Public administration and civil service reform, Russia

This included reviewing staffing requirements, together with the design and introduction of results-oriented planning and performance appraisal techniques. We also reviewed the modern financial management and budgeting practice, linked to the new planning and appraisal system.

Challenges

These new techniques needed to:

• be objective-oriented and output-based (with emphasis upon best practice and value for money);
• improve working practices in the state sector (with emphasis upon public services and efficient interaction by public servants with internal and external customers); and
• include structural and organisational reviews of government executive authorities

Our approach

We undertook discussions with the Accounts Chamber – Russia’s supreme audit institution – to scope out possible functional reviews and sought, where possible, engagement of the UK National Audit Office in the programme of modernisation recently launched by the Accounts Chamber.

A key concern was to engender a greater delegation of responsibility and freedom of action - together with increased accountability for the achievement of objectives - to the managers of government bodies.

We also aimed to:

• outline reforms to the existing human resources management practices (including the introduction of performance-based contracts for particular specialist groups, merit-based recruitment and selection procedures, and more competitive pay levels);
• review and transform the key interactions between government bodies and the public (for example, through the introduction of the ‘one-stop shop’ or ‘single window’ approach); and
• ensure greater transparency in the civil service.

Outcomes

Our aim was to promote freedom and accessibility of information and public participation in the reform process; and improve training and human resource development within the public service.