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Denmark

Principles for Collaboration on the Modernisation of the Public Sector as Well as the Establishment of a Centre for Public Innovation (DK0040)

Overview

At-a-Glance

Action Plan: Denmark Action Plan 2013-2014

Action Plan Cycle: 2014

Status: Inactive

Institutions

Lead Institution: NA

Support Institution(s): NA

Policy Areas

Capacity Building

IRM Review

IRM Report: Denmark End-of-Term Report 2014-2016, Denmark IRM Progress Report 2014-2015

Starred: No

Early Results: Did Not Change

Design i

Verifiable: No

Relevant to OGP Values: Not Relevant

Potential Impact:

Implementation i

Completion:

Description

Together with employers and employees from the public labour market, the Government has adopted seven principles for collaboration on the modernisation of the public sector. The principles are to promote a performance of public tasks and a culture with a focus on trust, collaboration, results, efficiency, innovation, quality and professionalism. At the same time, these principles serve the purpose of supporting the many good initiatives across sectors and authorities that rethink and improve the public sector.
The adoption of the principles will be followed up on in 2014-2016 by initiatives that are to contribute to spreading the principles and supporting modernisation and innovation in the public sector. The initiatives comprise the development of new forms of governance with a focus on trust and collaboration as well as the establishment of a centre for public innovation that is to support the spread and embeddedness of innovation across the public sector. The centre is also to strengthen employee and user-driven innovation in the public sector.

IRM End of Term Status Summary

Commitments 7 and 8: Modernization of the public sector & free municipalities

Commitment 7. Modernization of the public sector & establishment of a center for public innovation

Together with employers and employees from the public labour market, the Government has adopted seven principles for collaboration on the modernisation of the public sector. The principles are to promote a performance of public tasks and a culture with a focus on trust, collaboration, results, efficiency, innovation, quality and professionalism. At the same time, these principles serve the purpose of supporting the many good initiatives across sectors and authorities that rethink and improve the public sector.

The adoption of the principles will be followed up on in 2014-2016 by initiatives that are to contribute to spreading the principles and supporting modernisation and innovation in the public sector. The initiatives comprise the development of new forms of governance with a focus on trust and collaboration as well as the establishment of a centre for public innovation that is to support the spread and embeddedness of innovation across the public sector. The centre is also expected to strengthen employee and user driven innovation in the public sector.

8: “Free Municipality” pilot projects

Known as “Free Municipality” pilot projects, these projects are part of the Government’s work on the modernisation and innovation of the public sector. Lessons learned from free municipality pilot projects are to contribute to the Government’s general reform of the public sector with a focus on trust, professionalism, leadership and deregulation, which are significant parameters for a user-orientated sector.

Nine municipalities are free municipalities. They have been granted exemption from government rules and documentation requirements for the purpose of testing new ways of doing things. The objective is to find smarter, more resource-efficient and less bureaucratic solutions.

Responsible Institution: None specified for any commitment

Supporting Institutions: Commitment 7: none specified;

Commitment 8: The nine “free municipalities”

Start date: Not specified........                         End date: Not specified

Commitment Aim:

Commitment 7 set out seven principles for modernization of the private sector,[Note 17: Seven principles for public innovation, COI, http://coi.dk/om-os/7-principper/]such as factoring citizens’ resources into public services. A series of follow up initiatives as well as the creation of a new Centre for Public Innovation followed.

Commitment 8 predates the action plan,[Note 18: http://www.kl.dk/Fagomrader/Okonomi-og-dokumentation/styring/Frikommuneforsog/De-9-frikommuner/] and entails a series of pilot projects held in “free municipalities.” [Note 19: Denmark’s Self-Assessment Report to OGP, September 2015, http://goo.gl/GUIr6a] These municipalities have been granted exemption from government rules and documentation requirements for testing new ways of doing things in order to find smarter, more resource-efficient and less bureaucratic solutions. There were nine “free municipalities” in the period 2012-2015, and results from their experience will be included in future reforms of the public sector.

Status
Commitment 7:

Mid-term: Substantial

As remarked in the IRM progress report, this commitment is vaguely worded, resulting in significant scope for interpretation to what exactly the commitment is attempting to achieve. Nevertheless, the IRM researcher finds this commitment to be substantially completed.

The evaluation of the adopted principles and implementation of initiatives to spread the principles was still on going during the first-year assessment. As noted in the IRM Progress Report[Note 20: Denmark IRM mid-term report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Denmark_IRM%20Progress%20Report%202014-15_Final_eng.pdf] the government had conducted governance workshops to develop new governance models focused on trust, collaboration, and civil engagement. It also established a Center for Public Sector Innovation that produced the world’s first Public Sector Innovation Statistic.

End of term: Substantial

This commitment has not seen further implementation since midterm evaluation. Since the IRM progress report, the Centre for Public Innovation has hosted many activities, meetings, and workshops (for a complete list, see the news on the COI-website[Note 21: News from COI, http://coi.dk/nyheder/]), however it is unclear how many of these pertain to this commitment. Together, the work of the Centre for Public Innovation and the adoption of the seven principles are an on-going process, scheduled for conclusion in 2019.[Note 22: COI to continue their work, COI, http://coi.dk/nyheder/2016/coi-fortsaetter-arbejdet/]

Commitment 8:

Mid-term: Substantial

According to the Danish government’s mid-term self-assessment report, municipalities piloted 250 experimental approaches to almost all municipal tasks. Examples include beginning foreign language instruction in earlier grades of schools, or indeed in kindergarten, and new ways of welcoming citizens into job service functions. For further information, please see the IRM mid-term report.[Note 23: Denmark IRM mid-term report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Denmark_IRM%20Progress%20Report%202014-15_Final_eng.pdf]  A midterm evaluation of the experimental pilot projects performed by Rambøll and released in January 2014 confirmed that implementation was advancing according to the specified timeline.[Note 24: Midterm evaluation of the free municipalities, January 2014, Rambøll, http://www.kl.dk/ImageVaultFiles/id_75799/cf_202/Tv-rg-ende_rapport_-_Midtvejsevaluering_af_frikomm.PDF]

End of term: Complete

The period for the free municipalities ended in 2015, the commitment is now considered complete. The Ministry of Social Affairs and the Interior announced that the participating municipalities would publish self-evaluations of their experiments by 30 April 2016.[Note 25: Free Municipalities 2012-2015, Ministry of Social and the Interior, http://sim.dk/frikommuneforsoeg-ii/frikommuneforsoeg-i-(2012-2015).aspx] Only Fredensborg Kommune[Note 26: Evaluation of free municipality trial, Fredensborg Kommune, https://www.fredensborg.dk/Admin/Public/Download.aspx?file=Files%2FFiles%2FKommunen%2FFrikommune%2FFrikommune_Evalueringsrapport_endeligt+udkast.pdf] had published such a report at the time of writing, and there is no aggregated assessment like the evaluation performed by Rambøll.

Did it open government?

Access to information: Did not change

Civic Participation: Did not change

Public Accountability: Did not change

Neither of the commitments are eligible for the “did it open government” question, a neither of them had any OGP value relevance.

Commitment 7 aims to establish the Centre for Public Innovation, have a series of activities and adopt seven principles for innovation in public offices. However, as implemented it remained unclear how the commitment is relevant to OGP values. As noted in the end of term completion, it is also unclear what relation the activities held at the COI, have to the commitment. Since the adoption of the seven principles is still on-going, any effects or indication of changes in government practice is hard to determine. Especially, given the unclear relevance to any of OGP values.

Commitment 8 aims to perform a series of experiments in the “Free Municipalities”, but it does not specify how these experiments were to be adopted into policy on the national or local level. During the period the pilot project lasts, “free municipalities” are allowed to be exempt from complying with policy or legislation in order to find smarter, more resource-efficient and less bureaucratic solutions. As noted in the IRM progress report the relevance of this commitment, as written, to OGP values is unclear.[Note 27: Denmark IRM mid-term report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Denmark_IRM%20Progress%20Report%202014-15_Final_eng.pdf] From desk research and interviews with government officials responsible for commitment implementation, the IRM researcher has not found concrete evidence of policy changes. There is no evidence that the experiments conducted by free municipalities in Commitment #8 changed how government discloses information, opens spaces for participation, or is held accountable. Since the commitment is at the local level, it is beyond the scope of this research to examine each action.

Carried forward?

According information found on the COI website,[Note 28: COI to continue their work, COI, http://coi.dk/nyheder/2016/coi-fortsaetter-arbejdet/] activities of the Centre for Public Innovation will continue until 2019.

A new free municipality project was announced spanning 2016-2019,[Note 29: Free Municipalities 2016-2019, Local Government Denmark, http://www.kl.dk/Okonomi-og-administration/Okonomi-og-dokumentation/styring/Frikommuneforsog/] and 43 municipalities have applied to conduct this next round of municipal experiments.[Note 30: Free Municipalities 2016-2019, Local Government Denmark, http://www.kl.dk/Okonomi-og-administration/Okonomi-og-dokumentation/styring/Frikommuneforsog/Frikommuneforsog-II/] In late August 2016, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Interior postponed the appointment of new free municipalities.[Note 31: Free Municipality appointment delayed, Ministry of Social and the Interior: http://sim.dk/nyheder/nyhedsarkiv/2016/aug/udpegning-af-frikommunenetvaerk-udskydes.aspx]

Commitments

  1. Platform for Citizens to Access Data the Government Holds about Them

    DK0068, 2019, Data Stewardship and Privacy

  2. Oversight Body for Social Services Claims

    DK0069, 2019, Access to Justice

  3. Anonymous Whistleblower Portals for Justice System Employees

    DK0070, 2019, Anti-Corruption

  4. Open National Archives Data

    DK0064, 2019, Access to Information

  5. Open Workplace Health and Safety Data

    DK0065, 2019, Access to Information

  6. Climate Atlas

    DK0066, 2019, Access to Information

  7. Publish Terrain, Climate, and Water Data

    DK0067, 2019, Access to Information

  8. Open Data for Citizens and Media

    DK0050, 2017, Access to Information

  9. Data Registers on a Shared Public Distribution Platform

    DK0051, 2017, E-Government

  10. Information Portal for Day-Care Facilities

    DK0052, 2017, E-Government

  11. Open Data and Smart City Forum

    DK0053, 2017, Access to Information

  12. Open Data DK

    DK0054, 2017, Access to Information

  13. Overview of Own Cases and Benefits

    DK0055, 2017, E-Government

  14. Nationwide Deployment of Telemedicine

    DK0056, 2017, E-Government

  15. My Log

    DK0057, 2017, E-Government

  16. Civil Society National Strategy

    DK0058, 2017, Marginalized Communities

  17. Report a Rule

    DK0059, 2017, E-Government

  18. OGP Forum

    DK0060, 2017, Public Participation

  19. Denmark’S Country Program for Uganda

    DK0061, 2017, Aid

  20. The 18Th International Anti-Corruption Conference

    DK0062, 2017, Anti-Corruption

  21. IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative)

    DK0063, 2017, Access to Information

  22. Service Check of Local Government Consultations

    DK0034, 2014, Public Participation

  23. Call on All Municipalities to Facilitate Advance Voting

    DK0035, 2014, Marginalized Communities

  24. Letter of Invitation to First-Time Voters Urging Them to Vote

    DK0036, 2014, Marginalized Communities

  25. User Friendliness Requirements Regarding Digital Self-Service Solutions

    DK0037, 2014, Capacity Building

  26. Plan for Inclusion During the Transition to Digital Communication

    DK0038, 2014, Capacity Building

  27. Common Public Sector Digital Communication Campaign

    DK0039, 2014, Capacity Building

  28. Principles for Collaboration on the Modernisation of the Public Sector as Well as the Establishment of a Centre for Public Innovation

    DK0040, 2014, Capacity Building

  29. “Free Municipality” Pilot Projects

    DK0041, 2014, Subnational

  30. Recommendations from Growth Teams

    DK0042, 2014, Private Sector

  31. Strategy for Digital Welfare

    DK0043, 2014, E-Government

  32. Implementation of a New Charter for Interaction Between Volunteer Denmark/Associations Denmark and the Public Sector

    DK0044, 2014, Civic Space

  33. “Open Data Innovation Strategy” (ODIS)

    DK0045, 2014, Access to Information

  34. Data Distributor for the Distribution of Basic Data

    DK0046, 2014, Access to Information

  35. Open Government Camp 2014

    DK0047, 2014, Capacity Building

  36. Open Government Assistance to Myanmar

    DK0048, 2014, Aid

  37. Opening Key Public Datasets

    DK0049, 2014, Access to Information

  38. Online Open Government Partnership Community

    DK0001, 2012, E-Government

  39. Online OGP Handbook for Public Authorities and Institutions

    DK0002, 2012, E-Government

  40. Starred commitment Management Labs and New Forms of Co-Operation

    DK0003, 2012, Public Participation

  41. Consultation and Transparency of Development Aid Programmes: Design Aid Programmes

    DK0004, 2012, Aid

  42. Innovate with Aarhus

    DK0005, 2012, Capacity Building

  43. Citizen Self-Services: Increasing the Use of User Ratings in the Citizen’s Port Borger.Dk

    DK0006, 2012, E-Government

  44. Open Government Camp

    DK0007, 2012, Public Participation

  45. Renewed Effort for Open Government Data

    DK0008, 2012, Access to Information

  46. Regional Initiative on Open Data

    DK0009, 2012, Access to Information

  47. Reuse of Open Source Software in the Public Sector

    DK0010, 2012, E-Government

  48. Citizen Self-Services: Binding Guidelines for Self-Service Solutions

    DK0011, 2012, Capacity Building

  49. Citizen Self-Services: Guidance and Information on Accessibility to Digital Solutions

    DK0012, 2012, E-Government

  50. Citizen Self-Services: Peer-To-Peer Learning Programmes to Help Citizens Use Digital Self-Service

    DK0013, 2012, Capacity Building

  51. Citizen Self-Services: Location-Based Content and Re-Use of Content in Borger.Dk

    DK0014, 2012, E-Government

  52. Less Reporting Through Increased Re-Use of Key Data

    DK0015, 2012, E-Government

  53. Mypage” for Businesses

    DK0016, 2012, E-Government

  54. Companies to Be “Born Digitally”

    DK0017, 2012, E-Government

  55. Creating a Mediation and Complaints Institution for Responsible Business Behaviour

    DK0018, 2012, Human Rights

  56. International Human Rights Conference

    DK0019, 2012, Human Rights

  57. Promote Social Responsibility in the Fashion Business

    DK0020, 2012, Private Sector

  58. Reporting on Human Rights and the Climate

    DK0021, 2012, Human Rights

  59. Country by Country Reporting in the Extractive and Forestry Industries

    DK0022, 2012, Anti-Corruption

  60. Legislative Principles for the Digital Age

    DK0023, 2012, Legislative

  61. Consolidated Key Data

    DK0024, 2012, E-Government

  62. App Store for Digital Learning Resources

    DK0025, 2012, E-Government

  63. Starred commitment Preparing a Digital Reform of the Public Welfare Areas

    DK0026, 2012, E-Government

  64. Consultation and Transparency of Development Aid Programmes: Transparency in Aid

    DK0027, 2012, Aid

  65. Tracking Progress of Universities’ Transition to Digital-Only Administrative Communication

    DK0028, 2012, Education

  66. Disclosure of Status Reporting From the National IT Project Council

    DK0029, 2012, E-Government

  67. Overview of Public ICT Architecture

    DK0030, 2012, E-Government

  68. Publication of Educational Materials on the Government’s ICT Project Model

    DK0031, 2012, Capacity Building

  69. Smart Aarhus and Smart Region: Smart Aarhus

    DK0032, 2012, E-Government

  70. Smart Aarhus and Smart Region: Smart Region

    DK0033, 2012, E-Government

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