Alternative Service Delivery Revisited

Author: John Wilkins is Head, Thematic Programmes Group, Governance and Institutional Development Division, Commonwealth Secretariat.

Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) is a process of government reform that reviews public programmes and services to choose the most appropriate organisational forms and delivery mechanisms to achieve government objectives. It has regained currency in Commonwealth public sector development recently, as governments deal with the fiscal and budgetary effects of the global economic crisis.

This discussion paper first explains the concept and methodology behind ASD. It then profiles two contrasting country cases of Commonwealth ASD experience, and summarises the lessons learnt about good practice. Finally, it considers the prospects for ASD and raises questions for further exploration.