Masters Degrees (Public Administration and Management)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Public Administration and Management) by Advisor "Van Straaten, F. P."

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    Management by objectives as a management tool in the public sector
    (1999-05) Moroka, Mpho Grace; Van Straaten, F. P.
    Abstract not available
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    The necessity of financial priority determination to meet the changing needs for goods and services in the public sector
    (University of the Free State, 1999-06) Henama, Bukelwa Lorraine; Van Straaten, F. P.
    The legislature of the Republic of South Africa is elected on the basis that it will deliver certain goods and services to the electorate. Financial priority determination ensures that resource allocations are directed towards achieving the results that the government promised the electorate. Through priority determination, state funds are directed according to policy priorities Financial priority determination has been found to be the most difficult part of financial planning and management because it warrants certain expertise from the public officials which this paper addresses in the form of required steps and phases to determine financial priorities. Without the understanding of the phases and steps, priority determination becomes impossible as they determine the criteria used to make decisions. As a result of the changing and increasing needs of the population, the Republic of South Africa experiences severe budget constraints which create the incentive for financial prioritisation, and this forces the departments to evaluate whether their existing policy objectives are still valid, how they have changed and what effect the policy objectives have on programmes. The constraints of the macro-economic policy framework with increasingly lowered deficit targets have also increased the need for prioritisation. It is imperative to consider all the factors that have a bearing on financial priority determination, such as the general environment in which financial priority determination is done; factors that determine the state of community life; needs and expectations of population; policies of the political parties; and research and experiences of public officials. When such factors are taken into account, the process of financial priority determination becomes fair and right. The impact of financial priority determination on the ROP is important because the public sector strives towards reaching the priorities of the ROP. It has been important to reflect on the basic principles and the key programmes of the ROP from which sustainable development has been identified as the ROP priority. Measures have been identified to ensure meeting of sustainable development as an identified ROP priority. Through these measures, sustainable development would be attained. and expected results. This paper points out that in the face of limited resources and the massive demand for public goods and services, it is inevitable that the government cannot hope to meet all the aspirations of the electorate. Instead the government has to choose which sectors must be emphasised in the allocation of resources, indicate from which sectors resources should be withdrawn and redeployed and the order in which these things should be done. This process of choosing which sectors must be emphasised is called financial priority determination. The government policies and strategies to ensure meeting of identified financial priorities in the public sector are tools and instruments through which the public officials could ensure implementation of financial priorities. South Africa is characterised by severe inequalities and poverty of the majority of its inhabitants. Sustainable development is the means through which the society will be relieved of severe poverty although it would be difficult to bridge the inequality gap. Reference has been made to the challenge of economic growth and development facing the Free State Provincial Government to show how this province plans on ensuring economic growth and development. Public officials implement the policy priorities of the government and they have to be guided by basic values and principles to meet the goals of the government. These basic values and principles become the expectations from the public officials in their endeavour to determine financial priorities and in the process of implementing the priorities. This document spells out how financial priority determination is linked with the delivery of public goods and services. If allocation and use of resources is done in an ad hoc manner, without priority determination that could lead to poor public sector performance and the needs of the public would remain unsatisfied. It can be summarised by saying that financial priority determination allows for more effective use of limited resources.
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    Teorie en praktyk van deursigtigheid in die openbare sektor
    (University of the Free State, 2006-11) Pretorius, Marlize Carine; Van Straaten, F. P.; Kroukamp, H. J.
    English: The principles of accountability and transparency serve as important building blocks for a democracy that wants to enhance sound and efficient governance. The South African government experiences increased allegations of insufficient public accountability, corruption and maladministration against them and therefore it is essential to pay in-depth attention to the role of public transparency in the enhancement of sound democratic governance. Transparency is not merely an aim in itself, but serves as a means to reach the planned government objectives and to make effective and efficient participation of all role-players possible. Open and transparent governance refer to, amongst other, access to information, participation in public decision-making and the freedom of the media. An excellent relationship of trust between the public sector and the public should continuously be developed and maintained. This makes it essential to keep the public well-informed about the management of national and regional public institutions, how well they perform, the money spent by them to reach the approved public objectives and how control is exercised to ensure successful implementation of the approved government programmes. Correct and sufficient information must be available to the citizens to enable them to determine the quality of public goods- and service delivery and to therefore contribute to improved service delivery by the public sector. A public institution can be viewed as transparent when it can deliver information to various roleplayers and/or stakeholders, as prescribed by different Acts, for example the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act 2 of 2000). By being transparent, a public institution confirms its respect towards the country’s Acts; justifies its mere existence; confirms its willingness to follow the strategies of the government-of-the-day and to strive towards the improvement of the public welfare. Public accountability in a democratic government means that the political officebearers and public officials must account to the taxpayers for the collection and spending of public money. Public accountability therefore forms a central theme in the theory and practice of public transparency and the basis for sound public administration, as the taxpayer has a right to know how public money has been collected and spent. The South African government must implement well-planned programmes and projects to fight corruption in their strive towards the establishment of transparent, corruption-free and responsible governance. It is essential that the government-of-the-day itself fight corruption by adhering to a policy of zero tolerance towards corrupt officials, irrespective of who the individual is, and to involve the media as a partner that can publish information about corrupt practices in order for the public to be well-informed. Ethics and transparency are closely related. Ethical behaviour can lead to greater transparency in the activities of public officials. In a democratic government there is no place for keeping secrets and for confidentiality when it comes to activities which are financed with public money. Not always serving the public’s interest, but rather its own, is unfortunately part of human nature. It is therefore essential to develop and implement control mechanisms, for example auditing and reporting techniques, which will contribute to public officials adhering to the requirements of transparency and openness. It is the duty and responsibility of all public institutions (political and administrative) to continuously exercise their actions in a transparent and open manner. Transparency is the so-called oxygen of politics and the public life. In the Republic of South Africa it is important to ensure transparent governance to establish equal and effective goods- and service delivery to the citizens; to establish excellent accountability and the involvement of citizens in public decision-making; to improve a legitimate government-of-the-day; to improve the policy formulation and implementation processes; to increase international investments and lastly to decrease the rate of corruption in the country.