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The delivery of public services is, inevitably and rightly, the subject of scrutiny to ensure that taxpayers’ funds are used appropriately. The key to confidence in any system is that there is transparency in the decision-making process which allocates funding and, once allocated, that there is accountability for subsequent impact e.g. through targets and other measures.
Some key questions for our ‘Increasing transparency and accountability’ research programme include:
- How can public service delivery be made more accountable and transparent to taxpayers and customers?
- What are the best practice methods of reporting?
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Mar 2008 | Confronting corruption: The business case for an effective anti-corruption programme
Efforts by business, governments and non-governmental organisations in the last decade have given the fight against corruption considerable momentum. But significant challenges lie ahead. Confronting corruption: The business case for an effective anti-corruption programme is a PricewaterhouseCoopers report that examines what companies are currently doing to manage the risk of corruption, what steps they should take to better protect themselves in the future and the vital roles both Government and business have to play: governments to implement and enforce anti-corruption measures, business to implement and vigorously enforce anti-corruption programmes. |  |
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Nov 2007 | Paying Taxes 2008 - the global picture
This unique joint study by PwC's Tax practice and the World Bank compares tax regimes in 178 countries around the world, and ranks them according to the relative ease of paying taxes by focusing on the number of tax payments a company has to make, the time it takes to comply and the total tax rate, in order to determine the overall ease of paying taxes. The study uses the methodology of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Total Tax Contribution framework which is designed to help companies identify their true tax contribution, either in a particular country or on a global basis. | |
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Feb 2007 | Guarding privacy in the federal government: a holistic approach
Pressure for the US federal government to protect the personal data and privacy of the American public is stronger than ever. The likelihood of privacy breaches occurring has increased with the enhanced portability of data on laptops, flash drives, cell phones, and other mobile devices. Mistakes in information security now have severe ramifications, including damage to public trust and the high cost of an often lengthy recovery period. As a result, senior executives at federal agencies are now wrestling with how to design and effectively implement comprehensive, strategic privacy programs. PricewaterhouseCoopers Washington Federal Practice, along with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), recently examined the federal government’s progress in implementing privacy programs. | |
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Jan 2007 | Delivery on the double
Following the publication of the UK Government's White Paper, 'Strong and Prosperous Communities', PricewaterhouseCoopers has produced a commentary report Delivery on the double. Our analysis aims to take the local government debate further, towards the practical – and often difficult – delivery issues that will need to be tackled to make the policies outlined in the White Paper work. | |
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Nov 2006 | Connecting public sector pay to service delivery
Pay in the UK public sector should be better aligned with the needs of public services in order to increase efficiency and provide a motivated workforce. The design of pay progression and performance pay should be based on the jobs people are doing and those jobs should be based on the service delivery models within which they are working. We believe the over-centralised decision making prevents this from happening. It also means that inadequate account is taken of market rates of pay, including the different levels of pay which should be applied in different parts of the UK. | |
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Apr 2006 | Pacing Lyons: forecasting the shape of local governance
NLGN report
The extension of the Lyons Inquiry to include the role and function of UK local government carries both opportunity and challenge. The opportunity is to tackle longstanding and fundamental dilemmas in local governance in circumstances where lasting reform is possible. The challenge is to ensure that the quality of thinking and debate created by the Inquiry can rise to this ambition. | |
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Sept 2005 | To the point: a blueprint for good targets
Social Market Foundation report
This report is a thorough examination of the UK Government’s use of targets in four public services: education, health, housing and the criminal justice system. The report sets out the design flaws in the current targets regime but concludes, however, that these flaws are the result of specific design problems. This report presents a range of practical proposals to improve the way in which targets are designed in the future. These are illustrated with a definition of a "good target", encapsulating the principles of how, and when, targets should be set. | |
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