Abstract

Client centricity has been defined as one of the core directions for developing Russian strategy for social and economic development. Therefore, reviewing international practice of measuring client centricity in public administration is an urgent and relevant task. The objective of the study is to review international practice of using client-centric performance indicators in public administration and identifying the key trends of such practice which could be used for improving client orientation in the Russian public administration. The subject of the review includes performance indicators used for measuring and evaluating client-centric public administration by international organizations and foreign governments. The paper applies generic analytical scientific methods such as case study, content analysis, and comparative analysis. The study is based on review of international and Russian literature as well as official documents issued by public authorities. The study results include a review of international practice of evaluating client centricity in public service delivery as well as in performing regulatory and enforcement functions. The paper also reviews the impact of digital transformation of public administration on improving client centricity and analysis the existing approaches to forming composite indicators for measuring client centricity. The study concludes that there is significant international practice of using performance indicators reflecting government client centricity and representing the interests of citizens and businesses in public administration performance outcomes, i.e. improving accessibility and quality of public services, ensuring integrity-based and non-discriminatory approach to public service delivery, extending the opportunities for public participation in developing, monitoring, and evaluating public policies, and ensuring adequate protection of public values from risks. Citizen satisfaction with public service delivery (especially in areas such as health and education services) is among the most used performance indicator. Noteworthy, this indicator is not limited to measuring satisfaction with service delivery procedures. On the contrary, citizen satisfaction with quality of public services rendered is considered, too. Government digital transformation allows for integrating client centricity indicators in the processes of managing public service delivery and execution of other types of government functions. The key methods used for data collection include sociological surveys (of citizens, businesses, public servants), various feedback forms used in the process of public service delivery, and expert-based specialized assessments. The novelty of the paper is the broad approach to understanding client centricity as a means to acknowledge, ensure, and protect human rights and freedoms. The study demonstrates that achieving client centricity in public administration calls for introducing the practice of evaluating public administration performance from a citizen viewpoint. To undertake such evaluation, the paper recommends using a composite index measuring governance performance from the citizen viewpoint. Such index may be estimated based on the results of sociological surveys.

Abstract

The federal legislation defines a list of regulatory enforcement activities aimed at minimizing risks to legally protected public values (such as life and health, property, privacy, other human rights, plants and animals, natural habitats). Therefore, monitoring studies aiming at collecting public perceptions of the protection of these public values are highly relevant for tracking the reform progress. The goal of this paper is to identify public perceptions of the extent of protection of public values and evaluate regulatory enforcement performance. The subject of the study is regulatory enforcement activity aimed at reducing risks to the public values. The primary method of the study is a representative public survey, the findings of which are compared to earlier surveys carried out in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The results presented in the paper include an analysis of the dynamics in public perception of the effectiveness and efficiency of the state regulatory enforcement activities. The paper concludes that while there are some positive trends in improving public perceptions of the safety of public values, the overall level of these perceptions is unsatisfactory. Less than a half of all the survey participants have positive perceptions on any of the risks considered. The frequency of risk events remains high: half of the respondents faced at least one risk in the 2 years preceding the survey. Both time and financial costs borne by citizens applying for protection to the state regulatory and enforcement authorities have not changed significantly. This shows that the efficiency of state regulatory enforcement authorities has not improved in the public view. The novelty of the study is related to collecting and analyzing empirical data to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of state regulatory enforcement bodies, as perceived by the public. The paper recommends streamlining the procedures for handling citizen complaints to state regulatory enforcement bodies and improving public access to information on the ways of protecting public values from the risks.