The contracting out of government functions and services to external providers is an established practice in many developed and developing countries. On the one hand, it can offer essential support to states that have to deliver basic services urgently; on the other, it risks bypassing...

Government workforces are ageing even more rapidly than the rest of society. This raises specific challenges and opportunities. An ageing public service increases fiscal burdens while decreasing immediate capacities to deliver services. In the long run, however, it also offers a strategic...

This review is the first to analyse e-government at the country level using a revised framework designed to capture the new challenges faced by countries today. It highlights the richness of initiatives and actions taken by Denmark in relation to a number of areas, including the impact of...

This report presents an overview of country initiatives concerning efficient, effective public services and open and innovative government. It focuses on four core issues: delivery of public services in times of fiscal consolidation; a more effective and performance-oriented public service;...

Ireland's economic success story is one that many OECD countries would like to emulate. Of the many factors linked to this success, understanding the public sector’s role is key. Integration matters. The key public service reform challenge for Ireland going forward is for the different parts...

Contracting out government services is one of the principal market-type mechanisms applied in OECD Member countries. Its use is increasing in virtually all Member countries as the evidence mounts that contracting out can lead to efficiency gains while maintaining or increasing service quality...

Finland is one of many OECD countries to request a broad review by the OECD of its regulatory practices and reforms. This review presents an overall picture, set within a macro-economic context, of regulatory achievements and challenges including regulatory quality, competition policy, and...

This second volume of the Partnership for Democratic Governance Series investigates whether ‘contracting out’ core government functions and services has been conducive to capacity development. Each case study discusses the evidence and emerging lessons of contracting out in fragile and...

Public utility industries, once regarded as monolithic monopolies, in fact are made up of many separate activities, many of which can sustain effective competition. But owners of bottleneck facilities are often in a position to restrict or limit the growth of competition. There is a growing...

This report analyses the partnerships that governments form with citizens, users and CSOs in order to innovate and deliver improved public service outcomes. These approaches can offer creative policy responses that enable governments to provide better public services in times of fiscal...