1,721,000 research outputs found
The role of departmental secretaries
No full textThis monograph contributes to the broader public policy discourse in Australia and offers a number of ‘lessons learned’ to be heeded (or not) by the present and future generations of policy practitioners.
Andrew Podger has been, at times, an unflinching commentator on issues of bureaucratic performance, accountability and responsiveness to government and his reflections are drawn from his own experiences within the inner circle of Australian policy-making. Although a ‘player’ himself at key moments in recent policy history, Podger is a dispassionate and thoughtful observer of events
The role of departmental secretaries: personal reflections on the breadth of responsibilities today
Full text linkThis book presents a portrait of the role of Commonwealth departmental secretaries and their work from the point of view of a former senior public servant. Although Andrew Podger was a participant at key moments in recent policy history, this is not merely a memoir: it is an analytic book which offers a number of lessons learned, to be heeded (or not) by the present and future generations of policy practitioners. Andrew has been, at times, an unflinching commentator on issues of bureaucratic performance, accountability and responsiveness to government. Andrew’s reflections are drawn from his own experiences within the inner circle of Australian policy-making
Tax and social security
No full textThese papers are a follow-up to a roundtable that reviewed the Australian tax system, the Henry Review recommendations and the extent of their implementation, and last year\u27s Tax Summit at Parliament House.
In October 2011 the Academy, in partnership with the ANU and the Australia New Zealand School of Government, convened a roundtable event examining the tax and social transfer systems.
Held soon after the Federal Government\u27s Tax Summit at Parliament House, the roundtable event was an expert gathering that focused on the Henry Review and long term reform priorities. This included:
Principles for a coherent tax- social security system
Personal income tax and financial assistance
Social security pensions and benefits
Retirement incomes
The Academy is preparing for publication an Occasional Paper. In advance of that publication, here are three articles from participants on the day.
Andrew Podger and John Wanna: Towards a Stronger, More Equitable and Efficient Tax-Social Security System: Report on the Proceedings of the Castles Tax and Social Security Roundtable
Dennis Trewin: Towards a Stronger, More Equitable and Efficient Tax-Social Security System: Overview of the Castles Tax and Social Security Roundtable
Andrew Podger: Ian Castles and the Henry Tax/Transfers Revie
Benefit of hindsight: Valedictory reflections from departmental secretaries, 2004-2011
No full textSecretaries of government departments in Australia are the bureaucratic leaders of their generation. They are ambitious, highly-talented executives who have risen to the very pinnacle of their chosen vocation – public service to the Australian nation – usually after having spent most, if not all, of their professional careers dedicated to the public service. They serve governments as their top advisers and in policy terms are often some of the most important decision-makers in the country.
This collection brings together the valedictory speeches and essays from a departing group of secretaries (and one or two other equivalent agency heads) who left the Australian Public Service between 2004 and 2011. Over this period of time it gradually became accepted that departing secretaries and heads of significant agencies would present a valedictory address to their peers at a public farewell function. The first two speeches in this collection were initiated informally and given at functions organised by their agencies; in 2005 the process was formalised with the Australian Public Service Commission acting as organiser.
These contributions contain reflections, commentaries, occasional fond memories or key turning-points in careers, critiques of changes that have occurred and an outline of the remaining challenges their successors will face as the public administrators of tomorrow.
From the outset it is clear that there is no uniform message, no single narrative levelled either in praise or in criticism, other than pride in the public service and strong belief in the contribution it makes to the Australian community. They have their own personal ‘takes’ on how the public service looks to them, on its performance and on the challenges confronting public administration into the future. Most spend some time looking back, reflecting on the extent of change that has occurred over the length of their careers; but equally importantly they look forward, anticipating future policy dilemmas and capacity challenges.
John Wanna holds the Sir John Bunting Chair of Public Administration at the Research School of Social Sciences at The Australian National University and is director of research for the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).
Andrew Podger is professor of public administration at The Australian National University and adjunct professor at Griffith University and Xi’an Jiao Tong University. A former Australian Public Service Commissioner and secretary of the departments of Health and Aged Care, Housing and Regional Development, and Administrative Services, he retired from public service in 2004.
Sam Vincent is a Canberra-based freelance journalist who contributes to The Sydney Morning Herald, The Sun-Herald, The Age and Inside Sport magazine
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny: In the public interest
No full textOn this Democracy Sausage, our panel of distinguished scholars - Glyn Davis, Catherine Althaus and Andrew Podger - join Mark Kenny to discuss creating a more effective public service and celebrate the career of John Wanna. How can the bureaucracy and political system better serve the Australian people and rebuild trust? And with the importance of expertise front-of-mind during the COVID-19 crisis, how can policymakers and experts ensure that this relationship is for the long-term and not just a one-off? On this episode of Democracy Sausage, Distinguished Professor Glyn Davis, Professor Catherine Althaus and Honorary Professor Andrew Podger AO joins Professor Mark Kenny to discuss politics, policy and public administration, and the extensive contribution Professor Emeritus John Wanna has made to the fields
Democracy Sausage with Mark Kenny: Understanding China
No full textOn this special Democracy Sausage we launch a new book on governance systems in China, Taiwan and Australia with its co-editor Andrew Podger and ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop, and discuss how COVID-19 is affecting Australia’s elderly. What does reform look like in China and how does the country’s governance stack up against Australia’s? Has reform in the country actually gone backwards under Xi Jinping? And how can business navigate the increasingly tense relations between China and other countries? On this Democracy Sausage Professor Andrew Podger, ANU Chancellor and former Foreign Minister the Hon Julie Bishop, and Dr Marija Taflaga join Mark Kenny to launch and discuss the new book, Designing governance systems for performance and accountability, co-edited by Professor Podger. The panel also examines COVID-19 in the aged care sector and whether Australia is doing enough to protect its elderly people
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