Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program …uu.urbanunit.gov.pk/Documents/ProjectDocuments/5/450.pdf · 2017-06-13 · Project Preparatory Technical Assistance (PPTA)

Project Preparatory Technical Assistance (PPTA)

Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement

Investment Program (PICIIP)

Curriculum Design Report

October 2016


ADB: Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program

Table of Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1

Workforce Capability Development Framework ............................................................... 2

Training Curriculum Design ............................................................................................... 3

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 7

References .......................................................................................................................... 8

Annexure 1: Training Curriculum Outlines .................................................................. 9

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Introduction 1. Punjab enacted the Punjab Local Government Act 2013 (the Local Government Act)

following an order from Supreme Court to fulfil the constitutional requirement. Local governments in Punjab are responsible for governance and delivery of key public services, including the provision, management, operation, maintenance and improvement of municipal infrastructure and services such as solid waste collection and sanitary disposal of solid, liquid, industrial and hospital wastes (Punjab Local Government Act 2013, Chapter VII).

2. The Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (PICIIP), a $600 million multi-tranche facility ($500 Million ADB Loan and $100 Million Government of Punjab component) will be implemented for a period of 10 years. The PICIIP seeks to improve the quality of life for residents living in selected cities of the Punjab province through targeted investments in infrastructure and accompanying improvements in delivery efficiency.

3. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is partnering with the Government of Punjab for the PICIIP. The ADB has mobilized an international Capacity Building Specialist, along with a local expert, to develop a road map for the capacity building and to provide advice on transforming the Punjab Local Government Academy (PLGA) into a leading capacity building institute in Pakistan. In this regard Local Government and Community Development Department (LG&CDD) has entered into a MoU with Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG), University of Technical Sydney to support the initiative of increasing the capacity of Local Governments in the Punjab.

4. Pursuant to the ADB Contract TA-8683 PAK: Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program – Capacity Development Specialist (46526-001) (No. 126156-S88791) the objectives and purpose of the assignment are:

To assist the Government of Punjab in developing SWM investment projects for Sialkot and Sahiwal cities.

To conduct the required technical, economic, financial, social, and governance due diligence for ADB.

5. The PICIIP project involved reviewing the regulatory, legislative and policy context to design a strategic approach to build local government capacity in Punjab. The following components were agreed to be the required elements for local government capacity building in Punjab:

• Workforce policy • Workforce strategy • Workforce plans • Sector performance reporting • Workforce capability framework • Institutional training delivery capacity

o institutional and organisational positioning for PLGA

o organisational design – governance, management and delivery structure

• Training programs and delivery modes

The final two points (institutional training delivery capacity and training programs and delivery modes), as per the terms of reference, are part of the Commission.

6. This report summarises the activities related to the workforce capability framework and the

training curriculum. Both elements encompass capacity building strategies for local government officials in their service delivery mandate.

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Workforce Capability Development Framework 7. As per the terms of reference, we were tasked with developing the institutional design and

capacity development framework and program for the Punjab Local Government Academy (PLGA).

8. We considered developing a capability or a competency based framework and which would be the preferred approach in the Punjab context. It was decided that a capability framework (rather than a competency based framework) would be better suited to the context.

9. Capabilities are often considered to the ‘the building blocks of core competencies’ (Trejo, Asce, Patil, Anderson, & Cervantes, 2002, p. 44). Capability encompasses ‘the use and deployment of its competencies to accomplish its organizational goals’ (Saxena, 2014). Capable people are considered to be more than competent, ‘[t]hey are creative, know how to learn, have a high level of self-efficacy, can use competencies in novel as well as familiar situations and work well in teams’ (Hase & Davis, 1999, p. 2).

10. The key advantages for developing a capability framework include that they:

improve recruitment practices by providing consistent selection criteria,

assist with making hiring decisions where candidates’ capabilities can be assessed and

matched to the organization’s corresponding needs,

help organizations decide which employees are contributing valuable resources,

support a consistent approach to workplace performance across the organisation,

align workplace performance with the organisation’s vision and values,

direct learning and development activities,

assist staff to develop required skills and capabilities for future positions/career planning

help to determine capability gaps, and

support the establishment of a staff skills matrix database which in turn improves

workforce planning (Trejo et al., 2002, p. 45; AQIS, 2009).

11. An example of leadership capability framework is outlined in Error! Reference source not found.1.

Figure 1 Leadership Capability Framework

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Elements of this capability framework are to be subsequently tested.

Training Curriculum Design 12. The significance of training has long been recognised as an integral part of smooth running

of organisations. Given the changing role of the TMA and exponential growth in technology with its demand for knowledge and skills of the individuals, the need for training is more pronounced. For optimal functioning, the TMA staff need to be equipped with the necessary level of professional knowledge and skills.

13. As per the terms of reference, we were tasked with:

Conducting high level officials training need assessment in selected cities of Punjab for local government staff and elected cities representatives; and, depending on the outcomes of that training needs assessment…

Designing the short-term and medium-term capacity development training programs on, for example, governance, management, finance, technical, planning and control, community engagement, education, health and others urban subjects for Punjab Local Government Academy (PLGA) for the senior government officials of GoPb.

14. A Training Needs Assessment (TNA) was developed. The objectives of the TNA were to:

Identify the knowledge and skills gaps which limit performance

Based on the knowledge and skills gaps, articulate the training needs

Propose some training solutions to address the skills gaps and training needs

Evolve a capacity building plan that would directly support the organizational change process as a result of the PICIIP’s investment in Tranche 1 cities (Sialkot and Sahiwal) and Tranche 2 cities (Sargodha, Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan).

15. This assessment of training needs will be an ongoing benefit to the PLGA and the TMAs. In the short term, the TNA exercise will highlight areas of obvious and critical skill shortages. In the medium term, it will provide a comprehensive list of the knowledge skills and attitudes needed for each job role. This can be used to inform selection decisions ensuring that the most suitably qualified and skilled people are recruited. It can also be used to inform the development of training and non-training development packages which are linked to the skill needs of specific roles which will in turn improve the skills of existing staff.

16. In the longer term, the application of the TNA will ensure that the TMAs and the local government academy skills profile reflects changing business needs and is clearly linked to strategy and objectives.

17. The TNA methodology relied on qualitative and quantitative information obtained from staff through focus group interviews. The focus groups comprised of homogeneous participants, all representing a particular function and sub-function of TMAs.

18. The TNA tool was made up of the following sections: A) Role analysis B) Gap analysis C) Training areas D) Learning styles.

19. Our approach to the identification of training requirements is outlined in Figure 2.

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Figure 2: Identification of training requirements

20. The TNA responses obtained were analysed by the consulting team and finalised and firmed

up based on pre and post TNA consultation with thematic experts and senior management in TMA, local government and the Urban Unit. For further details, see the Interim Report (October 2016).

21. On the basis of our analysis of the TNAs, we advised that the initial focus should be in areas of leadership, finance, management, governance, strategic land use planning, human resource management and service delivery.

22. To ensure that there is adequate take up and commitment to training a number of regulatory enablers were also recommended. These included that training should be mandatory and linked to promotions for BS11-BS20 staff; all officials at BS11-BS20 should have induction training and all councilors should have compulsory induction training covering Codes of Conduct and Local Government Rules and Regulations.

23. The proposed training was prioritised into immediate and medium term training needs for implementation:

I. Immediate Training Needs - Year 1-2

(i) Planning

Urban Planning

Strategic Planning (ii) Governance

Local Government rules and regulations

Performance and accountability in public service (iii) Finance

Budget and Planning

Audit

Performance

Analysis

Knowledge and Skills Analysis

Role Analysis

Training Requirement

Management and

Leadership Trainings

Training Delivery Method

Specialised Trainings

Training Implementation

Plan

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Public procurement regulatory authority rules (PPRA)

(iv) Human Resource Management

Performance review skills (v) General Management, Interpersonal Skills and IT

Leadership

Strategy and planning

Professional report writing

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook)

II. Medium Term Training Needs - Year 3-4

(vi) Planning

GIS

Building rules and regulation (vii) Governance

Local government administration

Setting standards in public service (viii) Finance

Procurement and contract management

Financial analysis, modelling and forecasting (ix) Human Resource Management

HR policies and procedures

Employee motivation (x) General Management, Interpersonal Skills and IT

Office Management

Change Management

Records management

Public dealing

24. A subject training high level curriculum template was developed in consultation with the Urban Unit. This agreed template is provided in Figure 3.

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Figure 3: Subject Training Curriculum Template

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25. Using the approved training curriculum template and following the outcomes of the TNA (Figure 3), ten training curriculums were developed. The ten subjects were:

Strategic and Land use Planning

Local Government Management & Governance

Local Government Legislation and Regulation

Local Government Leadership

Participatory planning

Service Delivery

Local Finance

Human Resource Management

Change Management

Professional Report Writing

The ten training curriculums are enclosed in Annexure 1.These training curriculums have been shared with the Urban Unit for feedback.

Conclusion 26. The overall effectiveness of capacity building for local government in the Punjab requires

development of an overall institutional structure for the PLGA. The capability framework and the training curriculum are key parts of this structure.

27. The capability framework was recommended as a way to provide the PLGA with an outline of ‘the knowledge, skills and attributes required by staff at different levels throughout the organisation to effectively perform their duties’ (AQIS, 2009, p. 4). A capability framework will also assist with a range of the PLGA’s planning and performance functions including: recruitment and selection; performance management; rotation; promotion; and, learning and development.

28. The aim of the TNA was to identify the knowledge and skill deficiencies which limit the performance of the professional staff. On the basis of our TNA analysis, a training framework for officials was developed. Discussions are underway regarding the training framework for elected councillors as the next stage of work for the project but out of scope of the current TORs.

29. The leadership capability framework and the ten training curriculums are two tools which respond to the PLGA’s existing legislative and policy needs in the Punjab context.

30. As these tools undergo (further) development and implementation over the next five years they will assist to ensure the PLGA’s institutional structure supports effective local government service delivery.

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References

Australian Quarantine and Inspection, (2009) ‘AQIS Capability Framework APSL2’, Australian

Quarantine and Inspection.

Hase, S., & Davis, L. (1999). From competence to capability: the implications for human resource

development and management. In Millennial challenges in management, education,

cybertechnology, and leadership: Association of International Management.

Saxena, K. B. (2014). Capabilities versus Competence: How are they Different? LinkedIn. Retrieved

from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141123155439-7430899-capabilities-versus-competence-

how-are-they-different

Trejo, D., Asce, A. M., Patil, S., Anderson, S., & Cervantes, E. (2002). Framework for Competency and

Capability Assessment for Resource Allocation. JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT IN ENGINEERING, 18(1),

44–49. http://doi.org/10.1061/͑ASCE0͒742-597X͑2002͒18:1͑44 ͒

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Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (PICIIP)


Annexure 1: Training Curriculum Outlines

STRATEGIC AND LAND USE PLANNING Subject details

Subject Name Strategic and Land Use Planning

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location

Staff Contact details

Name and Title

E-mail

Telephone number for office appointments

Office hours for officials

Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

‘Strategy’ is a term used in the public sector to broadly define how public organisations relate to their environments and progress purposely into the future by improving services and performance. Strategic and land use planning identifies medium to longer term community visions and the policies, resourcing and development outcomes that would ensure that the delivery of urban infrastructure and services is prioritised to achieve these visions, so that benefits can be enjoyed by all citizens.

Rapid growth in socially and economically diverse cities presents unique challenges and opportunities for public officials in Punjab. Effective strategic and land use planning facilitates appropriate local, district and regional level responses to growth and change, and places localities and communities in the broader context of their districts and cities. The aim of this subject is to enable public officials at the local,

Strategic and Land use Planning 2

district and provincial levels local government managers to set visions for the future of communities and localities, and to develop g attainable goals and deliverable actions in collaboration with key stakeholders.

The subject considers the context in which strategic and land use planning takes place, including Punjab’s legislative frameworks, strategies and land use planning policies, as well as the political, social, economic, environmental and cultural forces impacting on planning practice. Case studies are used to explore national, interstate and international approaches to inform the ways officials pursue local responses.

Subject requirements

This subject has strong links with several of the other subjects offered, including:

Local government management and governance


Human resource management

Service delivery

Local government finance

Asset management

Contract management

Ideally, participants would participate in several of these courses in a systematic approach to capacity building for public officials in Punjab.

Targeted Officials

Senior public officials at local, district and provincial levels

Managers responsible for municipal, community, environmental and economic policy, strategy, implementation and review at sub-national levels of government

Elected representatives.

Teaching and Learning Pedagogy

Based on adult education principles:

The training environment will be welcoming so that learners feel safe to participate.

The material presented will have immediate usefulness to the learners and relevant to their work.

Training presentation will be engaging and respectful, giving learners the opportunity to share

their experiences, grow and develop and apply the learnings to their work spheres.

Engage public officials in the value of learning and to become life-long learners.

Learning objectives and outcomes

On completion of this subject, participants will:


1. Understand the different strands of strategic planning in modern local government; the role of

different levels of government in strategic and land use planning; and the strategic planning functions

expected to be undertaken by local governments under the Punjab Local Government Act 2013.

2. Explore the origins, concepts and approaches of strategic planning, and examine the alignment of strategic planning, strategic thinking and strategic management.

3. Demonstrate the capacity to apply strategic thinking to frame local solutions to local and district issues; and increased ability to apply strategic and land use planning theory and practice in participants’ workplaces and to their roles, develop evidence-based and place-based solutions and create public value.

Teaching and learning activities

presentations

class discussion

small group activities

scenarios and case studies

Subject content

Theme 1: Strategic and land use planning: theory and practice

Strategic planning is a deliberative, disciplined approach to producing fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organisation or other entity is, what it does and why. It may be thought of as a ‘way of knowing intended to help leaders and mangers discern what to do, how and why (Bryson, 2011). Strategic planning is useful for:

Gathering, analysing and synthesising information to consider its strategic significance and frame possible choices

Producing considered judgments among key decision-makers about goals, strategies and actions

Addressing key organisational issues or challenges now and in the foreseeable future

Enhancing continuous organisational learning

Creating significant and enduring public value.

By gathering relevant information, asking probing questions and focusing on how best to raise issues, the process of strategic planning ‘can be used to inform political decision-making in such a way that virtuous public and non-profit purposes are better served than they would be if only the rawest forms of political decision making prevailed (Flyvbjefg, cited in Bryson, 2011p. 25).

Land use planning in the 21st century is counted on – and expected to – deliver both sustainable development and liveable communities, while coping with potential conflicts in the values related to these visions. A model (Godschalk, 2004) is presented that considers:

The ‘property conflict’ that arises between economic growth and equitable sharing of opportunities, based on competing claims on the uses of property as both a private resource and a public good;

The ‘resource conflict’ between economic and ecological utility that arises from competing claims on the consumption of natural resources; and

The ‘development conflict’ that arises from competing needs to improve the living standards of people through economic growth, while also protecting the environment through growth management.


The vision of liveable communities constitutes an important arena for land use planning. It focuses at the level of the everyday physical environment and encompasses sustainable development (a balance among economy, ecology and equity) and the three-dimensional aspects of public space, movement systems and building design. Crucially, it incorporates the need for citizen-based participatory planning and design and the ‘making of community’ or place making. In this sense, this subject links closely to the material covered in the Participatory Planning subject. Land use planning must deal with a three-dimensional world, but should also offer a structure for identifying and dealing with the value conflicts that may arise between different visions of sustainability and liveability (Godschalk 2004, pp. 6-8).

This theoretical model offers that basis for a discussion among participants that also considers issues relating to possible tensions between private and public sector values and approaches, New Public Management in the public sector and the role of public value approaches.

Theories and debates related to strategic management can help to align strategic planning and land use planning. Strategic management involves managing an agency’s overall strategic agenda on an ongoing rather than an episodic basis, as well as ensuring that strategies are implemented effectively. In order to do so, mangers should (Poister, 2010):

Align all of the resources at the disposal of management in the interest of advancing the strategic agenda, including aligning budgets with strategic priorities and challenging operating unites to show how their budget proposals are advancing the strategy.

Identify and monitor appropriate performance measures to track progress in implementing strategic initiatives and achieving strategic goals and objectives.

Provide training to service delivery staff and have quality and productivity improvement initiatives that will help to overcome performance deficiencies

Work collaboratively with partners, contractors and suppliers to find ways to overcome performance problems

Candidly communicate performance information, including problems and success stories, to a wide range of external audiences.

Means of incorporating a strategic management approach in the participants’ work settings are discussed and debated.

Theme 2: Contextualisation

Participants consider constitutional, demographic, socio-economic and political factors pertaining to Pakistan as a whole and Punjab in particular in order to provide a context for strategic and land use planning.

Consideration is given examining the spatial development challenges in Punjab. These include (Government of Punjab, 2016):

The absence of a spatial lens through which infrastructure proposals are assessed in order to align with province-level strategic goals

A poor business environment, a growing technology/skill gap and a scarcity of desirable industrial land, in part due to patterns of urban expansion

The necessity of people and goods to travel long distances due to local level master plans not being followed or being unevenly implemented.

Examine and discuss key policies and legislation, such as the Punjab Spatial Strategy (Government of Punjab, 2016), the Punjab Local Government Act 2013, and initiatives such as the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (Asian Development Bank, 2016)

Workshop: focus on the Punjab Growth Strategy 2018 (Government of Punjab, 2015) which envisions Punjab as a secure, economically vibrant, industrialized and knowledge-based province, which is prosperous and where every citizen can expect to lead a fulfilling life. How can strategic management help to align public organisational performance with the objectives of accelerating economic growth


(through manufacturing and industrial development, enabling cities to become engines of growth and improving productivity in agriculture and livestock) and achieving social outcomes and improving human capital (through education, population planning, and a focus on preventative health)?

Theme 3: Tools and resources

Community visioning brings together local people to debate and articulate local community values, identify current issues and future opportunities, and develop specific plans to achieve their vision. A community vision takes into consideration a balance between a healthy society, environment and economy, and provides an overall guidance for subsequent planning and action. Community visioning needs to overcome the possible tension between participant self-interest and people’s ethical responsibility towards the common good (see Cuthill, 2004).

Strategic thinking is ‘thinking that contributes to broad, general, overarching concepts that focus the future direction of an organization based on anticipated environmental conditions’ (Mintzberg, cited in Haycock et al, 2012, p. 3). Strategic thinking complements strategic planning and strategic management, but allows for more rapid and creative response to change because it positions strategy formulation and implementation as interactive processes rather than as sequential and systematic activities evident in traditional organisational planning processes. A model of strategic thinking (Leidtka, cited in Heycock et al 2012, p. 5) is workshopped with the participants, it includes:

1. Developing a systems or holistic view that recognised how the different parts of the organisation influence each other

2. Conveying a sense of leadership and direction that is driven by the continuous shaping and re-shaping of intent

3. Recognising that strategic thinking is not solely driven by the future, but also by the gap between the current reality and the intent for the future

4. Asking ‘what if’ questions, that are followed by ‘if…then’ questions 5. Invoking the capacity to be intelligently opportunistic or open to new experience, which allow

manager to take advantage of alternative strategies that may emerge in a rapidly changing environment.

The final workshop assists participants to develop measures and indictors that communicate progress on the achievement of outcomes to citizens in clear and meaningful ways and engage communities in reporting and review. Measures and indicators that are suited to the context of a rapidly changing Punjab are discussed and debated in class.

Assessments

Assessment summary

Assessment tasks Weighting (%) Learning outcomes

Presence and participation 30% Demonstrate taking responsibility for own learning and development through active participation in the subject

In-class test 70% Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key

public administration concepts

Attendance requirements


Minimum 90% attendance, which is ascertained by means of a sign-on sheet for every session.

Learning Resources

Key readings include:

Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2016, Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program

Bryson, J.M. 2011, Strategic planning for public and non-profit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement, 4th edition, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Cuthill, M. 2004, Community visioning: Facilitating informed citizen participation in local area planning on the Gold Coast, Urban Policy and Research, 22(4), pp. 427-445.

Godschalk, D.R. 2004, Land use planning challenges: Coping with conflicts in visions of sustainable development and livable communities, Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(1), pp. 5-13.

Government of Punjab, 2016, Punjab Spatial Strategy: Punjab Jobs and Competitiveness Program for Results (P4R) Program Project Document 2016-2020. Government of Punjab, Lahore.

Government of Punjab, 2015, Punjab Growth Strategy 2018: Accelerating economic growth and improving social outcomes. Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore.

Haycock, K., Cheadle, A. and Spence Bluestone, K. 2012, Strategic thinking: Lessons for leadership from the literature. Library Leadership and Management, 26(3/4), pp. 1-23.

Poister, T.H. 2010, The future of strategic planning in the public sector: Linking strategic management and performance. Public Administration Review, December 2010 Special Issue: S246-S254.

Punjab Local Government Act 2013.

World Bank, 2016, Pakistan, http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/pakistan

Feedback/Evaluation by Officials

Support for Officials

http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/pakistan

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICE DELIVERY Subject details

Subject Name Local Government Service Delivery

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

This subject focuses on capacity development for public officials in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. It equips senior public officials in this jurisdiction to better understand and address the opportunities, challenges and complexities of public service provision at the sub-national level.

At its broadest level, all of government service delivery refers to the range of methods used to deliver public policy. At the local government or municipal level, service provision is understood to include services to property as well as services that achieve the objectives of promoting the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of local communities. This subject has been designed to help public officials to better meet challenges such as devolution of functions to sub-national governments while the

Local Government service delivery 2

costs of providing services and maintaining infrastructure have increased considerably faster than increases in generated income; increased legislative requirements, for example with regard to asset management and strategic planning, and increased community expectations, also linked to rapid advances in communication.

This is achieved through building knowledge and understanding, considering the values and debates that have emerged with regard to provision of public goods and services, and developing practical skills, including the value of adopting a comparative approach and the value of making use of conceptual frameworks to improve strategic management.




Human resource management



Asset management

Procurement

Contract management


Targeted Officials

Senior public officials at local, district and provincial levels.

Managers responsible for municipal, community, environmental and economic services at sub-national levels of government.



The training environment will be welcoming and respectful so that learners are encouraged to

participate, including having confidence to engage in self-reflection.





1. Expand participants’ conceptual understanding of service delivery at the sub-national government

level.

2. Enable participants to develop the ability to link service delivery with the principles and practices of

public value, local governance, and public organisation and management.

3. Enable participants to explore challenges and innovations particularly with regard to municipal


service delivery.

Teaching and learning methods

presentations

facilitated discussions

case study analysis

group problem solving

Subject content

Theme 1: What is service delivery and why focus on it?

Set the scene by considering the Punjab Growth Strategy 2018 (Government of Punjab, 2015) as

an overall provincial policy framework.

Government service delivery is intimately connected with the strategizing, implementation and

review of public policies, suggesting that government service delivery = delivering public policy.

The ability to tailor public goods and services to the needs of localised constituencies, thereby

improving allocative efficiency, is an underpinning justification for decentralised systems of

government. The result is that, in a decentralised system such as a federation, public services

and modes of service delivery are diverse and locally specific, but the objective is the same:

appropriate, effective and efficient delivery of services.

For a good introduction and overview of service delivery in Pakistan, participants are encouraged

to read Abbas and Ahmed, 2014, Challenges to social accountability and service delivery in

Pakistan, Working Paper 145, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.

A typology of local government services could include governing the locality in a democratic way;

planning for economic and community development; protecting the environment; planning for

sustainable land use; safeguarding public health and safety; and providing community services.

Local infrastructure and assets are particularly important at the municipal level.

Locate the focus on services and service delivery as the search for improved outcomes for

communities. In the modern world, no government can claim to have all the tools or powers

necessary to bring about complex policy outcomes. The contemporary policy process is

characterised by ‘a dispersion of power and responsibility…with public servants called upon to

play new roles of facilitation, negotiation, and conflict resolution’ (Bourgon, 2007: 20-21).

Case study – municipal services in Sialkot (see Asian Development Bank 2015, Pre-feasibility

study for Sialkot and Sahiwal Cities).

Theme 2: Who is involved and how do they contribute?

Consideration is given to leaders and managers and questions of effectiveness, efficiency and


productivity as key to improved outcomes for communities. A key focus is on the quality,

performance and management of local public services.

A focus on human resources, especially front-line personnel brings the attention to human

resource management and capacity development. In a decentralised system of government, it is

vital to consider the importance of having the requisite knowledge and skills in decentralised

settings, and this is particularly important in non-urban areas.

There is a wide range of service delivery modes (i.e. who is involved in delivering the service)

and service delivery models or approaches (i.e. how the service is delivered). Contracting and

outsourcing has grown in importance in recent decades and this requires public officials to have

the skills and resources necessary to administer services that are delivered under these kinds of

arrangements.

Case study – comparing sole provision (use the example of solid waste management) through a

government agency with the commissioning of services through tender.

Theme 3: Challenges and innovations

There are some who question government’s role in service provision, arguing that the private

sector is a more efficient and effective provider of services. Others support a key role for

government so as to counter the negative effects, especially inequality, of private provision.

Applied to the specific circumstances of Punjab, this is a fruitful area for debate amongst the

participants. Participants should have read Abbas and Ahmed (2014) before engaging in this

debate.

In this debate, the complexity of service delivery in the modern period needs to be recognised,

including increased community needs and expectations, combined with the desirability of regular

community consultation and engagement so that services are appropriate and meet the

expressed needs of local communities.

The complexity of governing in an age of networks and partnerships ensures that issues of multi-

level governance and intergovernmental relations are also going to come to the fore. It is

important for participants to consider the legislation and policy developments that have been

influential over the past decades in establishing Pakistan’s decentralisation. These include the

Constitution (and especially the 18th Amendment) and, in the case of Punjab, the Punjab Local

Government Act 2013. A key question for consideration in the class discussion might be what are

the coordinating mechanisms that have been set up to ensure that the different tiers of

government are working well together, particularly with respect to areas of service provision that

require regular collaboration and sharing.

A particular problem in Punjab is the rapid urbanisation that is occurring, with the ability of cities

to absorb newcomers having decreased over time, resulting in urban sprawl and more people

being forced into informal settlements (World Bank 2016). Links can be made to initiatives such

as the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (ADB, 2016), which aims to

have targeted investments in infrastructure (such as for solid waste management) and the

associated improvements in delivery efficiency.

A selection of service and service delivery innovations, drawing on the experiences in other

jurisdictions, could be illustrated. These innovations include integrated service delivery, for


example the establishment of ‘one-stop shops’ to provide more integrated and holistic services to

customers; and the coproduction of services, which recognises that the nature of public goods

and services brings with it a strong role for the consumer of the service and that there is value in

formalising this co-production between service provider and service recipient.

To summarise the subject, there is value in bringing it all together by means of a conceptual

framework for public administrators, managers and leaders who are seeking to improve service

delivery for the benefit of local communities. The model is as follows (source: UTS:CLG 15622

Enhancing Local Government Service delivery, designed by R. Woods & R. Ryan.

And

•Appreciate the theroetical scope of local government service delivery

•This includes ways in which to conceptualise local government services; means of describing service delivery within a given locality and also regionally; and focusing on quesitons of efficiency and effectiveness

understand

•Link the portfolio of services provided by a council to its strategic goals and to the needs and priorities of local communities

•At the same time, acknowledge the requirements of provincial legislation and policy priorities for regions, including metropolitan areas

be locally specific

•Regularly monitor services and the outcomes of service delivery, focusing on appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency

•Treat each service as important in its own right, and also in terms of its connections to the totality of service provision in the locality and in the region

monitor and evaluate

•Apply mechanisms for enhancing service delivery as appropriate:

• -Have a fair and effective performance management system in place

• -Conduct service reviews

• -Adjust service delivery in preparation for natural disasters

• -Use data from community satisfaction surveys

• -Compare with and learn from other jurisdictions

• -Respond to provincial initiatives aiming to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local provision of services

enhance

•Consider innovation as a means to shift service delivery to a new level

• Innovations can relate to, amongst others, styles of management; coproduction of services; integrated service delivery; economic development and broader community development; and through a focus on creativity

innovate

•Ensure that decisions, inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes relating to services are regularly and accurately communicated to citizens in the locality, to higher levels of government, and to other service providers

communi-cate


Assessments

Assessment summary


Presence and participation 30 Demonstrate taking responsibility for own learning and development through active participation in the subject

In-class test (20 questions with multiple-choice answers, and only one correct)

70 Demonstrate understanding of service delivery at the sub-national government level



Learning Resources


Abbas, M.H. and Ahmed, V., 2014, Challenges to social accountability and service delivery in Pakistan, Working Paper 145, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.

Asian Development Bank, 2016, Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program

Bourgon, J., 2007, Responsive, responsible and respected government: Towards a New Public Administration theory, International Review of Administrative Sciences, 73(1): 7-26.

Government of Punjab, 2015, Punjab Growth Strategy 2018: Accelerating economic growth and improving social outcomes – Executive summary. Planning and Development Department, Government of Punjab, Lahore.







PROFESSIONAL REPORT WRITING Subject details

Subject Name Professional report writing

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Course location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

A report is a document that presents information in an organised format for a specific audience and purpose. Reporting is an essential means for the public sector to ensure that it meets its legislative and policy requirements, and as a key means to promote accountability to the citizenry. Better decisions can be made more promptly when reports are fit for purpose, well-structured, and carefully targeted to the intended audience in terms of formatting, the pitch, style and level of detail contained within them, and the mode of presentation and dissemination. Consequently, report writing skills are important for public officials, particularly those in management and senior management levels.

This subject provides a practical approach to enhancing the professional report writing skills of participants. Participants consider the rationale for professional report writing, including engaging with the concept of accountability. They focus on issues and techniques relating to research, reading and writing, and presentation.

Professional Report writing 2


This subject complements and integrates with several of the other subjects offered, including:

Local Government Management and Governance


Change Management

Service Delivery

Leadership

Councillors

Strategic and Land Use Planning

Participatory Planning

Local Government Finance


Targeted Officials


Senior front-line staff and managers responsible for municipal, community, environmental and economic services at sub-national levels of government.




The material presented will have immediate usefulness to the learners and be relevant to their work.

Training presentation will be engaging and respectful, giving learners the opportunity to share their experiences, grow and develop, and apply the learnings to their work spheres.



1. better understand the rationale for professional report writing, including its function within the overall intent to ensure public sector accountability

2. improve their skills in reading professional reports and carrying out research for their own report writing

3.improve their professional report writing skills



Presentations

Practical workshops

Report-writing contexts, examples and case studies

Peer learning

Subject content

Theme 1: Professional report writing: rationale, research and reading

Rationale for professional report writing

Reporting is an essential means for the public sector to ensure that it meets its legislative and policy requirements, and as a key means to promote accountability to the citizenry. Consequently, report writing skills are important for public officials, particularly at management and senior management levels. Amongst other reasons, reports are written in order:

to inform

to record progress

to describe and analyse contexts, structures, problems and programs

to make proposals or recommendations for change

to present the findings of an investigation or project.

Participants discuss these rationales (and others) for report writing and are also encouraged to share some of the pleasures and challenges they have experienced with writing.

Accountability

Participants engage with the concept of accountability in the public sector as a key normative framework within which to position professional report-writing. Accountability is an obligation to present an account of, and answer for, the execution of responsibilities to those why are entrusted those responsibilities. As argued by Kluvers et al. (2010: 46-47), accountability in the public sector exhibits two major characteristics:

Public/political –involves the public as the ‘principal’ and public sector organisations and officials as the ‘agent’, and is concerned with issues of democracy and trust

Managerial –is concerned with day-to-day operations of the organisation and can be equated with concepts of process, performance and program accountabilities.

The move towards a more commercial/private sector orientation in the public sector in recent decades, of ten described as New Public Management (Hood, 2005), has placed an increasing emphasis on planning, budgeting, service delivery and financial outcomes, reinforcing a perception that there has been a shift from public/political accountability toward managerial accountability. The consequence is that ‘performance reporting as well as traditional compliance reporting by the public sector is important to the accountability relationship with external stakeholders’ (Kluvers et al., 2010: 49).

Types of reports

Recognising that nomenclature may differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, common types or professional reports include:

Policy reports, including discussion papers (e.g. ‘White Papers’)

Briefing papers or notes, which keep decision makers informed about the issues for which they are responsible

Reports written to comply with legislative, policy or organisational directives (Compliance reports)

Research reports, which include literature reviews and evaluations

Justification reports, which are used to justify a stance on a particular situation or issue


Progress reports, which include Annual Reports

Minutes of meetings

Briefing notes for government and political officials

Memorandum (memo), an often informal short note designating something to be remembered or acted upon in the future

Media reports

Another term that may be used to classify written texts is ‘genre’ (Goins et al., 2016). This term is generally used to group texts on the basis of similarity in terms of structure, style, content and intended audience. Its use draws the writer’s attention especially to the purpose of the text, and helps to inform its overall ‘tone’ and structure.

Carrying out research

Many professional reports require the author to engage in research prior to writing. Modern information technology and the internet have made access to documents much easier than in the past, and there is a host of search engines that can be used to find and source information. Some texts are not available through standard search processes and may need to be accessed from organisations themselves – such documents are often referred to as ‘grey literature’. It is important to acknowledge sources through in-text referencing and having an alphabetical reference list in the text.

Being a critical reader

Good professional reports written within the context of the public service should show evidence of effective research and should be well-structured and interpret necessary information in ways that are logical and clear. This includes the judicious use of graphics. Such reports should have good summaries, clear findings and easy-to-understand conclusions and recommendations.

Making use of the above summarised statement of a ‘good’ professional report, participants are given examples of recently-written reports and online materials that pertain to the public sector (particularly sub-national governance) in Punjab:

the Punjab Growth Strategy 2018 (Government of Punjab, 2015)

Punjab Spatial Strategy (Government of Punjab, 2016)

Governance Poll (Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, 2015)

statutory reports written in connection with the Local Government Act 2013, including minutes of the local government meetings (Section 68); contracts made by or on behalf of a local government (Section 69); and periodical reports and publication of information about the working of the local government (Section 70)

reports intended to convey information to citizens.

In small groups, participants critically examine these reports and discuss:

1. What is the document’s purpose or objective? 2. Who is the intended audience of the document? 3. Describe the document’s layout and organisation. 4. Discuss the strong and weak points evident in the writing. 5. Make suggestions for how the texts could be improved, considering the intended audience(s).

Theme 2: The writing process

Helpful hints for professional report writing

Writing a report is an ongoing process of writing and re-writing. Writers don't need to begin at the introduction and write until they reach the conclusion, and often the body of the text is written first. Also, they are not expected to produce a perfect report the first time they ‘put pen to paper’ – they should expect to have to redraft their reports and carry out editing and proofreading. Helpful hints:


Always consider the nature of the report and its intended audience. Irrespective of the length of the document, write with the intention of enhancing the reader’s experience. The writer’s objectives are more likely to be achieved if they correspond with the needs and objectives of the reader; thus an underlying principle for professional report writing should be to write all documents with the reader in mind.

Use a computer from the outset, because it saves time in the end.

Consider whether standard structures or formatting need to be used for a given report. Also consider requirements relating to font, line spacing, margins, the numbering of sections and sub-sections, and the use of graphics.

Write a first draft fairly quickly in order to establish a ‘flow’. Avoid stopping to fix errors at this early stage – it is better to do editing and proofreading later.

Use short, clear sentences and avoid jargon wherever possible.

Use bullet points for important information to make it easy for the reader, but avoid over-using them.

Tables and other illustrative figures such as graphs, diagrams and charts should be included to assist with the clear presentation of data, but should at all times be used to enhance the written information and not simply repeat it or stand separate from it.

All figures and tables should have a short, informative title, be numbered sequentially and clearly indicate the source. If the graphic is the creation of the writer, this should also be made clear.

While appendices provide the opportunity to include supporting documentation, writers should carefully consider what to include and exclude in order to avoid overly lengthy reports. It is also important to make clear and logical references to each appendix at suitable places in the body of the report.

Participants also have the opportunity to share their own research and writing tips with their peers.

Structure

For many writers, a key difficulty in writing a report is to organise the information. As with most other writing formats, reports should be broadly structured on the basis of having an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Depending on their length, reports may have all or some of the following components:

Component Description Additional comments

Title page includes the title of the report, name of organisation, writer, date

avoid titles that are too long

Abstract or summary often written after the rest of the report is finished, but is usually read first

may be termed ‘Executive Summary’

Table of contents only necessary if the report is longer than a few pages

many computer report formats have an automatic function for inserting a table of contents

Glossary an alphabetical list or table of special words, phrases and terms used in the report, accompanied by a short explanation of each

strongly advised in any reports of a technical nature

Introduction provides a brief, accurate background for the body of the report and draws the reader’s attention to its key purpose

depending on the length of the text as a whole, the introduction may include briefly explaining the issue or policy background, rationale for the text and scope of the report

Body of the report generally divided into topics arranged in a logical order with headings and sub-headings

It is often best to write parts of the body first, then the conclusions and recommendations, and write the


introduction last.

Conclusion covers the writer’s judgment based on the information contained in the body of the report

may be preceded by a summary of the content, highlighting key findings or issues

Recommendations suggests possible courses of action as a result of the conclusion, including what should be done, who should take the action, and when and how it should be done

conciseness and clarity are of key importance, and the use of bullet points or numbering is recommended

References alphabetical listing of all texts referred to in the report, following a consistent approach and style

When the writer wishes to include texts used for background reading as well, i.e. not directly referred to in the text, then this may be called the ‘Bibliography’

Appendices contain evidence which supports the report but is not essential because it’s either too long or too technical for the audience

Having considered the structuring of the document as a whole, participants focus on the structuring of content within the body of the report and some of the decisions that need to make to ensure that the text is engaging, readable and fit for purpose.

Editing and proofreading

Redrafting, editing and proofreading is an important part of the report-writing process. An editing checklist (RMIT University n.d.) may include checking on:

Selecting the most appropriate type of text and genre, including the overall use of the language that is appropriate to the purpose and audience

Clarification of the purpose and audience, including defining the problem

Inclusion of all necessary information and deletion of unnecessary information

Logical and clear organising of the information and well-structured text, including having cohesive paragraphs, clear summarising of the contents and findings and making recommendations that offer solutions to any problems mentioned

Checking for spelling and grammatical errors.

Principles of design

Basic principles of the professional designing of reports(Goins et al. 2016: 57) are presented to participants:

Principle Definition Discussion

Contrast creating clear visual differences between elements of a document

Elements with contrast draw the eye, so contrast can be used to emphasise important features, helping readers to see what’s important. It can be an effective way to help busy readers skim a document or locate important information

Proximity

(also called chunking or grouping)

placing elements close together so that readers know they are related, or moving them farther apart to show they are less related

Leaving empty (or white) space between elements helps readers to recognise chunks of information as distinct. When empty space is used to separate paragraphs, it may be called ‘block paragraph’ format. It is a frequently used formatting structure in workplace communications because it applies proximity – via empty space – to make each paragraph a visually distinct unit.


Alignment creating a structured visual arrangement and hierarchy

Helps readers understand the relationship between ideas and the sequence they should be read in. Content under headings and subheadings may be indented to show it falls under the heading (nesting). Lists are easy to skim, so they’re encouraged in professional writing to support the needs of busy readers. Readers also skim more quickly if the pattern of phrasing is consistent.

Consistency

(also called repetition)

repeating a design feature continuously throughout the document

Establishing and repeating design patterns can help readers quickly identify familiar features (e.g. font choice, paragraph style, use of white space, use of colour or images bullets used in a list) so that they can easily process information. Consistency in design establishes a sense of professionalism and communicates attention to detail.

Participants consider design elements for professional report writing within their work contexts.

Theme 3: Professional report writing workshop

Organising information into headings and subheadings

Participants brainstorm the kinds of knowledge, skills and strategies needed for local public officials to improve their engagement with their local communities. These ideas are put down on pieces of paper and then assembled. In small groups, they organise these ideas into recommended headings and sub-headings.

Drawing a figure or table

Participants are given data that are expressed in a ‘raw’ form, and are asked to find creative and innovate ways to present these data in the form a suitable graphic. They may work alone or in small groups and discuss the various models that they have developed. The discussion is concluded by considering how the graphic would best be incorporated into a professional report.

Producing a briefing paper

Participants each produce a briefing paper that would be intended for submission to their line managers. Before engaging in the activity, briefing papers are described as professional documents, no more than two pages in length, which are designed for maximum readability. Briefing papers provide a summary of an issue, explain a situation that needs correcting, identify any financial implications, and recommend a course of action, including presenting the arguments for and against the suggested action. To succeed, a briefing note or paper should be concise, clear and reliable in terms of the information it provides. It should point out data gaps and uncertainties.

A suggested structure for a briefing paper is provided to all participants:

Name of person or persons for whom the briefing paper is intended

Date

Subject

Background – brief summary of past and/or current events that provide a context for the topic or issue

Analysis, identifying significant aspects of the topic or issue, the options or course of action that should be considered, and actions currently taken or recommended to address the issue

Cautionary notes that identify any sensitive aspects of the topic or issue that may affect a person or


organisation in a negative way

Contact – the name and contact information of the writer

Making use of this suggested structure, all participants are given two hours to produce their briefing paper. They may choose any topic or area of concern that they are currently dealing with in their work roles in order to provide the focus for the briefing paper. They may also make use of part of the time to engage in background research to inform the briefing content.

Participants’ briefing papers are assessed in terms of clarity and conciseness, structure, content and readability.

Summary, implications and evaluation

Participants summarise the learnings they have gained through participating in the subject. They consider the steps they could take to continue improving their writing skills into the future. They provide a formal evaluation of the subject.

Assessments



Briefing Paper 70% Apply professional writing skills developed in the subject in order to produce a briefing paper that has real, concrete relevance to the participant’s organisation and work role



Learning Resources

Key readings and examples of reports include:


Goins, A, Rauh, C., Tarner, D., and von Holten, D., 2016, Workplace writing: A handbook for common workplace genres and professional writing. New Prairie Press eBooks, Book 8, New Prairie Press, Kansas State University, http://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=ebooks.

Government of Punjab, 2016, Punjab Spatial Strategy: Punjab Jobs and Competitiveness Program for Results (P4R) Program Project Document 2016-2020. Government of Punjab, Lahore.


Hood, C., 2005, The ‘New Public Management’ in the 1980s: Variations on a theme. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 20(2/3): 93-109.

Kluvers, R. and Tippett, J., 2010, Mechanisms of accountability in local government: An exploratory

http://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=ebooks


study. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(7): 46-53.

Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency, 2015, Governance Poll, http://www.pildat.org/eventsdel.asp?detid=806


RMIT University n.d. Writing a Report, RMIT Study and Learning Centre, https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/pdfs/2_assessmenttasks/super_report.pdf



http://www.pildat.org/eventsdel.asp?detid=806

https://www.dlsweb.rmit.edu.au/lsu/content/pdfs/2_assessmenttasks/super_report.pdf

PARTICIPATORY PLANNING Subject details

Subject Name Participatory planning

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

Participation can be broadly defined as a process in which stakeholders influence policy formulation, alternative designs, investment choices and management decisions affecting their communities, and establish the necessary sense of ownership. Participatory planning promotes broad community involvement in development of strategic plans and helps to ascertain the goals and actions necessary to implement them.

This subject consider participatory planning as a key means to foster bottom-up approaches to problem solving and has a focus on community understanding and capacity building. When communities, including marginalised and vulnerable groups, are involved in the co-creation of plans to determine priorities, this creates collective ownership of implementation processes and outcomes, and builds trust.

In diverse and rapidly growing communities such as in the Punjab province there are opportunities and challenges for public officials attempting to integrate city-wide and district planning imperatives with local needs and priorities. The subject explores a range of community development and engagement approaches that participants can use to provide opportunities for inclusive growth, improved liveability and sustained quality of life for citizens.

This subject is designed to build on skills developed in complementary subjects (including Strategic and

participatory planning 2

Land use Planning, Service delivery and Local Government Management and Governance) and explores ways to work with communities in setting the local development agenda and achieving the outcomes desired by multiple and diverse stakeholders.


This subject has strong links with several of the other subjects offered including:

Strategic and Land Use planning


Service delivery

Leadership

Councillors


Asset management


Targeted Officials






The material presented will have immediate usefulness to the learners and be relevant to their

work.





1. Understand and apply concepts of participatory planning, place-based leadership and a range of

community development approaches that promote broad citizen participation in planning and

managing growth and development in local communities.


2. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of a range of community engagement approaches and tools and develop the ability to select ‘fit-for-purpose’ engagement techniques.

3. Be equipped with a range of tools for problem solving, resolving conflicts and negotiating agreed outcomes and understanding the role of the community engagement facilitator in the local government planning context.

Subject content

Theme 1: Participatory Planning: theory and practice

Participatory planning concepts are discussed, including their history of use in the urban planning context. Participatory planning as an urban planning paradigm emphasises the involvement of the entire community in the strategic and management processes of urban planning or of community-level planning processes, whether urban or rural. It is often considered as part of community development.

Community development is a process that involves the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that together build a community’s capacity to respond to identified issues (Pugh and Saggers 2007). Focus is placed on the actions taken by people to improve the social, economic, environmental or cultural conditions of their communities, however these are defined – by geography, common interest or a combination of the two. Once people are working together, this can help them to take action to address inequalities in power and participation, deal directly with issues they think are important, and promote increased local democracy, participation and involvement in public affairs.

Participants discuss and debate the role that a ‘focus on community’ has in the work of government in Punjab, and whether there is a process of increased community involvement, possibly following on recognition of the adverse effects flowing from national and provincial government policies that have been based on privatisation and ‘small government’, economic restructure and competition policy, corporate government and the ‘new managerialism’ which became known as New Public Management.

Links are made between public sector leadership, place based leadership and participatory planning, with place-based leadership viewed as an approach that strives to release the community and business energies of a locality (Hambleton and Howard, 2013). The intention is that if this can be achieved, the total resources available to improve the local quality of life can be increase, even if state spending is shrinking.

Participants are encouraged to consider how this approach to place-base leadership can assist in promoting public sector innovation, with the ‘innovation zones’ at the intersection of political leadership, managerial or professional leadership and community and business leadership.

Public participation or community engagement is considered at a broader level, including its history over the past few decades and experiences internationally. Participants are introduced to key theoretical concepts, such as Arnstein’s (1969) Ladder of Participation and the Spectrum of Public Participation (IAP2) (International Association of Public Participation 2004). The latter puts forward a model of increasing levels of public impact from:

informing (providing the public with balanced and objective information to assist them in understanding the problem, alternatives and/or solution);

to consulting, which aims to obtain public feedback on analysis, alternatives and/or decision;

to involving, which implies working directly with the public throughout the process to ensure that public concerns and aspirations are consistently understood and considered;

to collaborating, which involves partnering with the public in each aspect of the decision including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution;

and at its most impactful level to empowering, which places final decision-making in the hands of the public.


Theme 2: Contextualisation

Participants consider constitutional, demographic, socio-economic and political factors pertaining to Pakistan as a whole and Punjab in particular in order to provide a context for strategic and land use planning. Consideration is given examining the spatial development challenges in Punjab. These include (Government of Punjab, 2016):

The absence of a spatial lens through which infrastructure proposals are assessed in order to align with province-level strategic goals

A poor business environment, a growing technology/skill gap and a scarcity of desirable industrial land, in part due to patterns of urban expansion

The necessity of people and goods to travel long distances due to local level master plans not being followed or being unevenly implemented.

Participants examine and discuss key policies and legislation, such as the Punjab Spatial Strategy (Government of Punjab, 2016), the Punjab Local Government Act 2013, and initiatives such as the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (Asian Development Bank, 2016). Participants also consider how Pakistan as a whole is described and discussed in international reports such as the annual reports of the World Bank (see World Bank 2016).

Participants engage in defining local communities, including engaging with vulnerable groups (youth, women, culturally diverse) and key stakeholders.

Case study: participatory planning approaches are considered in light of the Asian Development Bank Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program (ADB, 2016), which aims to improve the quality of life for residents living in selected cities (including Sialkot and Sahiwal) through targeted investments in infrastructure and accompanying improvements in service delivery efficiency.

Theme 3: Tools and techniques

Collective Impact (Choperana, 2014) is an approach that recognises that social problems and their solutions arise from the interaction of many organisations within a larger system. Large scale impact depends on increasing cross-sector alignment and learning among many organisations, with the corporate and government sectors as essential partners. Five conditions that are needed for a Collective Impact approach are (Hanleybrown et al 2012):

A common agenda – all participants have a shared vision for change

Shared measurement to ensure that efforts remain aligned and participants hold each other accountable

Mutually reinforcing activities, recognising that while participant activities are differentiated, they are still being coordinated through a mutually reinforcing plan of action

Continuous communities, which is needed to build trust, assure mutual objectives and create common motivation

Backbone support, with ideally a separate organisation with staff and a specific set of skills to serve as the backbone for the entire initiative and coordinate participating organisations and agencies.

Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) is discussed and workshopped as an approach to sustainable community-driven development that links micro-assets to the macro-environment. ABCD build on the assets that are already found in the community, and mobilises individuals, associations and institutions to come together to build on their assets, not concentrate on their needs and problems.

Tools for empowering communities to influence local decision making that have been discussed in the international literature include (Pratchett et al 2009):

Asset transfer, which is a mechanism for community management and/or ownership of assets


and social enterprise

Citizen governance, which focuses on the roles of citizens or community representatives on partnerships, boards and forms that are charged with decision-making about public services and public policy

Participatory budgeting, which is a form of deliberative participation in communities that facilitates citizens’ involvement in making decisions on devolved budgets.

These approaches are discussed and debated, with participants considering their applicability to their local communities.

Assessment summary



In-class test 70% Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key

participatory planning concepts



Learning Resources


Arnstein, S.R. 1969, A ladder of citizen participation, Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 35(4), pp. 216-224.


Center for Civic Engagement 2015, What is Asset Based Community development (ABCD)?, Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois, http://www.abcdinstitute.org/

Choperana, S. 2014, Collective Impact: The theory and the practice. Community Centres, South Australia.


Hambleton, R. and Howard, J. 2013, Place-based leadership and public service innovation, Local Government Studies, 39(1), pp 47-70.

Hanleybrown, F., Kania, J. and Kramer, M. 2012, Channelling change: Making collective impact work, Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2012, pp. 1-8.

International Association for Public Participation, 2004, IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum.

Pratchett, L., Durose, C. and Lowndes, V. 2009, Empowering communities to influence local decision making. Department for Communities and Local Government, London.


http://www.abcdinstitute.org/






LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP Subject details

Subject Name Local Government Leadership

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

local government leadership 2

Subject description

The transformation of local government in the Punjab includes strengthening the social contract between state and society. Local government has a pivotal role in building community trust and confidence in a post-conflict affected context and strong leaders across government levels are required to facilitate and support an appropriate style of governance in order to effectively respond to the needs of the population.

Local government in the Punjab requires leaders who can enable effective strategic planning and management processes, can communicate and collaborate well and can understand and apply appropriate leadership styles and qualities to given situations. This subject aims to develop the leadership capability of local government officials in order to help them to better understand the role of local government to lead effectively for their organisation and their communities.

Undertaking this subject will provide local government officials with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead effectively and ethically in service of public good.


This subject has links with several of the other subjects offered, including:

Local Government Management and Governance



Service Delivery

Ideally, participants would participate in several of these subjects in a systematic approach to capacity building for public officials in the Punjab.

Targeted Officials

Public officials in local, district and provincial levels with management and supervisory roles

Public officials in local, district and provincial levels who have been identified as emerging future leaders

Public officials in local, district and provincial levels who aspire to roles with greater leadership requirements




The training environment will be welcoming and respectful so that learners are encouraged to participate, including having confidence to engage in self-reflection.


Training presentation will be engaging and respectful, giving learners the opportunity to share their experiences, grow and develop and apply the learnings to their work spheres.


1. Develop an understanding of the unique elements of leadership within the public sector and specifically local government, including the ability to connect the concepts of ‘public value creation’ and leading for ‘the common good’ with the changing context for Pakistan.

2. Identify and assess current leadership issues for Pakistani local government that apply to case study examples and participant experience through the lens of leadership theory.

3. Acquire new knowledge and practice in personal and professional leadership skills and develop an action plan that identifies areas for continuing professional development.


class discussions

presentations


peer coaching

reflection logs

Subject content

Theme 1 Public Sector Leadership in Local Government

Concepts of Public Sector Leadership: Exploring perspectives on public sector leadership using ideas on the principles and foundations of public service and research by Vogel and Masal (2011) that has extensively mapped literature on public leadership. This provides examples of the different types of paradigms that have shaped public leadership in the past, an overview of the current types of leadership to shape contemporary societies and suggestions for new and emerging leadership mode that public sectors around the world are moving towards that incorporates a more facilitative and community-focused approach. By relating these examples to the context of the Punjab, participants are able to start to formulate a historical narrative for Pakistani public sector leadership in a local government context.

Approaches for public sector leadership: Looking at different theories and frameworks that can help to frame the context for leadership capabilities required of Pakistani public sector leaders. Drawing on:

o Vogel and Masal’s (2011) four perspectives on public leadership; Functionalist – Behavioural – Biographical – Reformist.

o Nalbandian and O’Neill’s (2013) work on contemporary challenges in local government


which identifies the skill of working at the administrative and political intersection, being able to work collaboratively and engage effectively

o Crosby and Bryson’s (2005) ‘Leadership for the Common Good’ framework that identifies several capability areas that apply to public service leaders.

Place approaches and Public Value creation: Drawing on Mark Moore’s (2003) concept of ‘public value’ can help contemporary public sector leaders to understand how government work is valued by different stakeholders and what implications this has for leadership. Participants will apply the concept of public value to their own context and look at the skills required for public value creation when implementing local initiatives in Pakistan such as the ability to be proactive, have a community focus and understand political and legislative perspectives.

Ethical Leadership: This session invites participants to explore their own values and motivations for wanting to be effective public sector leaders in Pakistan. Participants complete Senge’s (1994) values exercise and then discuss how their personal values align with their organisational principles and values of public service. This is related to participant experience of ethical or moral duty when leading for community outcomes.

Theme 2 Leadership theory and the local government context

Management vs leadership: This looks at the different elements of management capability as contrasted with leadership capability. As argued by Kotter (1990), leadership requires a different set of activities that relate more to producing change and movement rather than the order and consistency that is provided by a more managerial style. Participants are invited to look at this through the lens of their own context and assess themselves on this trajectory.

Leadership theory and styles: A review of some of the key leadership theories over the past century helps participants to formulate their own vision of what makes a good leader. Different notions such as heroic leaders, trait theories, behaviourist theories, situational leadership, contingency theory and on to transactional and transformational leadership offers insights into the qualities of successful leaders. The growing importance in leadership theory of being able to respond to different situations and contexts is applied to local government leaders and the participants individual contexts.

Facilitative and collaborative leadership : An exploration of what constitutes a facilitative leadership style for Pakistani public officials if facilitative leaders are dedicated to group purpose, broad and long term perspectives, commonalities and alliance building (Ford and Green, 2012) and a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of adopting a collaborative approach when designing and implementing community and organisational initiatives.

Participant leadership challenge contexts: Working in small groups, this session explores different challenge areas that the participants describe from their own experience. Examples might be from a range of areas such as: dealing with elected representatives; advocating for vulnerable members of the community; working with limited resources and finances; managing and leading staff; building trust and collaboration with stakeholders; building gender equity in leadership positions. By exploring these different case studies, participants can build a picture of the key contextual challenge areas for Pakistani public sector leaders.


Theme 3 Developing Personal and Professional Leadership Skills

Communication strategies and presenting with confidence: Leadership can be developed by understanding our own actions and behaviours and their impact on others. Goleman’s (1996) work on emotional intelligence provides a framework for participants to understand self-awareness and the importance of good interpersonal and communication skills to effective leadership. Participants are able to build on this to understand the barriers and enablers of good communication, using examples from their own experience. Tips for presenting effectively help build personal communication skills in ‘verbal’ (structure, content, messaging), ‘visual’ (body language, hand gestures, posture) and ‘vocal’ (tone, clarity, pronunciation).

Handling conflict and building resilience: Drawing on conflict management styles and strategies from modern management theory (Schermerhorn et al 2014), participants explore strategies that result in lose-lose conflict, win-lose conflict and win-win conflict and discuss leadership and negotiation approaches that can help lead towards a productive and equitable outcome. Being accountable for positive outcomes in sometimes difficult contexts requires a level of leadership resilience and participants explore techniques for building their own resilience using a strengths based approach (Rath, 2008).

Presentations : Working in groups of four, each participant has 45minutes to plan and deliver a 5 minute presentation on a leadership area relevant to their professional role that includes a description of the context, an assessment of the challenge for public sector leadership and an overview of the leadership skills required for them to lead this area effectively.

Peer feedback and leadership action plan : Using the GROW coaching model (Goal, current Reality, Options/Obstacles, Way Forward, participants work in pairs to provide feedback and ideas to each other on the previous presentations. Each participant then completes a personal action plan for their ongoing leadership development outlining skills and training areas required.


Presence and Participation 20 Demonstrate taking responsibility for own learning and development through active participation in the subject

Reflection Journal 30 Complete a half-page reflection log after each day to capture key insights, and demonstrate ability to reflect on own learning

Presentation 50 Plan and deliver a 5 minute presentation to a small group on day 3 of the subject to demonstrate understanding of a leadership challenge area and practice presentation skills



Minimum 90% attendance, which is ascertained by means of a sign-on sheet for every session

References

Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A. and Dennison, P (2003) A review of leadership theory and competency frameworks, Centre for Leadership Studies, Exeter

Crosby, B. & Bryson, J. (2005) A leadership framework for cross-sector collaboration, Public Management Review, vol. 7, no. 2, pp.177-201.

Goleman, D (1996) Emotional intelligence : why it can matter more than IQ , London, Bloomsbury

Kotter, J. P. (1990) A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs from Management. New York: Free Press

Moore, M., & Khagram, S. (2004) On creating public value : what business might learn from government about strategic management, Working Paper No. 3, Harvard University.

Nalbandian, J., O'Neill R., Wilkes, J.M., Kaufman, A. (2013) Contemporary challenges in local government: evolving roles and responsibilities, structures, and processes, Public Administration Review, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 567-574.

Schermerhorn, J. R., Davidson, P., Poole, D., Simon, A., Woods, P. and Chau, S. L. (2011). Management: Foundations and Applications. Ist Asia-Pacific Edition John Wiley & Sons

Senge, P. M. (1994). The Fifth discipline fieldbook: strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York, Currency, Doubleday



http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/product/142


LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION AND REGULATION Subject details Subject Name Local government legislation and regulation

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

As the provider of essential services at the local level and as the site of local democracy, local governments form a vital part of Pakistan’s governing arrangements. Local government managers and executives are often extremely familiar with the details of regulation that govern their operational areas, however, a broader understanding is required of both the principles for organising intergovernmental relations and of the regulatory architecture within which local governments operate. This is particularly the case when examining options for local government reform, inclusive of the relations between local government as democratic entities and public and private service providers.

Following from an examination of the principles of intergovernmental relations, this subject provides participants with an understanding of the legislative and regulatory environment and the capacity to critically reflect upon this in comparative international perspective.

Local government legislation and regulation 2



Service delivery



Asset management

Procurement

Contract management

Ideally, participants would participate in several of these subjects in a systematic approach to capacity building for public officials in the Punjab.

Targeted Officials

Senior public officials at local, district and provincial levels; private suppliers of goods and services to local.








1. Provide participants with an understanding of the principle ways of conceiving intergovernmental relations and the importance of local government, particularly in federal systems such as that of Pakistan.

2. Provide participants with access to and understanding of the principle elements of law relevant to local government regulation in the Punjab.

3. Provide participants with an understanding of how the principles of intergovernmental relations and local government can inform reform efforts for more democratic, sustainable local government, in particular the twin policy goals of continued devolution of urban development.



Oral presentations

Class discussions

Small group activities

Case study presentation and analysis

Subject content

Theme 1:Understanding local government intergovernmental relations: Key concepts and justifications

In any modern system of government citizens, private sector actors and civil officials themselves are faced with an increasingly complex regulatory environment which is nevertheless ‘path dependent’ or ‘context-specific’. The details of these systems are unquestionably important and task-specific. However, just as important is to be equipped with an understanding of ways of conceptualising intergovernmental relations and particularly the role of local government. As an introduction to understanding intergovernmental relations we examine the concepts of initiative and immunity and the idea of the new localism and the relationship between these and democratic practice through the work of Pratchett (2004).

As much as practitioners of local government are fond of singing the praises of local government itself, it has to be recognised that local government is by definition the lowest tier of government, or at least the lowest substantial tier of local government. Shah and Shah (2006) provide an account of the main contributions to conceptual perspectives on local governance and central-local relations. This includes Stigler’s (1957) principles for jurisdictional design; Olson’s (1969) principle of fiscal equivalency; Oates (1972) correspondence principle and his decentralisation theorem, the principle of subsidiarity and the role of governments in Tiebout’s (1956) pure theory of public expenditure.

A more specific understanding of intergovernmental relations is provided through examining the analytical underpinnings of the roles and responsibilities of local governments. Again, a good, representative discussion of the literature is provided by Shah and Shah (2006) which provides empirical detail in comparative international perspective. This includes the perspectives of: traditional fiscal federalism; new public management; public choice; new institutional economics; and, network forms of local governance. We also discuss the normative assignment of spending responsibilities across a range of governmental functions generally, focusing specifically on local government, alongside the assignment of taxing powers and the concept of citizen-centred local government. This material ought to be seen as adjacent to discussions of local government management and governance and those concerned with local government finance. Specific attention is also paid to the legal status of local governments in emerging economies by way of the more specific consideration of Pakistan and Punjab particularly.

Theme 2: Local government in Punjab: Legal & regulatory context

History of local government in Pakistan and Punjab: It is a cliché to state that any understanding of the future must include a comprehension of the past and this is no less true of local government in Pakistan than anywhere else. As a consequence drawing principally from Alam’s (2013) account, we remind ourselves of the four periods of local government and the intimate relationship that local government systems have had with periods of military rule 1947-58; 1958-69 ‘Basic Democracy’ system of General Ayub Khan; 1969-1979; and, 1979-1988 the


local government system introduced by General Zia-al-Haq. We also discuss the devolutionary impulses at the behest of international development agencies. We then examine the DOPP reforms of 2001-2009, inclusive of the two local government elections in that period (2001 and 2005) and the important role of the Local Councils Association of Punjab (LCAP) initiated in 2007 and the national association in 2009. Recent history is also discussed with participants.

Contemporary legislation and regulation in Pakistan and Punjab: This module examines the provisions of Article 140A of the Constitution of Pakistan (Islamic Republic of Pakistan 2016) which makes it mandatory for provincial administrations to devolve authority, power and resources to elected local governments, alongside the 18th Amendment to the Constitution introduced 20 April 2010 and the ensuing introduction of the Punjab Local Government Act 2013 (Government of Punjab 2013). The previous definitions of ‘immunity’ and ‘initiative’ are deployed to organise a critical discussion of the roles and responsibilities of local government and local government officials under the Act, inclusive of local financing arrangements. Associated legislation is also discussed (see DLG 2016).

Theme 3: Local government in Punjab: Public policy and reform context

Decentralisation and local governance project: Against the backdrop of the Government of Pakistan’s (12015) Pakistan 2025: One Nation – One Vision document, this module examines the ‘Local Government Strategy for Baluchistan, KPK, Punjab and Sindh Provinces produced under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP 2016) with specific reference to Punjab Province. The regulatory frameworks for: capacity development; institutional strengthening; and, supporting elements are examined in turn with reference to similar developments in other developmental contexts.

Sustainable urban development: The Government of Punjab (2015: 7) has acknowledged that ‘cities and towns have an important role in making Punjab competitive for investment and development by benefitting from a skilled labour force…[however]…a number of chronic problems…hold back their ability to reach potential’. Amongst the priority areas of public investment are the provision of clean drinking water and sanitation, solid waste management and the improvement of public health. The Urban Sector Planning and Management Services Unit (Pty.) Limited (Urban Unit), a public sector company owned by the Local Government and Community Development Department has organised a series of Pakistan Urban Forums since 2011, with the third held in Lahore in December 2015 (Pakistan Urban Forum 2015). Key features of the urbanisation of Pakistan, and Punjab in particular were identified as key discussion points at the forum (see, for example, ADB 2015; 2016; PD&D 2015a; 2015b). This module examines these discussion points and the promises and problems of appropriate scale and sustainable development of the Punjab’s developing urban centres.

Assessments

Assessment summary



In-class test (multiple-choice answers to 20 questions)

60 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key public administration concepts





A series of evaluation questions for all elements of the subject, including relevance of the material, delivery, co-production of learnings and assessment of delivery, based upon answers to Likert-scale questions, will be distributed for completion by participants. It will also include an assessment of the venue.

References & resources

Alam, M. 2013, Pakistan’s Devolution of Power Plan 2001: A brief dawn for local democracy? In: G.

Sansom and P. McKinlay [Eds.] New Century Local Government: Commonwealth Perspectives.

London: Commonwealth Secretariat, 44-57.

Asian Development Bank, 2015, Pre-feasibility study for Sialkot and Sahiwal Cities, REG-8556.

Asian Development Bank, 2016, Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program. URL: <

http://www.adb.org/projects/46526-001/main >. Consulted 10 February 2016.

DLG [Department of Local Government; Punjab Province] 2016). Home. URL: <

http://punjab.gov.in/local-government >. Consulted 22 September 2016.

DP&D [Department of Planning and Development, (Government of Punjab)]. 2015a. Punjab Intermediate

Cities’ Improvement Investment Program (PICIIP): City development concepts and strategy for

Sialkot, prepared with assistance from the Asian Development Bank Consultant Team.

DP&D [Department of Planning and Development, (Government of Punjab)]. 2015b. Punjab Intermediate

Cities’ Improvement Investment Program (PICIIP): City development concepts and strategy for

Sahiwal, prepared with assistance from the Asian Development Bank Consultant Team.

Government of Pakistan. 2015. Pakistan 2025: One Nation – One Vision. URL: <

http://www.pc.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pakistan-Vision-2025.pdf >. Consulted 22

September 2016.

Government of Punjab, 2015, Punjab Growth Strategy: Accelerating economic growth and improving

social outcomes: Executive Summary. Planning and Development Department, Government of the

Punjab, Lahore.

Government of Punjab. (2013). Punjab Local Government Act 2013. URL: <

http://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/ind143880.pdf >. Consulted 22 September 2016.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan (2016). Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. URL: <

http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/ >. Consulted 22 September 2016.

Oates, W. (1972). Fiscal Federalism. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

http://www.adb.org/projects/46526-001/main

http://punjab.gov.in/local-government

http://www.pc.gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Pakistan-Vision-2025.pdf

http://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/ind143880.pdf

http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/


Olson, M. (1969). The principle of fiscal equivalence: The division of responsibilities among different

levels of government. The American Economic Review, 59(2), 479-487.

Pratchett, L. 2004. Local autonomy, local democracy and the ‘new localism’. Political Studies 52: 358-

375.

Shah, A. and Shah, S. 2006. The new vision of local governance and the evolving roles of local

governments. In Shah, A. (Ed.). Local Governance in Developing Countries. Washington: The

World Bank, pp. 1-46.

Stigler, G. 1957. The tenable range of functions of local government. In Joint Economic Committee,

Subcommittee on Fiscal Policy, U.S. Congress (Ed.). Federal Expenditure Policy for Economic

Growth and Stability. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Tiebout, C. (1956). A pure theory of local expenditures. Journal of Political Economy, 64(5), 416-424.

UNDP [United Nations development Programme]. 2016. The local government strategy Baluchistan,

KPK, Punjab and Sindh Province Decentralisation and Local Government, Pakistan.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE Subject details

Subject Name Local Government Management and Governance

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

Local governments are public organisations in local communities, and, in a federation such as Pakistan, are the level of government closest to the people. As organisations, they represent an intersection between democracy at the local level and the tailoring of public goods and services to local needs and preferences.

The structure and functioning of organisations in this complex context presents unique challenges and opportunities for public officials, and this subject aims to empower local government managers with additional knowledge, skills and values to organise and manage their work in ways that are accountable to the public, and are efficiently delivered, effective in achieving their outcomes and innovative in the

local government management and governance 2

ways that they respond flexibly to changes in the natural, political, social and economic environments.



Service delivery


Local government leadership


Asset management

Procurement

Contract management

Ideally, participants would participate in several of these subjects in a systematic approach to capacity building for public officials in Punjab.

Targeted Officials






The material presented will have immediate usefulness to the learners and relevant to their work



1. Examine a range of approaches to public administration and governance and better understand

how these theories have shaped the nature and mission of public organisations, managerial

practice and models of leadership.

2. Explore public sector efficiency and effectiveness, accountability and equity, and local

governance.

3. Review the theoretical premises for integrating democratic values and citizenship into the ways

that public organisations and leaders take account of society and the public interest, and develop

competence in integrating these principles into their own work.



presentations

class discussions


case study presentation and analysis

Subject content

Theme 1: Theories of public administration and local governance

Drawing on the literature, an overview is provided of broad approaches to understanding public

service/administration/management or what might be termed ‘paradigms’. All the approaches

deal with questions of efficiency, effectiveness, accountability and equity, but do so in different

ways. In particular, there is value in comparing traditional public administration (developed from

the late 1800s and drawing strongly on the works of authors such as Max Weber), New Public

Management (which, particularly since the 1980s, has argued for a more managerial and market-

oriented framework for public services delivery), and New Public Governance (see Bourgon,

2007; Bryson et al., 2014).

A focus on governance - from at least the 1980s- that the role of ‘government’ in driving change

in urban regeneration has been recognised to be decreasing and instead there was the

realisation that policy networks and civil society were becoming increasingly important. As

opposed to hierarchical organisational decision-making, the new structures of governance are

seen to be horizontal networks of public, private and non-profit organisations (Bingham et al,

2005). Public administrators must manage complex networks, focus on inter-organisational

relationships by relying more heavily on interpersonal and inter-organisational processes, use

information technology and performance management effectively, and supply bottom-up

accountability to the public (Bingham, Nabatchi and O’Leary, 2005: 548). The influence of these

dynamics on the skills, attitudes and performance of public officials has been profound, and this

is debated with participants.

Case study – describe, discuss and debate the influence of New Public Management on the

Punjabi public sector (see Zia and Khan, 2013, Drivers of public sector reforms in Pakistan).

Theme 2: Accountability, local democracy and management

The debate around good governance and ethical practice in the local public management is

characterised by a range of different perspectives. Some commentators argue strongly for a

multi-component structural framework based on conformance and private sector control models,

whereas others reject such approaches and declare the audit, control and supervision paradigm

a failure. Some take a more multifactorial approach, arguing that the individual, the organisation

and the broader political environment is the right domain for examining ways to improve

corporate ethics (Achterstraat 2013). One way of dealing with the challenge of strengthening

corporate governance and ethical practice is to develop and implement an evidenced-based


integrity plan which focuses on embedding positive values which change behaviour (Evans

2012). Taking these points into consideration, there is discussion of the good governance

initiatives undertaken in Punjab, also in light of the decentralisation principles legislated via the


Key aspects of the logics of performance management include that there is an activity or set of

activities (intervention, program, policy) which is the object of the performance management

effort. Second, there is measurement of one or more aspects of that activity. Third, the

measurements generate data, usually but not always numerical data. Fourth there is the

application of some set of criteria to the data in order to endow them with meaning – to turn them

into information. Finally, there is the use (or misuse, or non-use) of the data by various concerned

actors, including operational service delivery staff, managers, politicians, service users, the

media and the general public (Pollitt, 2013). The performance management processes

undertaken in municipal management in the Punjab are discussed in light of these criteria.

Community engagement is a key element in pursuing democratic practice in the public service,

and there is a range of innovative methods and models for citizen involvement in order to create

public value in local government (see Ryan, 2014).

Case study – examine the Commonwealth Local Government Forum’s (CLGF) Aberdeen

Agenda: Commonwealth principles on good practice for local democracy and good governance.

To what extent are these principles applicable to Pakistan and Punjab in particular?

Theme 3: Capacity and capacity building

The term ‘capacity’ can be used to refer to how factors of production (human resource capacity,

the capacity to anticipate and influence change, and technical assistance, research and

education) are being utilised at a point in time and how they might be converted if there was the

need to meet additional demands. The quality of management is ‘a major determinant of how

effectively a unit of government utilizes the capacity it has’ (Honadle 2001: 81).

Decentralisation in South Asian countries such as Pakistan has resulted in the establishment of

local government institutions, provision of their constitutional recognition and empowerment. As

part of democratization, the local bodies have elected representatives, who determine the

policies and strategies and executive wing implements and carries out day-to-day functions. The

foremost challenge for effective local governance is to enhance the capabilities of local bodies

and staffing by officials who are adequately trained and equipped for the tasks assigned to them.

Values, knowledge and skills required for leading and managing in a political environment are

essential in this quest. Essential outcomes for capacity building among local government

managers are a strong knowledge and database, effective long-term financial and asset

management, a strong and ethical governance structure, and consistent engagement with

citizens.

Participants can be encouraged to undertake a stocktake of organisational and sector capacity,

drawing upon understandings of public administration/management and governance, and through

the use a conceptual framework such as the following:


Source: UTS:CLG 15608 Organising and Managing in Local Government, designed by R. Woods and R. Ryan

The capacity to take on additional challenges and responsibilities requires managers to have a

holistic view of the current and future issues facing their communities and countries. In Pakistan,

there is value in considering national goals as set out in the Pakistan 2015: One Nation – One

Vision policy initiative (Government of Pakistan, 2014), and then to focus also upon the particular

challenges of Punjab (see Asian Development Bank, 2016).

The subject ends with a summary statement of key strategic goals for the participants, drawing

upon their adoption of the conceptual framework (above) and of the current and future issues

facing the country, and Punjab in particular.

Assessments

Assessment summary



In-class test (multiple-choice answers to 20 questions)

70 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key public administration concepts


strong and ethical

governance structure

effective long-term

financial and asset

management

a skilled workforce

strong knowledge

and database

engagement with its

community

appreciation of historical

antecedents, opportunities

and constraints

current governance capacity, drawing on institutional, political,

technical, administrative and human resources

capacity to take on additional

challenges and responsibilities


Minimum 90% attendance, which is ascertained by means of a sign-on sheet for every session

Learning Resources


Achterstraat, P. 2013, The Corporate Governance Lighthouse – An Integrated Governance Framework for Public Sector Organisations, Keeping Good Companies. September 2013: 452-456.

Asian Development Bank, 2016, Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program

Basu, A., 2015, The capacity of local government in South Asia, Public Policy and Administration, 14(3): 281-299.

Bingham, L.B., Nabatchi, T. and O’Leary, R. 2005, The New Governance: Practices and processes for stakeholder and citizen participation in the work of government. Public Administration Review, 65(5): 547-558.

Bourgon, J., 2007, Responsive, responsible and respected government: Towards a New Public Administration theory, International Review of Administrative Sciences, 73(1): 7-26.

Bryson, J.M., Crosby, B.C. and Bloomberg, L. 2014, Public value governance: Moving beyond Traditional Public Administration and the New Public Management. Public Administration Review, 74(4): 445-456.

Commonwealth Local Government Forum, 2013, The Aberdeen Agenda, http://www.clgf.org.uk/aberdeen-agenda/.

Evans, M. 2012, Beyond the integrity paradox – Towards ‘good enough’ governance? Policy Studies, 33(1), 97-113.

Government of Pakistan, 2014, Pakistan 2025: One Nation – One Vision, Planning Commission, Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, Islamabad.

Honadle, B.W. 2001, Theoretical and practical issues of local government capacity in an era of devolution. The Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, 31(1): 77-90.

Pollitt, C., 2013, The logics of performance management, Evaluation, 19(4): 346-363.


Ryan, R. 2014, Innovative citizen involvement for creating public value in local government. The Journal of African and Asian Local Government Studies, 3(1): 35-51.


Zia, Y.A. and Khan, M.Z., 2013, Drivers of public sector reforms in Pakistan: A comparison of NPM with alternative reform drivers, The Dialogue, 8(4): 452-459.


http://www.clgf.org.uk/aberdeen-agenda/




HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Subject details

Subject Name Human Resource Management

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Course location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

This subject focuses on capacity development for public officials in the province of Punjab in Pakistan. It equips public officials in this jurisdiction to better understand and address the opportunities, challenges and complexities of human resource management, with a particular focus on management at the sub-national level.

The subject addresses the following key themes:

How changes in society and the public service is impacting upon the 21st century public service workforce, and in particular, the local government workforce

Human resource management 2

Dealing with the challenges of globalisation

Public sector competencies and in particular, management competencies

Performance measurement and reporting

Capacity building and the public sector workforce.


Management experience



Service delivery



Asset management

Procurement

Contract management


Targeted Officials

Senior managers

Human resource officers







1. Expand participants’ conceptual understanding of human resource management at the sub-national government level.

2. Enable participants to develop the ability to link human resource management with service delivery, that is, with the delivery of public services, and with the principles and practices of public value, local governance, and public organisation and management.

3. Provide participants with additional skills and knowledge to be able to plan and operate within a performance measurement and reporting system, which can be applied fairly and uniformly to public service personnel guided by the underlying principles of improving the accountability of the public sector


to the citizens of the country.


presentations

facilitated discussions

case study analysis

group problem solving

practice performance management sessions

Subject content

Theme 1: The 21st century local government workforce

The subject is introduced by considering lessons from the academic and policy literature on

public service change, and how change is impacting on people working in these roles. Key trends

include that future public services will require a different set of workforce roles than in the past,

generic skills will be as important as technical skills for future local government workers and that

a state of ‘permanent austerity’ is both a catalyst and an inhibitor for change (Needham et al.,

2014).

A key issue for the 21st century municipal government is to be equipped to deal with the

challenges of globalisation. Restoring a measure of confidence in the legitimate role of the public

service at the municipal level is essential for nations dealing with the challenges of globalization,

and this include recruitment innovations, greater staffing flexibility and focusing on staff retention

and greater quality of life (Hays and Plagens, 2002).

Consider Pakistan and its goals, and in particular, initiatives in the Punjab, such as the Punjab

Growth Strategy 2018: Accelerating economic growth and improving social outcomes policy

initiative and its likely impacts on the public sector and local government service delivery.

Discussion – consider the challenges of municipal government in the Punjab, particularly in light

of decentralisation, and private/public partnership reforms and overall policy and strategic

directions (see e.g. Government of Punjab, 2015; Punjab Local Government Act 2013).

Theme 2: Competencies

Consider the literature on competencies for public administrators/managers, which suggests four

broad schools of thought: minimum abilities required to tackle specified jobs; the capacity of

organisations; behavioural traits associated with excellence; subject-expertise or individual

accomplishment (Lodge and Hood, 2005).

Draw on a typology of competencies for public managers: (Source: Bourgault et al, 2006):


Enable participants to discuss and debate these competencies, also by considering a desirable

mix of competencies for a team of public officials, including front line workers, working in a unit or

department at a local government.

Consider recruitment strategies in light of the debates and discussions held up to now.

Theme 3: Performance measurement and reporting

In this session, issues relating to accountability, efficiency (the relationships between inputs and

outputs) and effectiveness (outcomes achieved as compared to expectations) in the public sector

are discussed in some detail.

Performance measurement in local government refers primarily to those performance indicators of efficiency, effectiveness and equity that are intended to be used to improve rational decision-making in administrative and political processes (Johnsen, 2005). A suggested performance model focuses on the needs of stakeholders, policies and objectives, inputs, processes and outputs (which measure efficiency) and results or outcomes (which measure effectiveness and equity).

Challenges should also be considered, and these include critique of hierarchist, top-down, central command approaches, concerns about the effects of performance measurement on public policy, and critiques of an individualist public management culture.

Consider the importance of capacity building of the workforce, including enabling personnel to engage in learning and development programs.

Case study analysis of an extant performance measurement and reporting system.

Group discussion, which brings together the issues raised in this subject, namely the needs and challenges facing the 21st century local government workforce, competencies for public managers and the recruitment approaches that would work best in the given conditions, the strengths and challenges of a performance measurement and reporting system, and the


importance of capacity building.

Assessments

Assessment summary


Presence, participation and quality of practice work sessions

30 Demonstrate taking responsibility for own learning and development through active participation in the subject

In-class test (20 questions with multiple-choice answers, and only one correct)

70 Demonstrate understanding of human resource management at the sub-national government level



Learning Resources


Bourgault, J., Charih, M., Maltais, D. and Rouillard, L., 2006, Hypotheses concerning the prevalence of competencies among government executives, according to three organisational variables, Public Personnel Management, 35(2): 89-119.


Hays, S.W. and Plagens, G.K., 2002, Human resource management best practices and globalization: The universality of common sense. Public Organization Review, 2: 327-348.

Johnsen, 2005, What does 25 years of experience tell us about the state of performance measurement in public policy and management? Public Money and Management, 25(1): 9-17.

Lodge, M. and Hood, C., 2005, Symposium introduction: Competency and higher civil servants, Public Management, 83(4): 779-787.

Needham, C., Mangan, C. and Dickinson, H., 2014, The 21st century public service workforce: Eight lessons from the literature. Economic and Social Research Council, University of Birmingham.







CHANGE MANAGEMENT Subject details

Subject Name Change Management

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Course location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

This subject provides participants with intellectual and practical tools to help steer their organisations through changes that are occurring in the public sector in Punjab. Participants are introduced to the body of theory and practice relating to ‘change management’, which is the discipline that guides managers to prepare, equip and support their workers to successfully adopt change in order to drive organisational success and outcomes (Prosci, 2016).

The theory and practice of change management focuses on issues such as understanding (describing, analysing and predicting) change, and working with individuals and organisations through the change process. Recognising that change affects three of the most powerful drivers of work behaviour, namely purpose, identity and mastery, change management is about managing the impact of particular environmental and/or organisational changes on these core activators of workplace performance (Moran and Brightman, 2000).

This is an intensive subject, requiring full participation and the willingness to step up to the plate as a change leader, recognising that the management of change has become a highly required managerial skill in the public sector. Through a series of presentations and workshops, participants read about,

Change Management 2

discuss and debate theories and practices relating to organisational change, change management, and change leadership. They, integrate theory with practice by applying a model for managing successful organisation change in the public sector.


Management experience

This subject complements and integrates with several of the other subjects offered, including:

Leadership



Strategic and Land Use Planning

Service delivery


Professional Report-writing


Targeted Officials

Senior public officials at local, district and provincial levels

Managers working in units and departments of sub-national levels of government that are tasked with leading and managing change


The teaching and learning pedagogy is soundly based on adult education principles that include:


The material presented will have immediate usefulness to the learners and be relevant to their work.



1. Understand the intersection of policy, organizational and individual-level change in the public sector in Punjab

2. Demonstrate understanding of key concepts and models related to change management and change leadership

3. Develop change leadership stances and practices

4. Apply change management theory to practice

Change Management 3


Presentations

Discussions and debates

Facilitated workshops

Peer learning

Subject content

Theme 1: Change and change management

Context: Public sector reform in Punjab

Participants focus on public sector reform in Punjab, with a particular focus on changes affecting sub-national governance. Two initiatives are of particular note:

Punjab enacted the Punjab Local Government Act 2013 (since amended) following an order from the Supreme Court to fulfil this constitutional requirement. Local governments in Punjab are responsible for governance and delivery of key public services, including the provision, management, operation, maintenance and improvement of municipal infrastructure (Punjab Local Government Act 2013, Chapter VII). Supported by the United National Development Program’s ‘Decentralization and Local Governance Project’ (UNDP, 2016), initiatives have been undertaken to enhance the capacities of local governance institutions to function as appropriate, effective and efficient providers of public goods and services.

Supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ‘Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program’ aims to improve the quality of life of residents in selected cities of Punjab. The key outputs will be introduction of integrated urban planning; an improved institutional framework for urban services at the city level; strengthened business processes for the urban utilities; and improved urban infrastructure (ADB, 2015).

Organisational change

Change is an ever-present feature of modern-day organisations at both the operational and strategic level, suggesting that organisational change cannot be separated from organisational strategy (By, 2005: 369). Hallmarks of organisational change include (see Moran and Brightman, 2000):

Change consists of a series of closer and closer approximations to increasingly ambitious goals and can often seem confusing and endless.

Effective change interweaves multiple improvement efforts, including an enhanced focus on the client/customer, improving and managing work processes, and improving employee involvement.

Change must be top-down – to provide vision and create structure – as well as bottom-up – to encourage participation and generate support.

Unless people can integrate change on a personal level, they cannot sustain it organisationally, and this requires them to re-examine and adjust their own values and beliefs.

Measurement is essential for successful and sustainable change.

In the context of rapid technological, economic, environmental and demographic shifts, change has become ‘a normal and natural response to internal and environmental conditions’ and the management of change has become a highly required managerial skill (By, 2005: 371).

Change management

With its origin in the private sector, change management has been defined as ‘the process of continually

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renewing an organization’s direction, structure and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers’ (Moran and Brightman, 2000: 66). In their understanding of change, change managers can focus on the rate of change, how change comes about, and the scale of change.

Drawing on By (2005), change can be characterised on the basis of the rate at which it occurs:

Rate of change Characteristics

Discontinuous change Rapid shift in strategy, structure and/or culture, followed by consolidation

Incremental change Operational, on-going changes at the departmental level

Bumpy incremental change

Periods of relative serenity punctuated by acceleration in the pace of change at the operational/departmental level; also described as ‘punctuated equilibrium’

Continuous change Organisation-wide strategies focusing on the ability to adapt to the demands of both the external and internal environments

Bumpy continuous change

Periods of relative serenity punctuated by acceleration in the pace of change at the organisation-wide level

Several theories have been put forward on the determinants of change (By, 2005), with authors variously focusing on ‘planned change’ (often characterised as occurring in phases: from exploration, planning and action to integration); ‘emergent change’ (with change also perceived as a process of organisational learning); and the ‘contingency approach to change’, founded on the theory that the structure and performance of an organisation are dependent on the situational variables that it faces.

The literature characterises the scale of change follows (see By, 2005):

Fine-tuning or convergent change, with organisational change seen as an ongoing process to match the organisation’s structure, strategy, processes and people

Incremental adjustment, involving distinct modifications to management processes and organisational strategies, while eschewing radical change

Modular transformation, implying major shifts in one or several departments or divisions, which may be radical

Corporate transformation, implying a reformation of organisational mission and core values, including alterations to patterns of power and status.

Focus on the public sector

Participants apply concepts related to organisational change and change management to the public sector. Favoreu et al. (2015) identify three competing approaches in the literature:

1. The rational approach is based on the principles of the rationality of decision-making and the economic optimisation of choices. It assumes that the future of public organisations can be programmed, that analysis and reflection take place before any action, and that a mainly methodological and procedural view of change management works best to guarantee objectivity and the effectiveness of strategic choices.

2. The political approach suggests that strategic homogeneity is undermined by the existence of multiple local rationalities, each with its own intentions and interests. It suggests that the logics of conflict and the contest of competing interests guide and structure the dynamics of decision-making in any organisational environment. The political approach regards change as emergent, discontinuous, unstructured and incremental, and accepts that strategies and policies emerge from an ongoing process of bargaining and negotiation.

3. Collaborative strategic governance and management is an approach that has gained ground in recent years. It recognises that change results from complex interactions and exchanges that are established between networks of interdependent players, leading to the co-production of solutions and collective strategies. This approach is seen to be best able to manage the relatively complex social and environmental issues confronting the modern public sector, which includes

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the need to involve civil society and to pool the resources and expertise of multiple public and private organisations.

These approaches are described, discussed and debated in a presentation-workshop session with the participants. The aim is to consider which approach (or combination of approaches) is best suited to the participants’ organisational contexts in light of policy and legislative developments discussed earlier.

Theme 2: Change leadership

Change leaders

Public officials with change leadership roles face a paradox: they need to align their organisation with the current environment, which ensures stability and gives employees a sense of security, while at the same time promoting change to prepare for the environment of the future. Consequently, successful change leaders recognise that the cyclical process of change requires them to be skilled at ‘balancing order and chaos’ (Moran and Brightman, 2000). They need to present a clear vision for change in concrete terms that everyone can understand; lay out a practical, step-by-step plan for accomplishing the change; build momentum until a ‘critical mass’ of support for change is achieved, involving more and more people along the way; and create specific performance targets and measures.

To this end, skilled change leaders:

interact successfully with individuals and groups in order to explain the who, what, when, where, why and how of the change

acknowledge potential gaps between their understanding of the need for change, versus that of others

frame the change in terms of results for the organisation as a whole, as well as its effects on individual employees

foster and create an atmosphere in which people can test new practices and experiment with new ways of operating, while also not expecting everything to work out smoothly all the time

provide resources, tools and strategies to facilitate change

serve as role models who display a constant dedication to making change a reality, remaining patient when pushing for change, while securing the right of their people to also question, disagree and make mistakes.

Change leadership stances and actions are discussed with the participants in connection with their work units and departments. They are supported in discussing the challenges and well as the strengths they currently have in managing change, while being open about areas for learning and development.

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A public sector leadership model for change management

A public sector leadership model for change management (Fernandez and Rainey, 2006) is presented and workshopped. It is based on eight interconnected ‘change factors’:

Change factor

Task for the change manager

Discussion

1 Verify and persuasively communicate the need for change

Craft a compelling vision for change. Take advantage of mandates, political windows of opportunity, and external influences to disseminate information about the change. Persuade employees of the urgency for change.

2 Develop a strategy for implementing change

A change strategy serves as a road map for the organisation, offering direction on how to arrive at the preferred end sate, identifying obstacles, and proposing measure for overcoming those obstacles.

3 Build internal support for change and reduce resistance to it

Successful leaders understand that change involves a political process of developing and nurturing support from major stakeholders and organisational members. They recognise that widespread participation in the change process is essential for achieving productive outcomes.

4 Nurture a ‘champion’ who can lead the transformation

The ‘champion for change’ can be an individual or a guiding coalition. In the public sector, support for change often requires a coalition of top-level career civil servants and politically-appointed executives.

5 Develop support from political overseers and key external stakeholders

The impact of these actors on the outcome of the change effort stems in part from their ability to impose statutory changes and to control the flow of resources that are vital to public organisations.

6 Redeploy scarce organisational resources

When multiple changes are implemented as part of a comprehensive reform agenda (such as a decentralisation agenda), multiple organisational changes interact with one another. The result is synergies, which increase the likelihood that all changes will be implemented successfully; and trade-offs, which create winners and losers.

7 Institutionalise change New policies and innovations must be incorporated into daily routines. This involves changes to the behaviours of organisational members. Many argue that a rapid pace of change can help to overcome public sector inertia and cope better with the reality of frequent shifts in political leadership and the short tenures of political appointees.

8 Achieve subsystem congruence

Implementing multiple changes without understanding the structure and nature of the interconnections among subsystems can result in additional costs and a longer implementation period. From its inception, therefore, the change process requires changes to the subsystems of the organisation to be aligned with the desired end state.

Source: based on Fernandez and Rainey (2006)

Focusing on the individual employee

Participants focus on the individual employee and the impacts of the change on his/her self-image and attitudes to work. Change affects three of the most powerful drivers of work behaviour, namely ‘purpose’, ‘identity’ and ‘mastery’ (Moran and Brightman, 2000). Change managers need to understand and work with the impacts of environmental and/or organisational changes on these interconnected aspects of the performance of their employees. Understanding employees’ reactions to planned organisation change is essential because their resistance to the change can severely hamper the change process – it has been associated with decreased job satisfaction, productivity and wellbeing; and increased absenteeism,

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corrupt practices and turnover (van Dam et al., 2008).

The reduction of employee resistance to change is enhanced by specific features of the change process, including timely and accurate provision of information, plentiful opportunities for consultation and involvement, and diffusion of trust in the management’s vision for the change (Van Dam, 2008: 317).

Participants critically discuss their recent experiences of management approaches with their employees in the context of policy and political reforms. They consider means to reduce employees’ resistance to change, while enhancing employees’ acceptance of, and participation in, the change processes in their work units and departments.

Theme 3: Applying theory to practice

The challenge put forward to participants is to brainstorm, outline and put forward a change management approach that would empower and better enable the local council of a medium-sized city in Punjab (such as Sialkot or Sahiwal) to improve the provision, management, operation and maintenance of municipal infrastructure and services in keeping with policy initiatives (ADB, 2016).

Small group activity

Participants divide into eight small groups. Each group works together over a two hour period in order to apply the ‘Factors of change’ model of change discussed in Theme 2. Each group produces a maximum three-page briefing paper focusing on each respective ‘factor’, one group per factor.

Following the small group activity, each group reports back verbally to the class as a whole in a 5 minute presentation. Each group receives a mark for their written and verbal presentations (see assessments below).

Whole-of-class activity

All participants work together for maximum two hours to combine their efforts and produce a ‘Blueprint for Change Management’ for the local council of Sialkot or Sahiwal in light of the need to develop an integrated urban planning strategy for these growth cities in the context of the Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program’ (ADB, 2016). A maximum 2-page document is produced to summarise this ‘Blueprint’. This is assessed, with a mark given for the class as a whole.

Summary, conclusion, evaluation

Summary of the key themes, discussing implications for the participants’ own work roles, units/departments and organisations, and participants’ formal evaluation of the subject

Assessments

Assessment summary



Small group activity: 3-page briefing and verbal presentation

40% Demonstrate the ability to practically apply learnings relating to change management in the public sector

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Whole-of-class activity: 2-page summary of a Blueprint for Change Management

30% Demonstrate the ability to practically apply learnings relating to organisational change and change leadership in the public sector


100% attendance is required for this intensive subject, which is ascertained by means of a sign-on sheet for every session.

Learning Resources

Key readings and examples of reports include:

Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2016, Punjab Intermediate Cities Improvement Investment Program, http://www.adb.org/projects/46526-001/main.

By, R. T., 2005, Organisational change management: A critical review, Journal of Change Management, 5(4): 369-380.

Fernandez, S. & Rainey, H.G., 2006, Managing successful organizational change in the public sector, Public Administration Review, 66(2): 168-176.

Moran, J.W. and Brightman, B.K., 2000, Leading organizational change. Journal of Workplace Learning, 12(2): 66-74.

Prosci, 2016, Best Practices in Change Management, Fort Collins CO, https://www.prosci.com/change-management/what-is-change-management .


United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2016, The Local Government Strategy Balochistan, KPK, Punjab and Sindh Province. Decentralization and Local Governance Project, Pakistan, UNDP.

Van Dam, D., Oreg, S. and Schyns, B., 2008, Daily work contexts and resistance to organisational change: The role of leader-member exchange, development climate and change process characteristics, Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57(2): 313-334.




http://www.adb.org/projects/46526-001/main

https://www.prosci.com/change-management/what-is-change-management

https://www.prosci.com/change-management/what-is-change-management


Change Management 9

LOCAL FINANCE Subject details

Subject Name Local Government Finance

Subject Code/number

Unit/Credit Points

Location


Name and Title

E-mail



Office location

Faculty description

Subject description

This subject helps practitioners manage local government for financial sustainability. To ensure adequate service levels local government officials need to be expert in securing appropriate revenue for delivery. Understand key economic concepts relating to local government expenditure, such as economies and diseconomies of scale, density and scope, cost-shifting, rent-seeking, taxation exporting, hard and soft budget constraints, and competition are crucial to that end.

Participants will be provided with appropriate pedagogy and scaffolding so that they can gain an appreciation of how this body of scholarly work can be translated into practice.

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Educational and/or professional background in the field of business, economics, accounting, commerce or public administration.

The subject material is complementary to the following subjects:

Local Government Audit

Asset Management

Procurement

Contract management

Targeted Officials

Senior public officials at local, district and provincial levels of government.



Based on adult education principles, including:

Reciprocal learning

Active participation

Opportunities to apply theory to practice


1. Understand the principles of efficient, equitable and sustainable local government revenue raising and how these principles might be translated into practice.

2. Understand key economic concepts relating to local government expenditure, such as economies and diseconomies of scale, density and scope, cost-shifting, rent-seeking, taxation exporting, hard and soft budget constraints, and competition. Participants will be provided with appropriate pedagogy and scaffolding so that they can gain an appreciation of how this body of scholarly work can be translated into practice.

3. Understand the importance of constructing a comprehensive suite of performance monitoring metrics in order to enhance transparency, performance and accountability. In addition, participants will be educated on the importance of robust design of metrics in order to avoid unintended outcomes and deleterious ratchet, threshold, and strategic effects.

Teaching and learning objectives

Presentation of theory drawn from the corpus of scholarly literature

Group work on applying theory

Case study, presentation and analysis

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Subject content

Theme 1: Local Government Revenue

We draw on the work of Oates (2001), Drew and Dollery (2015a) and Grant and Drew (forthcoming) in order to explicate on the principles of sound taxation design. In particular, we emphasise the need to ensure both equity and efficiency in design (Drew and Dollery, 2016a). To this end, we discuss regressive and progressive taxation and the suitability of same for sub-national government. We also examine the economic rationale for revenue capture and developer levies and demonstrates how these principles can be applied to ensure that development occurs in a manner which delivers the highest social and economic value (Grant and Drew, forthcoming).

Drawing on the work of Grant and Drew (forthcoming) and Dollery, Crase and Johnson (2006) we explicate on the two critical factors for sustainable funding of local government supplied private, merit and positive externality goods: Nexus and Subsidiarity. Participants are provided with the pedagogical scaffolding required to apply these principles to revenue raising at their local government entity.

Intergovernmental grant transfers are critical for the efficient, equitable and cohesive operation of any federation (Drew and Campbell, 2016). In particular, horizontal fiscal equalisation and redress of vertical fiscal imbalance are appropriate goals of any system of grant transfers. We explore important design features of grant transfers along with appropriate robust empirical methods for achieving same (see, also Drew and Dollery, 2014; Oates, 1999, Ladd and Yinger, 1989).

Theme 2: Local Government Expenditure

We will provide a thorough grounding in the economic concepts of economies and diseconomies of scale, scope and density drawing on the work of Drew, Kortt and Dollery (2014); Drew and Dollery (2014b) and Drew, Kortt and Dollery (2015). Moreover, we explain how these economic concepts might be applied in order to improve the technical efficiency of local government service provision. We also briefly discuss how scale and efficiency can be estimated using econometric and data envelopment methodologies.

Drawing on Grant and Drew (forthcoming) and Dollery, Crase and Johnson (2006) we explain important mechanisms which have a deleterious effect on local government budget outlays, including inter alia, cost-shifting and rent-seeking. Moreover, we provide solutions to these problems.

The scholarly literature has long identified the importance of legislated and regulatory mechanisms to control expenditure (see, for instance, Oates, 1999, 2005; Tiebout, 1956; Brennan and Buchanan, 1980). We explicate on this large body of scholarly work before exploring how it can be applied to the particular challenges faced by local government in Pakistan.

Theme 3: Performance Monitoring

Performance monitoring can play a crucial role in enhancing transparency, accountability and efficiency of government. Drawing on Grant and Drew (forthcoming) we make a case for performance monitoring as the important third element of sub-national finance.

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However, if poorly designed, performance monitoring can lead to unintended consequences, including inter alia perverse outcomes, deliberate data distortion, and erosion of public service motivation (see, for instance, Drew and Grant (forthcoming), Drew and Dollery (2015b), and Drew and Dollery (2015c)). We provide a thorough explication of the problems which might occur along with a framework for performance monitoring design which negates potential problems.

Assessments

Assessment summary


Active participation in group learning

10 Participants actively participate in discussions which apply theory in a manner which demonstrates correct use of economic concepts

In class test (multiple choice 30 questions)

40 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key concepts from the local government finance literature

Two short essays (1500 words) on applying economic concepts to: (i) raise equitable, efficient and sustainable local government revenue and (ii) enhance the efficiency and sustainability of local government service expenditure.

50 Participants demonstrate higher order learning achieved by applying the scholarly principals learnt to particular revenue and expenditure challenges faced by their local government entity.


Full attendance and active participation is required over the entire subject and sign-on sheets will be kept to verify same.

Learning Resources

Brennan, G., & Buchanan, J. (1980). The power to tax: Analytical foundations of a fiscal constitution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Dollery, B., Crase, L. and Johnson, A. (2006). Australian Local Government Economics. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.

Drew, J. and Campbell, N. (2016). Autopsy of Municipal Failure: The Case of Central Darling Shire. Australasian Journal of Regional Science, 22(1): 81-104.

Drew J, Kortt MA, Dollery B (2014). Economies of scale and local government expenditure: Evidence from Australia. Administration & Society, 46(6): 632-653.

Drew, J., Kortt, M. and Dollery, B. (2015). No Aladdin’s Cave in New South Wales? Local Government Amalgamation, Scale Economies and Data Envelopment Specification. Administration & Society, DOI: 10.1177/0095399715581045.

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Drew, J. and B. Dollery. (2014a). Road to Ruin? Consistency, Transparency and Horizontal Equalisation of Road Grant Allocations in Eastern Mainland Australian States. Public Administration Quarterly, 39(3): 517-545.

Drew, J. and B. Dollery. (2014b). Would Bigger Councils Yield Scale Economies in the Greater Perth Metropolitan Region? A Critique of the Metropolitan Local Government Review for Perth Local Government. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 73(1): 128-137.

Drew, J. and Dollery, B (2015a). A Fair Go? A Response to the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s Assessment of Municipal Taxation in New South Wales. Australian Tax Forum, 30(3): 471-489.

Drew, J. and Dollery, B. (2015b). Summary Execution: The Impact of Alternative Summarization Strategies on Local Governments. Public Administration Quarterly, In Print (2/9/15).

Drew, J. and Dollery, B. (2015) Less Haste More Speed: The Fit for Future Reform Program in New South Wales Local Government. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 75(1): 78-88.

Drew, J. and Dollery B. (2016a) Careful What You Wish For: Rate-Capping in Victorian Local Government. Journal of Australian Taxation, 17(1): 139-167.

Drew, J. and Grant, B. (2016). Means, Motive and Opportunity: Distortion of Public Policy Making Performance Management Data. Australian Journal of Public Administration, In Print (8/9/16).

Grant, B. and Drew, J. (2016). Local Government in Australia: History, Theory and Public Policy. Springer Palgrave, In Print.

Ladd, H. and Yinger, J. (1989) America’s Ailing Cities – fiscal health and the design of urban policy. Marylands: John Hopkins University Press.

Oates, W. (1999). An Essay on Fiscal Federalism. Journal of Economic Literature, XXXVII, 1120–1149.

Oates, W. (Ed) (2001). Property Taxation and Local Government Finance. Cambridge: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.

Oates, W. (2005). Towards a second-generation theory of fiscal federalism. International Tax and Public Finance, 12: 349–373.

Tiebout, C. (1956). A pure theory of local expenditures. Journal of Political Economy, 64(5): 416-424.



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