Professional public management: the key element of Administrative reform

It is well known that Catalonia, like the rest of Europe, urgently needs to move forward with public administration reform. For years, organizations from a wide range of fields and sectors have been calling for a more modern, competitive, effective, efficient, and transparent administration—one that can support businesses and society as a whole at a time of rapid change.

In recent years, companies and organizations have made significant efforts to transform and adapt to an increasingly changing and unpredictable world. The public administration cannot stand apart from this transformation. On the contrary, it has a duty to support it, safeguard the country’s competitiveness, and, at the same time, ensure the effective delivery of public services and the rights of citizens. Because, as the saying goes, “there can be no good country without good administration.”

When we talk about reform, we mean administrative simplification, reducing the bureaucratic burden, reducing regulatory complexity, and facilitating economic activity, among other measures. But this modernization agenda requires one crucial element: the human factor and, specifically, the professionalization of public management.

For years, the organizations that make up the Forum of Organizations for Administrative Reform (FERA) have been working to establish an institutional framework and a shared public-private commitment capable of advancing this modernization agenda. In this regard, we welcome the fact that the Government of the Generalitat has recently introduced the Bill on Professional Public Management and the Institutional Public Sector, which I would now like to discuss.

The best professionals for what belongs to everyone

I believe there is broad consensus that people are the main asset of any company or organization. That is why we all strive to attract and incorporate the best talent. And increasingly so.

However, why, when it comes to the Administration, which we could consider "everyone's organization," are we not always equally demanding? Why do we accept appointments and hirings based on criteria unrelated to merit and without sufficient guarantees of capacity and experience to assume certain responsibilities? We must, therefore, move towards a management model oriented towards excellence and capable of attracting the most suitable profiles to manage what is common.

At the same time, it is also necessary to clarify a mistake we often make from the private sector when we opine on public management. We are often reminded of a statement as simple as it is pertinent: "managing the administration is not like managing a company". This is true, and it must be kept in mind to avoid apparently attractive recipes that, in practice, can turn out to be wrong or inapplicable. It also helps to understand the initial frustration experienced by some good professionals when they assume responsibilities within the Administration. As in any other profession, it is necessary to know its particularities and, naturally, those of each area of action. Only in this way can a too common situation be avoided: that some public managers really begin to master their functions at the end of the legislature. 

However, recognizing these differences does not imply giving up learning from the best practices of the private sector or demanding the highest professionalism and capacity in the management of public affairs. 

What the Bill proposes

As stated in the explanatory memorandum of the Law, it aims to move towards a model that allows the designation of people who perform management functions through criteria of merit, capacity and suitability, and with minimum curricular and qualification requirements. It also foresees strengthening accountability, establishing a culture of continuous evaluation and fostering their autonomy.

Another relevant element is the will to decouple appointments from political cycles, with appointments or contracts of seven years, renewable and subject to evaluation, or even the inclusion of fixed remuneration formulas and up to 15% variable linked to the achievement of objectives and results. 

"The reform aims to move towards a model that allows the designation of people who perform management functions through criteria of merit, capacity and suitability"

All this would be applied in different degrees according to the three categories within the perimeter of professional public management: managerial positions; operational management positions (occupied by civil servants); and management positions in the institutional public sector.

From here, it will be necessary to see how it would be deployed by regulation and what would be the fine print that must make possible the fulfillment of the spirit of the Law, and, above all, it will be necessary to follow the evolution of the articles during the negotiations in its parliamentary process. 

In this regard, it would be good to focus on the more detailed aspects related to the selection, evaluation, and renewal of these positions, as well as on the appointment and functioning of the independent qualification bodies responsible for the selection of these executives. Likewise, it will be necessary to review the exceptions provided for in the project and clearly define which positions will be subject to them.

A political and country responsibility

From Cecot, we celebrate the progress made on a key element for transforming the Administration. And that is why we invite the parliamentary groups to debate in depth, but with generosity, a sense of country, and a long-term vision. Catalonia cannot afford for public management to often fall to people without the necessary experience and/or capacity and who may be appointed arbitrarily or by political affinity.

"We are playing for a more prepared and results-oriented Administration and, ultimately, the country's ability to better respond to collective challenges"

The approval, with quality, of this Law is indispensable. The Parliament's responsibility is to improve it and provide it with the necessary guarantees so that professional public management becomes a true lever for transformation. We are playing for a more prepared and results-oriented Administration and, ultimately, the country's ability to better respond to collective challenges.