Explanation:
Government leaders and policymakers face many priorities. But a new global survey suggests that perhaps the greatest is improving the impact of government for citizens.
Government leaders have no shortage of priorities. Low inflation, low unemployment rates, more qualified teachers, and affordable health care are just a few which resonate globally. But listing them is one thing, achieving them quite another.
Government isn’t easy. Demographics shift, budgets fluctuate and urbanization continues to reshape countries large and small. At the same time, citizen expectations continue to move inexorably upwards. Unfortunately, while policymakers would point towards many positive achievements, it is also clear that many good ideas in government often struggle when implemented. Too often the results do not match the vision, wasting time and money and damaging public trust in leaders and institutions.
Small wonder, then, that according to the OECD, confidence in national governments declined from 45% to 40% between 2007 and 2012 – a shift that will weaken the readiness of populations to support public institutions through taxation and to participate in elections.
Making more of an impact
The ultimate test of any policy is whether it makes the difference it sets out to achieve. Regardless of a nation’s system of government, citizens want government to work well. Failure to work effectively means that citizens disengage and good policy ideas become even harder to implement. That’s why BCG has set up the Centre for Public Impact – a new not-for-profit foundation – dedicated to helping improve the positive impact of governments. There is much to do.
The Centre conducted a survey of 1,000 public officials in 25 countries which found that 92% said there was room for improvement in implementation. With nearly half agreeing that there was significant room for improvement, only 20% said they used management tools, such as agreed impact metrics, on all their projects. The findings were remarkably consistent across all the countries surveyed but also across the different policy areas and levels of seniority. The only difference is that those not directly involved in drawing up policy areas and more junior staff had even less optimism about impact than their colleagues.
We believe that public impact is based on three fundamental pillars: proper legitimacy, a well-designed policy and solid delivery. These core elements are interlinked and are underpinned by other integral factors such as political will, well-functioning operations and clarity of objectives. The latter is particularly important – being clear about what it is you are trying to achieve, having clear milestones and closely monitoring your progress are key themes that have emerged from our in–depth study of this issue.
Taking this approach will leave policymakers better placed to achieve their objectives and maximise their impact. One area that requires all these core elements is in achieving sustainable economic growth
