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Public Sector Modernisation

Public Sector Reform in Jamaica

The creation “of an open and impartial public sector, which puts the public’s interests first, and in which valued and respected professionals deliver high quality services efficiently and effectively”

(Ministry Paper 56/02)

The Jamaican Public Sector exists to deliver quality services which meet the needs of the people within our society. Changes in the way the public sector manages and delivers services have been ongoing over the past five decades in an effort to create a public service which is open, inclusive, responsive and innovative, and which provides an environment for all citizens to effectively make input into matters that affect their lives.

Public Sector Reform, A Historical Perspective – 1950-1990

Over the past 40-50 years, Jamaica has recognised that an efficient Public Service is important to the development of the country. Since the 1950’s a number of reports have been produced dealing with some aspects of public sector reform. The Jamaican Public Sector has therefore been consistently upgrading its systems and processes to align with emerging demands. On becoming an independent nation in 1962, the state sought to implement institutions that would perform functions similar to those undertaken in the developed states. This resulted in the expansion of the bureaucracy. The existing public sector was however unable to cope with this new dimension of the state.

The first major public sector reform initiative took form in the 1970’s with the creation of the Ministry of the Public Service which was charged with the responsibility to modernise management practices in the public sector. By the 1980’s, it became apparent that the Public Service remained inefficient and was unable to operate within a changing environment. The decade of the 1980’s saw Administrative Reform Programmes dominating in developed states, largely driven by Structural Adjustment Programmes of Multilateral Agencies which demanded that the States seeking loan and aid needed to develop a market oriented economy. The public sector was expected to provide the enabling environment for growth and development of the productive sector and therefore the focus on Ministries to improve management structures, systems and operations of the Public Service in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness and becoming responsive to citizen’s needs.

In Jamaica, the Administrative Reform Programme targets included improving the morale problem of civil servants which involved the development of classification standards primarily for the managerial cadre, the setting up of an Inter-Ministerial Committee of Administrative Reforms (IMCAR) to closely monitor the progress of reform programmes, programme budgeting and corporate planning and the introduction of a financial management information system and a human resource management information system. Reform to the Tax Administration System also began in this period.

In 1996 the Government acknowledged that some progress had been made but not at the pace anticipated to enable the Government to cope with the challenges of a modern era including the implications of an increased pace of globalisation, reducing the fiscal deficit and meeting the rising expectations of the society for better services from the State.

Public Sector Modernisation Project (PSMP)1996-2002

The current programme of change being undertaken by the Government of Jamaica commenced in 1996 with the Public Sector Modernisation Project (PSMP), a Government of Jamaica/World Bank funded Project which establish executive agencies, modernise the Customs Department and Jamaica Promotions (Jampro), strengthen the policy capacity of the Ministries of Works and Land and Environment and to strengthen the audit and procurement functions of Government. The project also included the enhancement of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and the Financial Management Information System (FMIS). The major successes of the project were the creation of eight (8) Executive Agencies (EA) and modernised entities:

Entities Modernised under PSMP

Jamaica Information Service
Companies Office Of Jamaica
Registrar General’s Department
Administrator General’s Department
National Environment And Planning Agency
National Works Agency
Management Institute For National Development
National Land Agency
Jamaica Promotions
Planning Institute Of Jamaica
Jamaica Customs
Ministry of Transport and Works

The Public Sector Modernisation Vision and Strategy 2002-2012 (PDF)

The vision for the next decade of Public Sector Reform in Jamaica is articulated in Ministry Paper 56/02 “Government at your Service: Public Sector Modernisation Vision and Strategy 2002-2012”. It outlines a ten year plan which guides how the public sector should function in the new millennium. The primary goal of the ten year plan is to improve the performance of Government and the quality of services offered by the public sector.

The main components of this transformation are reflected in the eight (8) chapters or themes of the strategy document, these are:

Sustainable Development
Governance
Values & Principles and Regeneration of the Public Service
Customer Service
Resource Management and Accountability
Managing People
Performance Management
Technology

In the strategy document a vision and a set of objectives are identified for each theme, or aspect of the modernisation, with the central focus being the modernisation of all public sector entities and the establishment of these entities as performance based institutions. Because it will be in the operations of these institutions that the various elements of the modernisation will come together and impact the lives of Jamaican citizens – quality customer service and client care, application of technology for more efficient service delivery and informed decision making, planning,and policy making that is integrated across agencies for seamless service delivery, consultative and participatory decision making, strategic human resource management and leadership to develop the quality of personnel required to delivery Government services, maintaining a performance focus, and improving efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources.

The Medium Term Action Plan 2008-2012

In 2007 a review of implementation of the Public Sector Modernisation Vision and Strategy 2002-2012 was conducted out of which emerged a Medium Term Action Plan (MTAP). The MTAP identifies strategies for improving results based management across Government and forms the basis for continued implementation of the Modernisation Programme over the next five (5) years.

Through the development of the MTAP, the implementation of the modernisation programme has been redesigned with the following components: