Objectives

1. Synopsis of the Expert Meeting on“Approaches and methodologies for the assessment and transfer of best practices in governance and public administration” Objectives Present and discuss the key characteristics of a “best practice” and provide a definition of innovation in government; Identify the characteristics that make a best practice transferable; Discuss and identify the capacity requirements of the recipient administration, whether at the national or local level, and the necessary conditions to implement a specific best practice; Discuss and identify the approaches and methodologies that should be adopted in transferring best practices; Review and discuss lessons learned in existing transfer of best practices.

2. Goals • Enhance knowledge of the concept of best practice and innovation in public administration; • Provide concrete tools for the transfer and adaptation of successful experiences in other countries; • Strengthen knowledge of North-South and South-South cooperation in transferring best practices; • Receive feed-back from experts on how the United Nations can provide more effective assistance to governments in the area of sharing and replication of best practices. • Provide inputs for the preparation of a publication containing useful information for countries wishing to replicate best practices.

3. Major themes • Best practices and innovation in government: perspectives, challenges and potential • Transferability of best practices/innovations • Endogenous capacity to absorb and implement a best practice • Approaches and methodologies for the replication of best practices

4. Participants Participants included experts, academics, practitioners, and representatives of international, regional and sub-regional institutions. They came from the following countries: Jordan, Croatia, Morocco, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Tunisia, Mexico, Canada, Syria, USA, Egypt, South Africa, Philippines, Malaysia, National Palestinian Authority, Albania, Spain

5. The following Institutions were represented: ESAMI CPSI CAPAM IPAC EPAN – European Network of Public Administration UNHABITAT UNDP Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard University OECD Galing POOK FOUNDATION, Fundacao Getulio Vargas, CAIMED – Centre for Administrative innovation in the Mediterranean Region Higher Population Council of Jordan Croatian Association for Public Administration ASPA – American Society for Public Administration ENA of Morocco, Sabanci University and Istanbul Policy Centre Faculte de droit et de science politiques de Tunis Damascus University El Colegio de la Frontera Norte of Mexico EUI - European University Institute CITYNET Bethlehem University Beit-Jala Urban research Institute of Albania, and UNDESA

6. ISSUES Highlighted • What constitutes a ‘best practice’ in public administration? • Why should governments search for innovation in public administration? • What is involved in the process of innovation in public administration? • What are the factors that facilitate or hinder innovation in public administration (enabling environment)? • Describe what governments and other stakeholders should do to create an enabling environment for innovation in public administration? • Elements of endogenous capacity to absorb and implement innovations and best practices • Building endogenous capacity • Sustainability of innovation and best practices

7. ISSUES • What are the characteristics and factors that make an innovation transferable from one context to another? • Of all the constituting elements of a “best practice” or of an innovation what should be transferred? • What should be done to enhance the transferability of “best practices”? • What are the various approaches and methodologies that can be used to adapt “best practices” effectively? • Strength and weaknesses of each one of these approaches and methodologies? • Of all the approaches and methodologies which ones would you recommend in which context?

8. Recommendations for endogenous capacity • Create an environment that encourages the generation of innovations and not only the adaptation of innovations from other experiences • For Implementation: • Build self-sufficient institutions that are rich in social capital and human capability • Integrate participatory democratic practices in the initiation and implementation procedures • Build national systems that recognize and reward innovative practices • Document monitor and assess innovations • Utilize integrated communication approaches • Establish decision making mechanisms that distribute decisional power and share risks of innovations in order to encourage innovators to propose new ideas. For Evaluation: • Use integrated monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and establish them within the decision-making and implementation processes • Emphasize the importance of ‘lessons learned’ for the future planning and revision of current practices and ensure a continuous learning approach in the evaluation process • Focus on Qualitative indicators

9. Recommendations on transferability • Broadcast information (shared knowledge): post it on a Web portal • Create competition (market model) among innovation ideas • Provide incentives (e.g., UN: Dubai awards, UN Habitat, use of development accounts as funding formula [UNPAN]); economic and non-economic. • Require that money given as prizes/awards be used systematically to replicate and disseminate BPs Link with public broadcasting service to disseminate films of the awards process that are shown on all PBS channels (all prize winners, or those related to the specific broadcast area in question) • Commission case studies that are used as teaching/learning resources. • Use cases as teaching/learning innovations in executive training and leadership programs • Create what might be called a global network of innovators; link them physically by bringing them to a central location to interact and exchange ideas. Establish global partnerships so as to run programs bi-laterally in a number of different areas of the world

10. Recommendations on approaches and methodologies • Approaches and Methodologies • Practitioner – to – practitioner – engaging in different jurisdictions (peer – to – peer) • Information sharing • Problem solving teams workgroups – multi – dimensional team with one member familiar with the innovation / problem • Transfer guidelines • Capacity building / training knowledge based • Hiring experts • Awards