Managing Service Delivery

Introduction

Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services.

A public service may sometimes have the characteristics of a public good but most are merit goods, that is, services which may be under-provided by the market.

Some of the services provided by government are:

Broadcasting Education Environmental Protection Public order and safety Health Public Transportation Telecommunications Waste Management Energy And Natural Resources Infrastructure

Services

Managing Supply and Demand (Rationing Model)

FilteringDeflection

Referral

DenialRestricting criteria

Eligibility rules

Delay

Limiting Quality

Effective demand

Potential Demand

Imposing costs on users

Restrictive Rationing

Dilutant Rationing

INSTITUTIONAL CHOICES

When government assumes responsibility of a new activity they have various options to open them.

The national government is not the sole actor in public service delivery. The private sector, communities and civil society should all play important roles in shaping demand, developing state policies, and delivering services.

Some of the institutional choices are: Direct government Private sector Third party government Mix delivery system

DIRECT GOVERNMENT

Direct government is the delivery or withholding of a good or service by government itself. Direct government can be used to produce and provide goods and services. Examples here would be education, heath, water supply, social security and infrastructure.

Some of the features of direct government are:

Directness Coerciveness Automaticity Visibility

DIRECT GOVERNMENT(cont…)

In case of Pakistan three levels of direct governmet are:

Federal government Provincial government Local government

PRIVATE SECTOR

Private sector alternatives include : Contracting Out Franchises Grants Vouchers Volunteers Nonprofit Organization

THIRD SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS:

Government try to avoid both the headaches of public management and the snares of contracting to private entrepreneurs by relying on non for profit or qusai- autonomous non governmental organizations to supply public goods and services.

Mix Delivery System( Public -Private partnership)

In addition to the large number of purely public and purely private delivery systems, more and more services are being provided by a mix of these organizations. This mix may consist of provision by one government for another government or governmental agency, or it may consist of the private sector providing part of a service for a government department or agency.

Public-Private partnership(cont)

Advantages: expertise and skills innovative and efficient operations

Direct government produce and provide goods and services.

In case of indirect government both provision and production is done by indirect government but regulation is done by government. e.g. PTA, PEMRA

Production and Provision

Although policy-making and funding decisions about public sector infrastructure must ultimately be the responsibility of the governing council, that does not mean the governing body must own the assets and deliver the services (World Bank 1994).

The importance of third sector is as a countervailing force to government as well as an alternative provider of collective goods is clear.

DEVOLUTION AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Devolution is the transfer of resources and power to lower-level authorities which are largely or wholly independent of higher levels of government, and which are democratic in some way and to some degree. Decentralization is a worldwide phenomenonfor two reasons: 

a) Need for political stability

b) More effective and efficient service delivery.

Pakistan, in 14th August 2001, introduced three tier but federated local government system at the district level.

Devolution changed the accountability relationships and the relative importance o f various actors-most notably politicians and policymakers-associated with service delivery (World Bank : 2003)

DEVOLUTION AND SERVICE DELIVERY(cont)

Objectives of Devolution in Pakistan

Service delivery was given special prominence.

It was argued that local governments, appropriately empowered, staffed and resourced, would deliver better on primary health, education and basic municipal services and agricultural extension.

Devolution a failure or a success??????

The system obviously has its strengths, weaknesses, offers opportunities and faces a number of threats.

Various levels of local institutions elected thousands of men and women (for the first time).

Weaknesses of the system stem from unclear responsibilities and roles specially the unclear fate of numerous laws.

The set-up however offers many opportunities in the shape of hopes for empowerment of people and resolution of their local problems at local levels.

Local governments suffer from the fact that their existence is not constitutionally ordained.

FAILURE OF SERVICE DELIVERY (Case of electricity)

The performance of the present government in solving power crisis has been incredibly disappointing. Since its coming to power in 2008 it has even misguided the nation.

The minister Raja Parvez Ashraf claimed that the government would increase the generation capacity through Rental Power plants (RPPs).

As people continue to undergo, suffer long hours of load shedding, the government of Pakistan doesn’t give the impression or seems to have a plan to deal with electricity deficiency or shortage.

The situation in rural areas is even worse as electricity is not available most of the time. In some areas, load shedding extends to as many as 20 hours.

Business and industrial activities in key industrial cities have also come to languish as most industries cannot run at their installed capacity because of prolonged power outages.

CONCLUSION