Finalidade pública, autoridade governamental e poder coletivo

Ano: 2010 | Volume: 61 | Número: 1

Autores: J. BOURGON

Palavras-chave: Gestão pública, Autoridade governamental, Poder público, Resultados públicos, Novos desafios, Desenvolvimento de capacidades

Resumo Português:

Desde a década de 1980, as reformas têm dominado as agendas governamentais em todo o mundo; os governos embarcaram em uma notável jornada de inovação. O ritmo dessas reformas provavelmente não irá diminuir. O número crescente de desafios na política pública demanda a participação ativa de inúmeros atores dentro e fora do governo e requer que o governo trabalhe para além dos limites convencionais. Esses desafios forçam o governo a utilizar sua autoridade e recursos para habilitar e empoderar outros. O aumento da complexidade e da incerteza nas questões de política e nos contextos de governança levam os governos a aprimorar sua capacidade de antecipar, intervir, inovar, aprender e adaptar-se. Futuras reformas irão requerer uma visão mais ampla dos papéis do governo e dos cidadãos.

Resumo Inglês:

Since the 1980s, reforms have dominated government agendas around the world; governments embarked on a remarkable journey of innovation. The pace of reform is not likely to abate.

An increasing number of public policy issues call for the active contribution of many actors across and beyond government and require government to work outside of conventional boundaries. They compel government to use its authority and resources to enable and empower others. Increased complexity and uncertainty within policy issues and governance contexts are prompting governments to improve their ability to anticipate, intervene, innovate, learn, and adapt. Future reforms will necessitate an expanded view of the roles of government and citizens. While government remains the steward of collective interest with the power to intervene, government needs to explore how it can work with citizens and other actors to produce results of high public value As governments move towards producing results with citizens, they strike a more complete set of relationships and expand the repertoire of roles each can play to achieve results. These reforms will allow a broader definition of public results that emphasizes the importance of both public policy and civic results. The latter build credibility, while the former increase legitimacy. Both enhance citizens’ trust in government. Public administrators have thus far been working from an incomplete definition of results that does not give sufficient weight to civic results.

Finally, future reforms will also require a more dynamic understanding of governance and public administration that supports the building of capacity. Capacity building in new areas is required to pursue the public good in an increasingly unpredictable global environment, but this work must begin by valuing and preserving existing capacities. Central among these is the focus on compliance, the hallmark of good government. It includes: a respect for the rule of law and public institutions; due process; accountability; and public sector values. These factors contribute to providing a solid institutional foundation for public organizations. Public administrators should also preserve their focus on performance. This includes: making government more productive and efficient; improving service delivery across organizational silos; being responsive to the expectations of citizens; improving governance processes; and harnessing the power of modern information and communication technologies.

Notwithstanding concerted efforts to build government capacity to anticipate, detect and intervene, unpredictable events and shocks will occur. Given this, government must also focus on resilience by building the capacity to innovate, learn and adapt, and by ensuring a more equitable distribution of risks. Implementing measures to improve anticipative, innovative and adaptive capacities will require targeted investments for the long term and tolerance of some “excess” capacity. Ultimately, this will require recognition that less government, and more efficient government, does not necessarily amount to better government.