Joined-Up Government

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Introduction

This lens applies the concept of the Service-Based Business to public-sector organizations.

Official Definition(s)

There seem to be several different definitions in play, even within the UK Government.

Technological - Focus on the wiring that connects different parts of Government, as well as providing electronic services to the citizen. E-Government. This is what you get from the Office of the e-Envoy. Seen as a cost-saving and efficiency measure by the UK Treasury.

Accountability - Focus on joined-up information. This is implied by certain Canadian sources.

Policy - Focus on formulating and implementing cross-cutting policy. For example, this is what you get from the UK policy hub:

  • Cross-cutting approaches - A joined up approach to policy making clearly defines cross-cutting objectives at the outset.

  • Joined-up management - A joined up approach to policy making ensures that joint working arrangements within the departments are clearly defined and well understood.

  • Delivery - A joined up approach to policy making ensures that implementation is considered part of the policy process.


Holistic Government - This is what you get from Geoff Mulgan, one of New Labour's leading thinkers. Among the tactics for joined-up government, he mentions:

  • joined-up budgets for areas, client groups and problems;

  • joined-up policy-making;

  • joined-up data management, standards, and use of digital signatures; and

  • joint training of officials and ministers (which he thinks may be one of the most powerful tools for changing behaviour).

Internal Perspective

Governments can use service engineering to connect within or between large departmental silos.

Joined-Up Government - Internal Perspective

External Perspective

This is an example of what joined-up government looks like from the citizen's perspective. Applying for a student place and applying for a loan are part of the same process. If government doesn't allow the citizen to synchronize these steps, then the citizen is forced to bear extra risk.

Joined-Up Government - External Perspective

SOA for eGovernment

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Selected Material

Wiring up Whitehall: Ensuring Effective Cross-Departmental Activity
Major Will Anderson writes about joined-up government from a security perspective. (Journal of Security Sector Management, July 2005)
Joined-up government is not inevitable or desirable
argues Michael Cross (Guardian, January 2007)
A joined-up breakthrough
"The expanded role of the PSX(e) ministerial committee on e-government is a vital foundation stone for joined-up government - and about time too." (Computing, March 2007)
Joined up (Government) Services
This article identifies a number of important requirements for the effective management of joined-up services in Government. (Review of the Public Management and Policy Association, February 2002)
In The Eye Of The Storm: e-government 3.0
from Alan Mather's e-Government blog

Books

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Blog Posts from Google

'Joined-up approach is key to recycling success'
But the longer-term success of recycling could be hampered by ongoing arguments about methods of collection...
MPs call for joined-up commissioning for health and social care
Dorrell said that for decades, governments had acknowledged the importance of joined-up services, but...
Ministerial Muppet mayhem as Croke Park 'reform' exposed
By Ivan Yates A FORTNIGHT from today, Mar 1, is the first day of the new public service provision after...
Getting maximum value from commissioning
Awareness of social value is running high, due in part to the private members' bill on public services...

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RichardVeryard

Writer: systems thinking for demanding change.

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