Criteria

Description

Promotes Transparency

Creates mechanisms to increase the public’s ability to observe, monitor and analyze government decision-making and processes. The mechanisms can be documentary, face-to-face, meetings, and/or electronic.

Promotes Accountability

Utilizes documentation in various forms which can serve as evidence of a government’s conformity to legal, procedural and fiscal requirements, and improves processing of complaints and handling of grievances.

Promotes Responsiveness

Enhances the monitoring and filtering of public opinion and the views of concerned sections of the community, and includes an obligation to share information and demonstrate openness through consultative mechanisms with the public.

Promotes Equity

Extends service delivery to vulnerable groups and/or enables service delivery to a wider population particularly through mechanisms that promote social inclusion relating to gender equality, cultural diversity, the youth, elderly, disabled and other vulnerable populations.

Transforms Administration

Involves transformation within a large framework rather than incremental improvements. Innovative methods, tools and techniques, in the context of a given country or region, are applied to themes such as modernization, change of organizational culture, administrative reforms or the overhaul of government service delivery procedures.

Introduces a New Concept

Introduces a unique idea, distinctively new approach to problem solution, or unique policy or implementation design, in the context of a given country or region, for transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the Public Service.

Criteria

Description

Increases Efficiency

Streamlines processes, reduces red tape, and improves coordination and other measures increasing efficiency. An increase in efficiency must be supported by quantifiable indicators, surveys, questionnaires, etc.

Provides High-Quality Service Delivery

Provides timeliness, courtesy, access and client-orientation in public service delivery. Includes the availability of government services at times and in ways that are more convenient to the public, speedy processing of applications or claims, reduction in the amount of paperwork and other activities citizens must perform in order to demonstrate compliance.

Transforms Administration

Involves transformation within a large framework rather than incremental improvements. Innovative methods, tools and techniques, in the context of a given country or region, are applied to themes such as modernization, change of organizational culture, administrative reforms or the overhaul of government service delivery procedures.

Introduces a New Concept

Introduces a unique idea, distinctively new approach to problem solution, or unique policy or implementation design, in the context of a given country or region, for transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the Public Service.

Criteria

Description

Promotes responsiveness

Enhances responsiveness of government to the demands and needs of citizens; favours the inclusion of the views of concerned sections of the community in public affairs; and demonstrates openness through consultative mechanisms with the public.

Promotes Participation through New Institutional Mechanisms

Implements new processes and institutional mechanisms to channel the demands and views of citizens. This may include decision-support systems, government networking, and consultation mechanisms leading to more effective policymaking and implementation as well as holistic and “horizontal” approaches to public service delivery and management.

Facilitates
e-Participation

Enables governments – policy makers and public officials – to better interact with the public, particularly individual citizens, and allows citizens, for instance, to better express their needs, participate in and influence policy-making; comment on policy implementation; provide feedback on government services (on and off-line services); and file complaints.

Introduces a New Concept

Introduces a unique idea, distinctively new approach to problem solution, or unique policy or implementation design, in the context of a given country or region, for  greater participation of citizens in policy-making decisions, particularly the poor.