Public Management

I.         Program Overview
 
Recent socioeconomic and political changes have triggered a global interest in government systems and practices as well as in the best ways to make them work better. Increased demands of citizens and pressure groups and changing requirements for integrating and succeeding in the new global economic and political environment has put mounting pressure on governments to revise their policies, improve their capacities, and streamline their operations. This has propelled calls for reform at all levels. Governments are now accommodating to a new role—one which serves the “people” in a more citizen-oriented, efficient, effective, and accountable manner while creating solid infrastructure to support investment and economic activity, regulating transactions, and enforcing the rule of law. Indeed, governments are facing major challenges as they re-assess and balance their changing responsibilities as providers of services, regulators as well as facilitators of economic and social activities.

These challenges to government have been felt profoundly in Arab governance and public management. As Arab governments strive to keep apace of the challenges and opportunities that globalization and regionalism present, there is growing realization of the dire state of and pressing need for public sector reform. Across the Arab world efforts are being made to decentralize power so that local authorities enjoy more autonomy, that accountability of public officials vis-à-vis their citizens is increased, and transparency permeates the access and exchange of information. It is hoped that such reforms will instigate a culture of participation, openness, and innovation—a culture in which government and citizens alike can thrive. In spite of these conditions, of all the regions in the world, the MENA has the least empirical data and research available on governance and public management.
 
II.       Program Scope and Objectives
 
The Program aims to build, leverage and sustain research capacity in governance and public management and to serve as a regional platform for knowledge exchange and dissemination on effective public sector governance and policy making and implementation in the Arab region. The Program aims to fill some knowledge gaps about a range of contemporary issues including:
 

• governance systems and institutions;
• ethics and public service values;
• decentralization and participation;
• public sector innovation;
• the changing role of the state and business;
• civil service reform;
• integrity, transparency and accountability systems;
• public leadership;
• citizenship behavior and citizen satisfaction;
• public financial management;
• the use of networks and information technology in service delivery;
• public sector human resources development and management;
• knowledge management and organization development;
• strategic thinking, planning and implementation in public policy;
• workforce planning and workforce nationalization.

 
In collaboration with local, regional and international government bodies, academic institutions and global networks of researchers and experts, the Program’s activities aim to: 
 

• Document and analyze the various institutional and administrative systems and examine the dynamics of change in Arab governance and public management
• Create and consolidate data and information on public sector performance and search for possible ways to improve the contextual and institutional requirements for enhancing performance
• Facilitate access to information and dissemination of practices conducive for the emergence of a culture of integrity, innovation and excellence in the Arab public sector
• Provide a regional platform for the discussion and exchange of research ideas and trends in public administration through publications, seminar series, and conferences.

 

The Program strives to achieve its goals for building research capacity and knowledge sharing in governance and public management through different types of publications and outputs including analytical reports, case studies, policy and research briefs, edited volumes, working papers, comparative surveys, statistical database, major development/ trend reports and newsletters, and public management and policy seminar series (both in Arabic and English).
 
III.    Completed studies:
 
1.         Training and organizational performance Project: The  Context of Dubai’s in public sector
The study is based on comprehensive primary data that was gathered from the majority of public sector entities within the Emirate of Dubai. First, semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted with H.R and Training directors from 17 main government entities in Dubai. Second, a survey instrument was developed and sent out to all public organizations of Dubai. Out of the 60 surveys sent out, 49 were filled and returned representing a very significant response rate of 81%. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study with such a magnitude to cover the topic of training in the UAE’s public sector. This study looks at the issue of training from three different perspectives.

• The impact of the recent financial crisis on the training budget and practices. This allows policy makers in the UAE to identify the new trends in training and innovative approaches taken by H.R and training directors in Dubai’s government to curtail the impact of dwindling resources in their departments;
• The relationship between an effective training strategy and training effectiveness; and
• The impact of effective training on organizational effectiveness. Three policy briefs co-authored between Mhamed Biygautane and Ahmad Al-Nuseirat emerged from this study. Their titles are:

1. Training during Times of Financial Constraints: Lessons from the Case of Dubai’s Public Sector (With Ahmad Al Nuseirat). (Policy Brief to be published by Dubai School of Government.  April 2013).
2. The Rudiments for an Effective Training Strategy: Practical Insights from Dubai Government’s Experience (With Ahmad Al Nuseirat). (Policy Brief to be published by Dubai School of Government. April 2013).
3. The Impact of Effective Training on Organizational Performance in Dubai’s public sector (With Ahmad Al Nuseirat). (Policy Brief to be published by Dubai School of Government. April 2013).

 
2.      Knowledge Management Project
 
The Knowledge Management Project is a new original research initiative undertaken by the Program. The study relies on primary data that have been collected from Dubai’s government in 2010. First, semi structured and in-depth interviews were conducted in several major entities including Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Courts, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Road and Transportation Authority (RTA), and Dubai Police. Second, a comprehensive survey instrument was developed and administered to all government entities in Dubai with a response rate of 66%. 19 (out of 29) organizations filled out the surveys including those which had been previously interviewed. This is the first time a study on knowledge and talent management with such magnitude was conducted in public sector organization in Dubai and in the UAE.  The study has profound implications for the development and performance of the public sector.
 
Three policy briefs have been completed by Mhamed Biygautane and Khalid Al-Yahya:

1. The state of knowledge management in Dubai: assessment and evaluation.
2. The Current State of Knowledge Management in Dubai: An Assessment.
3. Enablers and Barriers to knowledge management in Dubai.

Two more publications on knowledge and talent management are planned in 2013-2014:

1. A flagship report on Knowledge and Talent Management in the UAE, and
2. A working paper and two peer-reviewed journal articles.

 

3.      MENA Case Studies on Governance and Public Management

The Program undertook the first and largest series of case studies on governance and public management reform in the Middle East in collaboration with the World Bank. The cases highlight the processes, changes and impacts that these experiences have generated, emphasizing the issues and challenges confronting senior public sector officials seeking to implement reform. The case studies cover a broad array of issues ranging from civil service reform and public financial management, to policy coordination, private sector development, anticorruption, decentralization, and networked service delivery. In addition to their value as stand-alone documents which are disseminated internationally, these case studies also serve as important cornerstones for the identification and analysis of the factors affecting public sector performance, development and reform in the region.
 
The case studies are developed in two different categories. The first one looks at reforms that were undertaken to core institutions and processes in the MENA region. The second one presents cases that document experiences of improving services in line departments.
 
These cases are compiled in a book that is forthcoming in 2013 and entitled: Public Sector Reform in the Middle East and North Africa: Lessons of Experience for a Region in Transition. Robert Beschel, Tarik Yousef and Khalid Al-Yahya (ed). World Bank Publications.
 
Section I: Reforms to Core Institutions and Processes
 

1. At the Apex: Reforming Cabinet Structures in Jordan            
   Nithya Nagarajan
2. Reforms to Public Financial Management: The West Bank & Gaza
   Nithya Nagarajan
3. Downsizing the Public Sector: Lessons from Morocco’s Voluntary Retirement Program        
   Khalid el-Massnaoui and Mhamed Biygautane
4. Strengthening Meritocracy in Human Resource Management in Lebanon                  
   Simonida Subotic

Section II: Improving Services in Line Departments
 

1. Facilitating Investment by Creating the Cairo One Stop Shop             
   Andrew H. W. Stone
2. Modernizing the Bill Payment and Revenue Collection (SADAD) in Saudi Arabia    
   Khalid Al Yahya and Mhamed Biygautane
3. Making Taxes Less Taxing: Overhauling Tax Policy and Administration in Egypt
   Nithya Nagarajan
4. Creating a “Citizen Friendly” Department: Document Processing in Jordan, 1991-1996 Deepa Iyer
5. People and Machines—Building Operational Efficiency: Document Processing in Jordan, 1996-2005 Deepa Iyer

 
4.       Book Chapters Authored by Mhamed Biygautane and others:
 

1. The political economy of privatization in the Maghreb region: How domestic and external factors have shaped the privatization process and outcomes? (With Mohammed Lahouel). Published in: Europe and the Mediterranean Economy. Joan Costa-Font (ed) at London School of Economics. London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group. June 2012.
2. Downsizing Morocco’s Public Sector: Lessons from the Voluntary Retirement Program (With Khalid El-Massnaoui). Published in: Public Sector Reform in the Middle East and North Africa: Lessons of Experience for a Region in Transition. Robert Beschel, Tarik Yousef and Khalid Al-Yahya (ed). World Bank Publication. Forthcoming in 2013.
3. South-South Cooperation and the experiences of Africa and the Maghreb region: Missed opportunities and the way forward (With Nicolas-Chevin Depetris). Published in: The Rise of the Global South: Philosophical, Geopolitical and Economic Trends of the 21st Century. Justin Dargin (ed). World Scientific Publishing Co. Forthcoming in May 2013.
4. Japan’s Immigration Policies towards Muslims: Trends and Realities. Forthcoming in Demography and Immigration, Tai Wei LIM and Stephen Robert Nagy (ed). Edwen Millen Press. Forthcoming in July 2013.
5. Economic and Territorial Intelligence: Lessons from Dubai (with Dale Murphy). Published in: Intelligence territoriale et développement régional par l'entreprise - Expériences internationales comparées. Actes de la Rencontre Internationale de Dakhla. Driss Guerraoui and Philippe Clerc (ed). L'Harmattan. April 2012.
6. Government by Network: The case of SADAD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Lessons and Challenges (With Khalid Al-Yahya). Published in: Public Sector Reform in the Middle East and North Africa: Lessons of Experience for a Region in Transition. Robert Beschel, Tarik Yousef and Khalid Al-Yahya (ed). World Bank Publication. Forthcoming in 2013.
7. Talent Management in the MENA region: Challenges and Opportunities. In “Global Talent Management - Challenges, Strategies, and Opportunities”– Series Management for Professionals. Gary Dessler and Akram Al Ariss (ed). Springer, Forthcoming in late 2013.
8. Managing training budgets during times of financial crises: The experience of Dubai’s government. (With Ahmad Al-Nuseirat). In  Business Performance Management, Cambridge Scholars Publications, Forthcoming in July 2013.

Case Studies and reports:

 

1. Mhamed Biygautane was a Co-Author of a UNDP report: An Assessment of UNDP Contribution to Development Results in United Arab Emirates 2011.
2. Mhamed Biygautane was a Co-Author of an OECD report:  MENA-OECD Development Programs: Improving Governance and Attracting Foreign Direct Investments in: Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.
3. Downsizing Morocco’s Public Sector: Lessons from the Voluntary Retirement Program (With Khalid El-Massnaoui). Published by DSG and the World Bank. Case Studies’ series 2012.
4. Government by Network: The case of SADAD in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Lessons and Challenges. (With Khalid Al-Yahya. Published by DSG and the World Bank. Case Studies’ series 2013.
5. Report on the Development and performance of think tanks in the MENA region: Challenges, opportunities and requirements. 2012.
6. Models of Policy Making in the UAE: Recommendations for a More Evidence Based
   Policy Analysis. (With Khalid Al-Yahya). (Forthcoming in November 2013)
7. The Marrakesh bombings and Morocco's precarious security environment. (With Marco Pantelakis). Published in European Geopolitical Forum on May 2011.

Op-eds in National News papers
 

1. The Challenges facing Arabic language in the era of globalization. Published in Al-Bayan Newspaper 2nd of March 2011.
2. The Challenge of Human Resources in the UAE: Generating Change from Within. Published in Al-Khalij Newspaper on 3rd of March 2011.
3. Nation-building is about creating human capital. Published in Gulf News Newspaper on 15th May 2011.  

Media citations:
 

 

1. New York Times:
   1. Broadcasting Provocative Debate From an Island of Free Speech.” On June 8th 2011.
   2. “Gulf Council Reaches Out to Morocco and Jordan” On May 25th 2011.  
      
      The National:
   
   
   3. “Potential new GCC additions may be received warily: poll.” On June 8th.
   4. Morocco Media Report June 8th 2011.
       
      Zawaya:
        
   5. “Morocco within the GCC: A new set of opportunities”. Published October 3^rd by Zawaya
      Al-Arabiya News Agency:
   6. “Morocco’s faltering protest movement hopes for a rebound”. Published on March 13^th 2013.

   
   TV Interviews and appearances:

   Hosted for an 8 minutes interview with Dubai TV’s “Money Map” Program. Aired on November 22^nd 2012.

2. BBC Middle East Business Report. Participated in a debate over the election of Islamic governments in the Middle East and its implications on the business environment. Aired on August 17^th 2012.
3. Interviewed by Kuwaiti TV Al-Wataniya on March 15^th 2012 about knowledge creation in the Arab World.
4. Interviewed by Kuwait TV about the quality of scientific research in the Arab countries on March 15^th 2012

 
5.      Forums and Conferences
 
The Program aims to organize international, regional and national events with the objective of collecting and disseminating research and experiences in public sector development and reform. The forums and conferences organized by the School provide senior Arab officials with the opportunity to assess new trends in public management and administration and their relevance to the regional context. They also provide a venue for the identification and development of new research areas.
 
In 2010, two conferences were cancelled or postponed due to budgetary constraints. The first was a conference on “Governance: Pathways to Progress in Public Administration” in coordination with the Arab Administrative Development Organization. The second was on “Disaster and Crisis Management” in collaboration with a faculty at Arizona State University.
 
In spite of these circumstances, the Program continues to contribute to activities organized by Dubai or UAE government. The Program served as a Knowledge Partner to the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources and designed the program of the International Human Resources Conference and Exhibition held in January 19^th and 20^th.
 
 
6.      Service to DSG Departments:
 
The Program Staff developed or contributed to several important partnerships: Consulting Office at Executive Council, Banawi Industrial Group-Leadership Award, MBRF research proposal, NRF, Abraj proposal, ARADO, King Saud University.


The Program Staff consistently help the Office of the Dean, the Development Department, Executive Education Department, Academic Affairs Department, Research Department, External Affairs Department in various tasks and issues related to institution building meetings and public events (13-15 hours per week on average)
 
 
7.       Invited Speaker Series

• Invited Speaker Lecture series: Professor Shabbir Cheema: “Governance for Human Development: Issues and Emerging Trends in Asia"
• Invited Speaker Lecture series: Mohamed Al Jishi: “The New Role of HR.”
• Justin Dargin: The UAE’s energy sector and the rise of Asian countries: Challenges and opportunities.

IV.    Partners
 
The Arab Public Management Research Program and its associates conduct a great deal of its research and outreach activities in partnership with academic institutions, multilateral organizations and public agencies. These include:
 

• Executive Council of Dubai Government
• Federal Agency for Government Human Resources in the UAE
• Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
• Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
• Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut
• Middle East and North Africa Vice Presidency, The World Bank
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
• United Nations Department of Economic Social Development (UNDESA)
• United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN)
• The Consulting Office, The Executive Council in Dubai

 
Future partnerships that the Initiative aims to explore include:
 
International (Non-Government: Research Institutes/Networks/Think Tanks)

• The Global Public Policy Network (GPPN)
• International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA)
• International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS)
• European Group of Public Administration (EGPA)
• Middle East Institute, Columbia University
• The Network of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration

  International (Government)

• The World Bank’s Knowledge Networks Agency (KNA) for the MENA Region
• UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States

Regional (Non- Government: Research Institutes/Networks/ Think Tanks)

• Programme for Innovation in Public Administration in the Euro-Mediterranean Region (INNOVMED)

 
Regional (Government)

• Arab Council for Social Sciences (ACSS)
• Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), the Arab League
• Programme on Governance in the Arab Region (POGAR)
• Public Administration institutes in Arab countries
• Schools and departments of public administration and policy in Arab universities