Mariano Browne
When buying a vehicle, a wise purchaser researches the alternatives relative to the available budget and the vehicle’s intended use. Other considerations include reliability, availability, maintenance and engine power as these are key in acquiring an efficient and economical vehicle. Consequently, automobile manufacturers invest considerable time and money in ensuring that their vehicles not only look good but are powered by efficient engines to ensure a good driving experience and a satisfied customer. This metaphor is applicable to the civil service as it is the executing arm of the Government (Cabinet), the vehicle through which the Cabinet's plans and policies are implemented, and the state apparatus maintained.
Government is responsible for developing and maintaining the regulatory framework and ensuring that the institutional, human and physical infrastructure is appropriate to facilitate the development of civil society and private sector investors. This covers the entire range of public goods which allows civil society to function; birth and death certificates, licences of various kinds, permits, passports, land registration, building permits and approvals etc...A reliable institutional infrastructure creates the context for the growth and development of a vibrant, viable economy to facilitate development. The focus is on the civil service, people appointed by the PSC rather than the wider definition of public service and those appointed by other service commissions (teachers, police, etc).
Every government since independence has been tasked with leading and coordinating the task of economic development. To govern successfully, the civil service vehicle, and the executing agency must be fit for that purpose. But there is no civil service manufacturer. It is recognised that progress towards implementing these plans and policy objectives has been stymied by weak and underperforming institutions which are both a cause and a consequence of underperformance. The gap between the actual versus the expected standard of performance has been labelled an “implementation deficit” or “institutional inertia.”
Several reasons for the underachievement have been advanced. They include leadership failure, public sector bureaucracy, the budgeting process, the long-term nature of development objectives relative to the short electoral cycle, inadequate funding and that the civil service responds slowly to Cabinet directives. Further, changing political administrations result in inconsistent objectives. For example, whilst the Manning administration spoke to Vision 2020, the UNC administration focused on growth poles, whilst the current administration speaks to Vision 2030.
However, the electoral cycle is determined by the Constitution and cannot be changed quickly. Neither can civil service personnel be replaced easily. Any administration must strive to achieve its agenda hoping that the electorate will be pleased with the result and reelect them to continue doing a decent job within this framework. To do so, the role, efficiency and effectiveness of the state/agencies must be addressed as they are the engine that the country must rely on to achieve progress. For the Government to drive the development process, and the private sector to power economic growth, the engine, the civil service, must be competent, effective, efficient and appropriately sized to undertake the task.
In this context, engines must be serviced regularly to improve their performance. Two themes articulated in the T&T Vision 2030 document, “Putting people first: Nurturing our greatest asset” and “delivering Good Government and service excellence” also apply to the civil service. They signal that civil service reform is essential if the long-term goal of a “high-quality modern public service” is to be achieved.
In practice, this requires an efficient human resource management system which produces well-trained staff so that citizens can interact with the Government in a manner which does not waste time and gets the job done. For example, making passport or driver's permit renewals easy, having your car inspected without a long wait, or making it easier to pay one’s taxes on time or register a company.
This means that systems and procedures must be reviewed, upgraded and standardised across all branches of government. This is easier said than done and means different things across different ministries and branches of government. For example, whilst the Government boasted about how much money was spent on grants and assistance to those affected by the pandemic, how many applied and how many were successful? Did the assistance reach those in need? These questions deal with process efficiency and effectiveness of which nothing has been said.
Translating the broad policy goal of good government and service excellence requires a granular approach, ministry by ministry, which is measured and evaluated to ensure that progress is being made. The management saying “what gets measured gets managed” is key to making continuous progress. Broad lofty statements, like “good governance” and “service excellence” are aspirational. The devil is in the details.
How is this to be achieved, and what progress has been made to date? What are the initiatives that create this outcome, and who is driving the process? Who is measuring the progress toward the goal and for transparency’s sake, where are the progress reports being reported? The next series of articles will address these topics.