State Agencies Flashcards
What is agencification
Creation of semi autonomous agencies
Organisations charged with public tasks such as policy implementation and regulation public service delivery
Less hierarchical and political influence on daily operations and more managerial freedoms van- Thiel 2009
Types of state agencies
Government department
Statutory agency - by law
Executive body - OPW
Constitutional agency - comptroller
State company/commercial entity Esb
Facets of state agency
Perform public function
Have own personnel and finance
Structures are different
Definition of state agency
Organisation established by statute or executive declaration which is structured separately from government departments but which is accountable to a minister
Ministers role re state bodies
Presents legislation to oireachtas
Lays annual report before oireachtas
Sets policy direction
Approves strategy
Secretary general os accounting officer
Responsible for provision of funding
Appoints CEO
Employees have public pension
Trend re state agencies
Increase in agencification since 80s
Towards decentralised, devolved and specialised public sector
Rationale for agencification - 5
- Economic efficiency - new public management approaches to increase efficiency
- Changing societal expectations - demand for innovations
- Political - hot potato
- Specialisation - lack of specialist skills in civil service- separate policy from implementation
- Isomorphism - influenced by non domestic factors
What factors guarantee future of state agencies
Enduring logic of delegated governance
Complex policy environment requires specialist skills and expertise
Used by ministers to deal with political crisis
Drive agenda for representative organisations
Prospect of little radical rethink of current system
Will be shaped by political will and economic constraints
How are state agencies governed
Ministers and secretaries Act
Code of practice
Public service modernisation act
