Evaluation of the public administration performance in the Czech Republic and recommendations for the further strategic development

Project facts

Project promoter:
Department of Strategic Development and Coordination of Public Administration(CZ)
Project Number:
CZ-GOVERNANCE-0002
Status:
Completed
Final project cost:
€1,091,076
Other Project Partners
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(FR)
Programme:

Description

In the Czech Republic, no analysis has yet been made to evaluate the Czech public administration and its services by an independent and strategic view. Public services are related to various areas of the public sector. It is a cross-cutting topic which has not been sufficiently analysed as it falls under the responsibility of several subjects. Therefore, at the request of the Czech Republic, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will carry out a Public Governance Review (PGR) of the Czech Republic, focusing on the situation in public administration services from the strategic perspective and international point of view. OECD has significant experience in the field of governance analysis with a series of PGR publications for member states In order for the PGR to find use and OECD recommendations to be implemented as widely as possible, the OECD will prepare in cooperation with the Czech Republic an Implementation Programme that will include the capacity-building workshops. In these workshops, the OECD experts will discuss the possibility of implementing the recommendations proposed in the PGR with the Czech professional community. Based on the conclusions of the workshops, the Ministry of the Interior will prepare a summary of possible measures to be used in strategic and planning activities. The project will be divided in two phases:

• Phase I - Assessment and Recommendations

• Phase II - Implementation Programme

Summary of project results

The project aimed at the evaluation of the performance of the Czech Republic''s public administration in comparison with OECD member countries. It was a unique opportunity not only to understand the current state but also to gain inspiring examples of good practices that Czech public administration could implement in the future.The project was highly successful, with strong interaction between the Czech Republic and OECD representatives throughout its duration.

The project was divided into two phases, with corresponding outputs. In the first phase, an OECD assessment was completed and presented to the public in the end of March 2023. This report outlined the strengths and weaknesses of Czech public administration, offering numerous examples of best practices and recommendations. The second phase aimed at the exploration of the key recommendations from the OECD assessment in greater depth. This phase lasted 12 months and directly followed the previous one. During this time, workshops were held on inter-municipal cooperation, public participation, human resources in civil service, evidence-based decision-making, and a final conference that included not only OECD colleagues but also representatives from the V4 countries. The output of this phase included the so-called OECD follow-up plan. Additionally, analytical training sessions were conducted to strengthen the principle of evidence-informed decision-making, along with pro-client-focused training.

The main outputs of project is an OECD report, in which Czech public administration is evaluated in an international context and OECD Follow-up plan. Some of the OECD''s recommendations have been incorporated into the 2nd Action Plan of the "Client-Oriented Public Administration 2030" strategy. A discussion is currently underway regarding the content of the follow-up plan, aiming for its partial implementation. The OECD assessment serves as a foundation for the activities of many
ministries.

Information on the projects funded by the EEA and Norway Grants is provided by the Programme and Fund Operators in the Beneficiary States, who are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of this information.