DESIGNING GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES FOR PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY: Developments in Australia and greater China

The book explores in particular the executive arm of government’s institutional arrangements for advising on and implementing government policies and programs. It does not aim to explore the basic institutional arrangements of government, though these inevitably shape the structures within the executive. Rather, chapters explore theories of organisational forms and functions in public administration, the ‘core’ agency structures used in the different jurisdictions, the structures used to deliver public services (including non-government organisational arrangements) and other ‘non-core’ agency structures such as government business enterprises, regulatory organisations and ‘integrity’ organisations. This overview highlights some of the key issues canvassed in the following chapters and the recent developments they describe and analyse. It also fills in the inevitable gaps that exist in the volume’s coverage of practice in the three jurisdictions. The concepts of performance and accountability used in the chapters vary from a narrow focus on administrative delivery with oversight by superior authorities to a much broader appreciation of the impact of both policy and administration against desired outcomes with public reporting and accountability. The concepts are shaped by institutional arrangements, and are also evolving in each jurisdiction over time.