moreRead less
The accountability priorities of federal parliamentarians and whether they are reflected in the Commonwealth budgetary and reporting framework. Senate committees provide the main forum in which elected representatives can directly scrutinise the actions of public officials. The project, by providing new detailed evidence about the accountability priorities of Senators, will contribute to ongoing debate about how to improve the quality of information provided by government agencies to Parliament ....The accountability priorities of federal parliamentarians and whether they are reflected in the Commonwealth budgetary and reporting framework. Senate committees provide the main forum in which elected representatives can directly scrutinise the actions of public officials. The project, by providing new detailed evidence about the accountability priorities of Senators, will contribute to ongoing debate about how to improve the quality of information provided by government agencies to Parliament. It will provide a valuable counterbalance to the dominant views of the Department of Finance and Administration which do not necessarily reflect the interests of the wider public. The quality of public information and of democratic governance will therefore be significantly enhanced.Read moreRead less
Fostering Innovation Inside Government: The Role of Structural and Personal Networks in Improving Innovation Performance Among Politicians and Bureaucrats. Innovation is the engine of the new global economy.The Prime Minster's Australia Day Statement 'Backing Australia's Ability' put innovation at the top of the government agenda. Unfortunately most research and public policy ignores the participation of government itself, apart from its fiscal role. This new study takes the innovation question ....Fostering Innovation Inside Government: The Role of Structural and Personal Networks in Improving Innovation Performance Among Politicians and Bureaucrats. Innovation is the engine of the new global economy.The Prime Minster's Australia Day Statement 'Backing Australia's Ability' put innovation at the top of the government agenda. Unfortunately most research and public policy ignores the participation of government itself, apart from its fiscal role. This new study takes the innovation question inside government to map the path to innovation and to analyse how networking determines outcomes. The study considers both structural and personal networks and considers variations in how they are related. Outcomes will include a new model for governmental innovation and methods for performance improvement inside governmental systems.Read moreRead less
Mapping the policy advisory capacity of the Australian federal government: assessing transformations in the policy advising role of the Australian Public Service. Governmental effectiveness depends to a significant extent on the availability of high quality information, analysis and advice. This project therefore addresses a matter of crucial national importance, namely the ability of the Australian Public Service to support decision-making through its policy advising functions. The project is s ....Mapping the policy advisory capacity of the Australian federal government: assessing transformations in the policy advising role of the Australian Public Service. Governmental effectiveness depends to a significant extent on the availability of high quality information, analysis and advice. This project therefore addresses a matter of crucial national importance, namely the ability of the Australian Public Service to support decision-making through its policy advising functions. The project is significant for both its theoretical and practical contributions. Its findings will inform better understandings of the policy advising role of the public service and its relationship to decision-makers in an increasingly pluralised governance context. The project will be the Australian contribution to a larger comparative project examining policy advisory capacities in four Westminster-style governments.Read moreRead less
Prime ministers: explaining why some succeed and others fail. Some prime ministers succeed but others fail, even though both nominally have the same powers. Why is there a difference? This project will examine their statecraft to explain how they use those powers in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada and with what effect.
Hierarchy to high-performance? Evaluating 30yrs of Senior Executive Service. This project aims to evaluate whether Senior Executive Service (SES) schemes, introduced in the public sector the 1980s, have enabled the delivery of superior performance. This study will examine all nine Australian jurisdictions, across time in order to identify how and why institutional frameworks changed, analyse the composition of the SES and identify their changing roles and accountabilities. The expected outcomes ....Hierarchy to high-performance? Evaluating 30yrs of Senior Executive Service. This project aims to evaluate whether Senior Executive Service (SES) schemes, introduced in the public sector the 1980s, have enabled the delivery of superior performance. This study will examine all nine Australian jurisdictions, across time in order to identify how and why institutional frameworks changed, analyse the composition of the SES and identify their changing roles and accountabilities. The expected outcomes will provide a better understanding of the profile and roles of executives who lead policy development and service delivery, and an evaluation of whether current institutional frameworks optimise their capacity to perform their role.Read moreRead less