Australian Journal of Public Administration最新文献

{"title":"Bushfire public inquiries: From recommendations to hybrid emergency management arrangements","authors":"Graham Dwyer,&nbsp;Timothy Marjoribanks,&nbsp;Fiannuala Morgan,&nbsp;Jane Farmer","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Victoria, Australia consistently experiences significant bushfires. This article examines the ways in which public inquiry recommendations after major bushfires in Victoria have played an important role in shifting the emphasis of emergency management organisations (EMOs) from bushfire response to bushfire preparedness through hybrid emergency management arrangements. Based on a qualitative analysis of Victorian public inquiry bushfire reports from 1851 to 2020, this study shows that public inquiry recommendations contribute to new emergency management arrangements. These new arrangements have seen organisational hybridity emerge as a way of achieving greater integration between EMOs. These findings have important implications for research related to managing natural hazard events such as bushfires which, to date, has proposed that public inquiries hinder the ability of EMOs to learn from bushfires and, more broadly, natural hazard events. This study also shows how emerging organisational hybrid phases have been important as a mechanism by which EMOs have moved towards an approach to natural hazard mitigation which is shared, collaborative, and prospective.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>This article provides insights into ways in which practitioners can use public inquiry recommendations as a basis for creating hybrid emergency management arrangements, including policies, practices and procedures.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>It also highlights how practitioners can use public inquiry recommendations as a way of focusing on preparedness for future natural hazard events.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Additionally, the article offers insights into organisational learning, suggesting that emergency management organisations have been able to demonstrate learning as a process of continuous improvement by implementing public inquiry recommendations.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Finally, it presents a framework which can be used by practitioners to operationalise hybridity in emergency management organisations. The emphasis is on approaches that are shared, collaborative and prospective.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 2","pages":"403-441"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8500.70007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vale Gemma Carey: Warrior, scholar, friend","authors":"Helen Dickinson,&nbsp;Sophie Yates,&nbsp;Jeremiah Brown,&nbsp;Eleanor Malbon","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.70001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.70001","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;We write this editorial in commemoration of the life and scholarship of our colleague and friend Professor Gemma Carey who died on 17 November 2024. Gemma was a well-known and respected scholar in the field of public administration in Australia and internationally. She made significant contributions to research into disability policies and programmes, collaboration within and beyond government, and the implementation of a range of policies relating to social inequity. Drawing on her lived experience, she was a tireless advocate for people living with adversity such as chronic illness, gender-based violence, and COVID-19 vulnerability. She will be remembered for her significant scholarship in public administration, disability studies, and public health. But more than this, Gemma will be remembered for her generosity with colleagues, particularly early career researchers and PhD students, and her relentless fight against social inequities.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gemma was awarded her PhD in social policy and population health from the University of Melbourne and worked in research roles at RegNet, ANU, and the Public Service Research Group, UNSW Canberra before becoming an associate professor within the Centre for Social Impact (CSI), UNSW Sydney. At CSI, Gemma assumed leadership roles as Research Director and then National Research Director. At the age of 37, Gemma was made a full professor in recognition of her research and policy impact. She was a prolific writer, and in her too-short academic career published more than 100 journal articles, four books, and countless other papers and reports. The volume and nature of these contributions are even more significant given that Gemma experienced chronic illness resulting from an auto-immune condition, and from 2021 to 2024 was forced to take extended leave as a result of a vaccine injury.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In no journal did Gemma's work have more impact than the &lt;i&gt;Australian Journal of Public Administration&lt;/i&gt;. She served on its editorial board, where she made significant contributions to advancing the journal, and appeared in its pages 19 times—most recently in November 2024. Gemma edited special issues for AJPA on the impact of administrative burdens in welfare systems (Carey, Moynihan, et al., &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;) and on using a feminist lens to analyse policy and public administration (Carey, Dickinson, et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;). Both of these collections sought to galvanise new conversations around important issues relating to social inequities, which was a central theme through her research. Another strong theme was the importance of cross-boundary work between government agencies and non-government organisations, particularly in terms of dealing with complex policy issues. Gemma wrote extensively about boundary spanning (Carey et al., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;; Carey, Landvogt, et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;) and the governance and management practices that enable more effective joined up government (Buick et al., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 1","pages":"3-5"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8500.70001","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hybridised public management: Introduction to the special issue","authors":"Jan-Erik Johanson,&nbsp;Jarmo Vakkuri,&nbsp;David Mills,&nbsp;Adina Dudau","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Our analysis of the literature indicates a growing prominence of hybridity within the field of public administration. Hybrid arrangements incorporate ambiguities and controversies, but they also represent opportunities for joint action and goal achievement. The difficulties inherent in hybridity originate from the dichotomous view of the public–private divide and the underdeveloped measurement instruments. The contributions of this special issue address these challenges, providing extensive evidence as to the empirical reality of the manifold aspects of hybrid public management. Encouragingly, this knowledge enabled us to revisit existing hybridity models and provide an up-to-date Framework for Hybridised Public Management to further advance the development of theory and practice. Drawing on this framework, we suggest future research in key areas.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Public managers in hybrid organisations must adeptly communicate with varied audiences, each with distinct expectations. This requires tailoring messages to demonstrate the organisation's multi-faceted value creation, encompassing public, private, and social benefits, to secure stakeholder buy-in and support.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The integration of divergent goals and logics in hybrid organisations demands innovative organisational designs to manage these incongruences. Hybrid organisational structures and processes should foster cooperation among public, private, and civil society actors.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Traditional financial metrics often inadequately capture the complexity and societal value of hybrid arrangements. Practitioners should adopt and develop performance measurement systems that reflect the multi-dimensional outcomes of hybridity, balancing financial, social, and public value considerations.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The inherent ambiguity in hybrid organisations can lead to excessive oversight that hinders innovation and goal alignment. Practitioners need to establish governance frameworks that mitigate ambiguity while ensuring accountability and preserving the core mission of the hybrid entity.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Public–private cooperation can be instrumental in leveraging additional public financing, not only for widening the resource base but also for gaining legitimacy.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 2","pages":"193-209"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Who decides what works? Ethical considerations arising from the Australian Government's use of behavioural insights and Robodebt","authors":"Sarah Ball","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12676","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12676","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Behavioural insights and the use of nudge have attracted a lot of interest among governments across the globe since the introduction of the UK's Behavioural Insights Unit in 2010. One of the key challenges since these early days has been the concern that behavioural policy design, in particular the use of nudges, could be misused to manipulate citizens. When the Robodebt Royal Commission released its report in 2023, these concerns were renewed in Australia. It revealed that the Department of Human Services had used behavioural insights to inform the design of letters informing citizens of a debt in such a way as to minimise the impact on call centres while shifting that impact onto citizens. Did this use finally reveal what many had feared? Could government not be trusted with behavioural insights? This article will first explore the ethical concerns that have surrounded the implementation of nudges and behavioural policy. Following this, the paper will go beyond the debate over the ethics of implementing behavioural policies and argue instead that a focus on the theoretical opportunities and risks of nudge and behavioural policy fails to capture the significant risks inherent in implementation. When all proposed protections—the use of ethical frameworks, publication and testing, and in-depth research—remain optional in practice, a commitment to ‘ideology-free’ evidence can obscure more than it enlightens. The paper concludes by pointing to critical steps the Australian public sector can take to ensure future accountability and transparency for policy design, for nudges but also beyond.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Nudging is neither ethically neutral nor inherently problematic. The context in which policy is designed is critical.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Robodebt highlighted several flaws in the context in which policy is designed in Australian federal policymaking, including a public service which appeared more comfortable with debates over technical delivery concerns than the content of policy.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Robodebt revealed that parts of the public sector had become overly focused on ‘what works’, rather than providing advice on social desirability, acceptability, human rights, and equity.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>This experience should therefore lead to greater apprehension about the use of nudging, as there is a risk that ethical issues will go uninterrogated.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 1","pages":"159-171"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A critical examination of data for market stewardship: The case of the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme","authors":"Eleanor Malbon,&nbsp;David Gilchrist,&nbsp;Gemma Carey,&nbsp;Helen Dickinson,&nbsp;Daniel Chamberlain,&nbsp;Anne Kavanagh,&nbsp;Satish Chand,&nbsp;Damon Alexander","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12677","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12677","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Market mechanisms have emerged as a dominant approach in the provision of public welfare services, most notably in sectors such as disability care, aged care, and health care. While this shift promises potential benefits such as improved efficiency, enhanced service quality, and increased consumer support, it also presents significant challenges around equity, access, and the potential for market failure in the absence of effective regulation and governance. Stewardship of quasi-markets from the national to the local level is essential for the success of such programs, and the effectiveness of that stewardship relies in part on good-quality data for decision-making. This research note provides a critical examination of the National Disability Insurance Scheme's (NDIS) data management in Australia and its implications for local market stewardship. This analysis highlights the considerable barriers local market stewards encounter in using NDIS market data for stewardship activities due to the pervasive issues of incomplete datasets and a lack of granular, comprehensive data. These obstacles constrain effective local decision-making, obscure market predictability, and may hinder service improvement initiatives at the grassroots level. The study acknowledges ongoing improvements in NDIS data management while emphasising the need for rapid progress to ensure meaningful choice and control for all NDIS participants.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Public sector markets can provide efficiencies for government, but they also require management to ensure they are functioning effectively and protecting equity.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>‘Stewardship’ actions, to address market issues, require good-quality data.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>At present, data on the NDIS—both collected and distributed—have serious limitations that are hindering efforts to address market issues.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 2","pages":"442-454"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"U.S. against the world: Authoritarianism among American public servants","authors":"Michael E. Bednarczuk","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12666","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>What is the prevalence of authoritarianism among public servants in the United States, and what are its resulting consequences? Several underlying psychological traits are associated with both authoritarianism and a desire to work in the public sector, such as an aversion to ambiguity and a preference for order and security. Scholarship also suggests that those with high authoritarian attributes may see the world through an ‘us versus them’ prism; in this case, the ‘them’ may be represented by other countries. Therefore, it is hypothesised that those with higher authoritarian attributes are more likely to work in the public sector and that public servants with higher authoritarian attributes are more likely to be sensitive to potential threats to the country. Using six surveys that cover a 20-year period from the American National Elections Study, both hypotheses are supported. Authoritarian attributes  are associated with an increased likelihood of government employment. Additionally, authoritarian public servants tend to support government wiretapping and express greater concern about terrorism. The presence of authoritarianism among public sector employees has implications for a range of governance issues, which makes it important to understand where and to what degree it is prevalent.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>More attention should be devoted to the division and prevalence of authoritarian attributes within public servants .</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Checks and oversight mechanisms should be implemented for public sector employees in sensitive areas to help counterbalance potential authoritarian impulses.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Organisational cultures that value openness, evidence-based policymaking, and tolerance for dissenting viewpoints should be fostered as a counterweight to authoritarian preferences for conformity.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 1","pages":"172-183"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735488","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Governmental implementation of information and communication technology at the local level: Digital co-production during a crisis","authors":"Anna Uster","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12657","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The rapid expansion of volunteerism, especially during COVID-19, requires efficient organisation of citizen volunteers, thus leading professionals to utilise information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabling tool for interaction and coordination. This study focuses on professionals’ perspectives at the local level regarding governmental steps towards digitalisation and its application in volunteer co-production. The policy implementation approach was used through in-depth interviews with 19 local coordinators in Israel during the COVID-19 crisis. This study found that, while central government invested efforts in training, guidance, and ICT support for professionals, the implementation of digital technologies was not successful at the local level. This highlights the need for digital platforms for volunteer coordination to be be tailored to specific cultural characteristics and local contexts. Neglected but important factors in ICT implementation were identified, including intra-organisational dynamics, the local community, and authority. By addressing these contextual factors and adopting a more inclusive and context-sensitive approach, digital platforms can better support local volunteer coordination efforts.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Adopt a holistic approach to digitalisation: Senior-level administrators in central government should adopt a holistic approach to digitalisation, one that accounts for local contexts—cultural characteristics and collaborative governance structures. This approach should involve coordinators in the development process, together with other stakeholders involved in co-production.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Focus on user-centric platform design and implementation: To ensure usability and acceptance among coordinators, practitioners should prioritise a user-centric approach to platform design and implementation. This entails constructing intuitive, user-friendly platforms, meeting the needs of the coordinators involved in the digitalisation process.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Address organisational characteristics and overcome barriers: Practitioners should recognise municipal organisational characteristics, thus obviating potential barriers to digital technology implementation. This includes such factors as status and professional position within the municipality, securing bureaucratic commitment, and overcoming governmental bureaucracy or a lack of leadership.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 1","pages":"69-101"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8500.12657","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143735489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hybridity as a governmental technique for designing and delivering NAPLAN in Australian schools","authors":"Glenn C. Savage,&nbsp;David de Carvalho","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12673","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12673","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This paper explores the utility of hybrid governance as an analytical lens for understanding policy design and delivery in Australian schooling reform. Using the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) as a case study, we argue that its design and delivery processes exemplify hybridity in myriad dimensions. In a federal system in which national schooling reform relies upon negotiation and consensus building amongst a multiplicity of government and non-government stakeholders, we argue that NAPLAN's hybridity serves as a governmental technique for managing and sustaining collaborative governance arrangements. Hybridity also supports the standardised implementation of the assessment across diverse schooling systems and sectors. While NAPLAN's hybridity generates strategic benefits for Australian governments, it also produces risks. A challenge for policymakers is to harness its benefits while ensuring transparent decision-making and clear responsibilities and accountabilities. To address risks and leverage opportunities, we argue there are benefits to having a convening agency with authority to manage and sustain hybrid networks at the national scale.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Hybrid governance offers productive insights into how Australian governments work collaboratively to design and deliver national schooling reforms.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an exemplary case study for examining hybrid governance in the Australian federation.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Hybrid governance serves as a technique for managing and sustaining collaborative governance arrangements at the national scale and for ensuring NAPLAN's implementation is standardised across Australia's diverse subnational schooling systems and sectors.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Hybridity creates risks and opportunities. A challenge for policymakers is to harness its benefits while ensuring transparent decision-making and clear responsibilities and accountabilities.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>There are benefits to having a <i>convening agency</i> with authority to manage and sustain hybrid networks at the national scale.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 2","pages":"362-380"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8500.12673","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144519617","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowledge brokering for public sector reform","authors":"Honae Cuffe","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12665","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1467-8500.12665","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Better use of evidence is at the centre of the ambitious Australian Public Sector Reform agenda, providing an authorising environment in which to test new ideas, tools, and approaches to bridge the research–practice gap. As the interlocutors between research and practice, knowledge brokers have a critical role to play in promoting the structural and behavioural changes necessary to build the knowledge networks and new capabilities that enable an evidence ecosystem. In particular, this article makes a case for harnessing the relational nature of knowledge brokering and trialling new mechanisms for research–practitioner collaboration and evidence innovation. It is hoped that this article can serve as the foundation for a future research and practice agenda examining how knowledge brokering operates and where university-produced research can best support evidence-based reform.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Points for practitioners</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>As the interlocutors between research and practice, knowledge brokers can encourage the cross-boundary thinking, genuine partnerships, and new capabilities to support evidence-based reform.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The Australian Public Sector Reform agenda provides a unique opportunity to trial new mechanisms and approaches to expand understanding of how knowledge brokering operates in practice and the conditions that support successful research–practice collaboration.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Mechanisms should be formal and accompanied by bureaucratic-level support and incentives, providing them with the legitimacy needed to embed new mindsets, capabilities, and ways of working.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>A key consideration for public sector practitioners is how to establish arrangements and incentives that are mutually beneficial for researchers and practitioners alike and monitor the effectiveness of these initiatives over time.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"84 1","pages":"184-189"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Knowing what not to know: Unravelling the dynamics of selective knowledge in government policymaking","authors":"Christiane Gerblinger","doi":"10.1111/1467-8500.12659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12659","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:label/>The Robodebt controversy in Australia has led to an investigation regarding bureaucratic practices, particularly concerning the dissemination of false or misleading information. While overt falsehoods may be relatively easy to spot, this paper delves into subtler forms of misleading discourse that often evade detection, perpetuating a culture of deliberate ambiguity within governmental institutions. By analysing bureaucratic manoeuvres like feigned ignorance, selective knowledge and silent silencing, this study elucidates how policymakers strategically incorporate uncertainty to shield themselves from blame. Drawing on empirical evidence from the handling of a 2016 state‐wide blackout and the subsequent bureaucratic discourse, the paper highlights how routine bureaucratic interactions contribute to maintaining politically convenient narratives at the expense of transparency and democratic accountability. It proposes three key areas for policy organisations to address: engaging with what is being ignored, redefining objectivity to include diverse perspectives, and leaning into the tension between political desires and necessities.Points for practitioners<jats:list list-type=\"bullet\"> <jats:list-item>Practitioners should start identifying and addressing subtle forms of misinformation in their own bureaucratic practices. This includes strategies like feigned ignorance, selective knowledge, and silent silencing, which are used to avoid blame and perpetuate a culture of deliberate ambiguity.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>By understanding how they employ such strategies, practitioners may be better able to foster diverse perspectives and redefine objectivity in ways that expand upon their institutional expertise.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>In politically charged situations, policy advisers may prioritise short‐term expedience, but they do so at the cost of longer term integrity of the public service. Lean into the tension and acknowledge that policy advice is not about turning a blind eye.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":47373,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Public Administration","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2024-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142209316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}