the netherlands charter group for public accountability multiple modes of accountability by roeland...
TRANSCRIPT
The Netherlands
Charter Group for
Public Accountability
Multiple modes of accountability
By Roeland in ‘t Veld
Chairman Audit Committee
Contact
• www.publiekverantwoorden.nl
Presentation
• Accountability: practice and questions• The Netherlands Charter Group: members
and mission• The Charter Group is a centre of practical
expertise• Themes of Public Accountability• Good Governance Code• The learning process of the Charter Group:
audits• Questions
Members
Semi-autonomous and non-autonomous public service providers; agencies under public and private law
Mission HPV The Charter Group sets the norms for Public Accountability for public service providers.The Charter Group secures that its members open up to their environment.
Realising and renewing public governance model in organisational strategy and operations.
• Vertical Accountability to owner/ contractor• Horizontal Accountability to wider environment• Vertical and horizontal accountability supplement, not substitute each other• Good Governance Code• Learning by auditing the implementation of the Public Governance of members
Charter Group’s Goals
- Serving both legitimacy and effectiveness- Horizontal and vertical- Three arguments:
- Reporting- Explaining (and if necessary apologising)- Reframing
- Additional possible results: learning
Accountability in general
1. Quality- Public criteria
- Public measurements
- Operation of Quality system
2. Price/service fulfilment- Fulfilling contract
- Information on contract fulfilment
- Internal and external audit of contract
Public Accountability’s4 themes (1)
3. Responsive action and participation- Actively reaching out to clients / wider environment
- Honouring policy goals of principal/ societal
developments
- Accountability on organizational translation
of policy goals
4. Transparency- Actively giving insight in organization
- Insight on demand
- Pro-actively informing the wider environment
4 themes (2)
- Publications, brochures, pamphlets, advertising, websites, etc..
- Client panels, councils, etc..- Quality control systems with stakeholder
participation- Public meetings- Help desks, call centres, internet
communication- Etc., etc.
Instruments for horizontal accountability
Start: Self evaluation by service provider- Where am I on a quality scale concerning the four
themes?
- What is organizational ambition on these theme’s?
Audits:Learning and Improving 1
Audit: Evaluation by independent audit committee- Document research
- Interviews with internal and external stakeholders
- Public report with findings and recommendations
- Formal reaction audited organization
- Securing findings- In organizational strategy
- In governance
- Policy Management
- P&C Cycle
- Quality Policy and Control
- Vertical Accountability
- Public Accountability
Learning and Improving 2
- Repeating the Audit each 5 years
- Relatively simple and inexpensive instrument- High managerial/ governmental / scientific
level of audit committee- Added value to vertical accountability- Focus on learning- Added value to organizational performance /
public service providing- Agencies very responsive, both to voices in
horizontal accountability and to audit recommendations
10 years of auditing experience
- Audit results and positioning on quality scales drives internal discussion and ‘sets watches’
- Wider horizontal environment is extremely committed
- Effective mirroring of results- External partners/ contractors refer to audit in
contracts- Audit on added value by Audit committee in
next audit- Collective learning by members
Added Value for Public Services
- Publishing of Organizational Strategy (Land Registry Office and Government Road Transport Office)
- Strategy on client participation (Social Insurance Bank)
- Intense Strategy Implementation (Healthcare Insurance Board)
- General: Transparency is an internalised characteristic of the members
Some results of Audits
- Better understanding by clients- Stronger position in dialogues with political
principals
But also:- More jealousy (lack of pride) in the ministries
concerned- Fear on the side of politicians that agencies
develop strong relationships with clients- No better position in budget cuts than others
Results of horizontal accountability 1
- Reporting: clear positive results
- Explaining: positive results with clients but unfavourable side effects in relation with political principal
- Reframing: ?????????????????????
Results of horizontal accountability 2
