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Getting the PFM basics right (A study of PEFA scores awarded over the 2016 and 2011 Frameworks)
By David Fellows and John Leonardo Introduction The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) programme provides a framework for assessing and reporting the strengths and weaknesses of public financial management (PFM). The current 2016 Framework refines the previous 2011 Framework and is structured under a hierarchy of 6 Pillars, 31 Indicators (PIs) and 94 Dimensions.…
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World e-government coverage remains limited
World e-government coverage remains limited according to the 2020 edition of the United Nations E‑Government Survey which was released on 10 July 2020 (1). This is in spite of most countries and municipalities currently pursuing digital government strategies, many with innovative initiatives. The 2020 ranking of the 193 UN Member States in terms of digital…
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Policy Frameworks and Municipal Effectiveness
By David Fellows [1] Introduction Local governments, referred to here as ‘municipalities’, tend to be smaller scale, face less complex challenges, and have less diversity amongst stakeholders when compared to national governments. This relative simplicity should be regarded as their defining strength. It eases the path to identifying their core mission and prioritising service developments…
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Using Digital Technology to Improve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Delivery
by David Fellows and Glyn Evans[1] The SDGs The United Nation’s SDGs present an array of complex social, engineering, medical, scientific and managerial challenges for member states set in different contexts and mostly requiring very significant investment, organisational capacity and community involvement. Nations have made commitments to this agenda and it is accepted as…
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The case for an international online public service academy
by David Fellows [1] Introduction The purpose of this post is to consider how digital communication could be developed for the provision of structured professional education for public servants in developing countries using an academy model. This proposal is based on the proposition that there is a widespread need for professional training to improve administrative effectiveness…
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An International eCollaboration Route to Public Service Reform
Author: David Fellows Governance of public affairs is a complex topic. It includes the processes by which decisions are made, the means by which service performance is assessed, the standards of behaviour to which public servants are held, the transparency applied to public life and the extent to which ordinary citizens are engaged in policy-making.…
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Book Review –“ Public Finance and Economic Growth in Developing Countries”
Review by David Fellows of: ‘Public Finance and Economic Growth in Developing Countries: Lessons from Ethiopia’s reforms’ by Stephen B Peterson PhD, Professor of Public Finance, Melbourne School of Government, Published by Routledge This is a remarkable book. It has the ring of coruscating honesty which is unique in my experience of case-based literature that…
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International Development and the Challenge of Public Sector Corruption
By David Fellows, John Leonardo and Cornelia Körtl[1] Revelations in the Panama Papers released earlier this month have focused international attention on the hidden financial structures that facilitate the transfer of assets obtained through both legal and criminal means to offshore tax havens. In a recent report, the research organization Global Financial Integrity suggests that…
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Corruption Correlations
Corruption Correlations Our blog “International Development and the Challenge of Public Sector Corruption” discusses the results of our examination of correlations for the control of corruption and government effectiveness and public financial management (PFM) performance. Corruption and Government Effectiveness Correlations were calculated for the relationships between the control of corruption (capturing perceptions of the extent…