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Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Director of the Economic Affairs Division (EAD)

“There is a recognition that what one needs is the public sector moving from an administrative or bureaucratic culture to a more entrepreneurial or management style” - Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Director, Economic Affairs Division, Commonwealth Secretariat

No one-size-fits-all model for public service reform -- says Commonwealth official

25 April 2007

Malta conference addresses challenges of building economic resilience in small states

The role of government in the economies of small states is changing with a shift towards reducing the type and scale of public sector engagement, a senior Commonwealth Secretariat official said in Malta this week.

Dr Indrajit Coomaraswamy, Director of the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), told the 23-25 April 2007 International Conference on Small States and Economic Resilience that since the mid-1980s, the role of government in small states had been redefined to the point where there was greater focus on the state as a facilitator, catalyst and partner.

“The strongly ideological view of the ‘role of the state’ has been tempered. There is now a more pragmatic approach,” he said.

“There is a recognition that what one needs is the public sector moving from an administrative or bureaucratic culture to a more entrepreneurial or management style.”

There was no one-size-that-fits-all model for service reform, he added. The state’s role had to be matched to its capability, which is not static and could be increased by strengthening institutions.

Citing the strong links between improving the way states govern themselves and development, Dr Coomaraswamy said that the realities facing small states make it important and urgent for them to improve efficiency within government.

He called for the improvement of skills so that governments could adapt to these new roles.

The conference was attended by leading specialists on small states development from across the Commonwealth as well as representatives from the World Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Development Programme. It was organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the University of Malta.

Further details about the conference can be found at: http://events.um.edu.mt/resilience2007

 

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