Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana has presented a unique study in the field of civil service

The Regional Hub of Civil Service in Astana and UNDP Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore have presented a large-scale study called «Global and regional trends in development of the civil service». The results of the collaborative work have been publicized by Mr. Alikhan Baimenov, Chairman of the Hub Steering Committee, and Mr. Max Everest-Phillips, the Global Center Director.

The study is a unique summary review, combining theoretical framework and applied expertise of the leading international scholars and practitioners in the field of public administration. Experts note that this review is the first of its kind; such large-scale studies on the global trends in civil service development have not been previously conducted anywhere in the world. The study was made possible thanks to the extensive institutional and expert network of the Hub, which brings together practitioners and researchers from different regions of the world.

The study covers the basic development and reforming trends in civil service over the past twenty years in the countries of North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Caucasus and the CIS countries.

Mr. Alikhan Baimenov in his speech outlined a number of global and regional trends in the development of civil service. They include:

first – there is a noticeable mutual influence in the systems of recruitment and promotion of civil servants. This means that there is no purely position-based or career-based model of the civil service; the models are converging acquiring the advantages of each of them. The above mentioned is also characteristic for the doctrinal foundations of public administration;

second – the role of human resources management is rising since the civil service effectiveness is universally understood to be dependent on the quality of personnel. Hence, there is a strive for openness and transparency in the recruitment and promotion with special attention to the ethical standards and talent management schemes in the civil service.

third – as for the effectiveness assessment system of civil servants and government bodies, there is a transition from the processes and procedures to the result-based performance and performance indicators. It is achieved through the improvement of the management quality in public sector, introduction of project management and improved performance evaluation system.

Mr. Max Everest-Phillips, referring to the review, has emphasized that the gradual transformations of public administration are happening in almost all countries. The reason for this are the changes in three areas: the first - conceptual ideas of reforms; the second - the growing social needs and expectations in connection with the financial crisis, the growth of the educated segments of population, the high pace of globalization and the spread of new information technologies; the third -  new approaches in the human resources management, including non-monetary ways for motivation of civil servants.

According to the speakers, the presented research work will serve as a useful and unique resource for practitioners involved in the reform of the public service, as well as for scientists and experts in this field in Kazakhstan and in countries participating in the Hub and beyond. In a broader sense, the study is intended to contribute to the efficiency of public service by supporting the efforts of the governments of the region in capacity building for reforms. Citizens of countries in the region will be provided with answers to questions about the current demand and what to expect from the development of public service in their countries.

Mr. Max Everest-Phillips also noted the effectiveness of cooperation between the Singapore Centre and the Astana Hub and the growing importance of the joint work in the field of transformation of thinking and values ​​in the civil service with emphasis on proactivity, responsiveness and innovation.

During their speeches, the speakers stressed the great potential of cooperation between the two data centers, especially in the field of supporting the developing countries in achieving Sustainable development goals by 2030 within the framework of the "Empowered Futures Initiative” through the use of tools of strategic foresight in the civil service. The Astana hub and the Singapore Centre are currently also conducting a joint study of the factors motivating civil servants of Kazakhstan.

You can download executive summary of the review, watch full video and photos of the presentation.