The Public Governance Exchange (PGEx) is the Institute On Governance’s premier applied research initiative – a syndicated, multi-jurisdictional program of applied research into public sector governance.
The purpose of the PGEx is to engage government organizations at the federal and provincial levels in rigorous analysis of governance issues and trends, with a view to identifying practical approaches to real-world challenges. It provides cutting-edge research and analysis on issues of direct interest to members, as well as a forum for the exchange of ideas, expertise and lessons learned, including through customized workshops and large-scale learning events.
A central fact of contemporary public administration is the distribution of government responsibilities to a broad spectrum of institutions beyond day-to-day government control – sometimes far beyond. Measured in terms of expenditures, most public sector activity in Canada is now distributed in this way – some 55% at the federal level and nearly 80% in the case of the provinces. PGEx describes this distribution of responsibilities to agencies, tribunals, Crown corporations and Delegated Administrative Authorities, among others as “distributed governance”, and has developed a conceptual model – the Governance Continuum – to explain how it works and assist in organizational analysis and planning.
This evolution of public sector entities has enhanced the capacity of governments to organize their activities in a manner that best achieves their policy goals. At the same time, the proliferation of organizations adds complexity to the challenges of governance and can lead to uncertainties about accountability, and problems ensuring appropriate levels of coordination, control and adherence to public sector values. Another signature PGEx initiative is our Governance Scorecard, a very granular organizational evaluation against a wide-ranging and detailed set indicators to assess both the formal machinery of the organization and the myriad of less formal governance arrangements that together constitute its “governance ecosystem”. In the context of expert-assisted self-assessment, the Scorecard is an exceptionally valuable evaluation and planning tool.
The importance of governance issues is heightened in the context of fiscal austerity, as governments plan for organizational changes that are intended to cut costs while improving the way things are done. It is critical that such changes be rooted in systematic analysis and the development of appropriate mechanisms to ensure financial probity, accountability and alignment with broader government policy.
PGEx builds governance capacity among its members by building a community of practice that shares experiences, insights and practical approaches with respect to the evolution of governance as it adapts to fiscal, economic and social policy pressures. In this shared space, members have the benefit of IOG facilitation, expertise, analytical tools and directed research.
Areas in which members gain a deeper understanding include:
Specific benefits of PGEx membership are adaptive to member needs. Early work was focused on foundational, member-directed research and the development of analytic frameworks, whose elaboration and refinement is ongoing, as discussed below. Other benefits include large-scale learning conferences at which PGEx research initiatives are presented and topical governance issues discussed by presenters and panels of senior government officials. Going forward, PGEx is planning more such conferences, as well as small-scale, interactive workshops on practical issues of immediate interest to members, supported by IOG facilitation and research. Additionally, PGEx is able to provide members with ready access to advice and research on specific issues of concern, which if desired could include facilitated application of the IOG’s Governance Scorecard.
The 2012-2013 workshops will focus on: Implementing Fiscal Restraint; Developing a Risk Lens on Government; the Use and Effectiveness of Boards in Ontario; and Governance in Federal Crown Corporations. They will be half-day events whose objective is to engage participants in in-depth discussion that will highlight areas for follow-up research and investigation. Facilitators and speakers will provide an analytical framework to stimulate discussion by participants that drills down to the specific experiences in their organizations.
Relevant PGEx papers:
Karl heads the Public Governance Exchange(PGEx), the IOG’s multi-jurisdictional program of applied research and knowledge exchange on public sector governance.
A career public servant, Karl has degrees in political science, history and law from the University of Toronto and in public administration from the Queen’s University School of Policy Studies. He worked for many years in the federal Department of Finance, in areas as diverse as tax policy, communications and financial markets. In the latter capacity, Karl helped to establish the governance framework for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and later served as Chief of Capital Markets Policy.
From 2004 to 2012, Karl worked in the Privy Council Office’s Machinery of Government Secretariat, where he provided advice to the Clerk of the Privy Council and the Prime Minister on the organization and structure of the Government of Canada – the Cabinet, portfolios, and the creation, winding-up and governance of individual organizations.
As Director of Strategic Policy from 2007 to 2012, Karl was the secretariat’s lead authority on Crown corporation governance, the conventions of the Westminster system, and the conduct standards applicable to ministers and other senior public office holders. Karl was the author/editor of numerous PCO publications, including Accountable Government: A Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State and Guidance for Deputy Ministers. Actively involved in realizing the myriad governance and accountability changes that flowed from the Federal Accountability Act, Karl played a lead role in the design and implementation of the accounting officer mechanism of deputy minister accountability.
Todd Cain is a leader in the field of governance and organization effectiveness for mission-driven organizations. His experience covers organization design, board and executive governance, strategy, change and HR management. He has led dozens of engagements with federal and provincial agencies and crown corporations as well as national and community level non-profits and associations. He also leads IOG’s Public Governance Exchange research syndicate. He previously led Deloitte’s national organization design community of practice and served as Senior Policy Advisor to the President of the Treasury Board of Canada. While with the Treasury Board, he provided strategic policy advice on public management issues including accountability, results based management, financial management reforms, expenditure review, HR policy, transparency and governance, and was a principal driver of the 2005 reforms to Crown Corporation governance.
His private sector experience focused on mergers and acquisitions, and HR and labour relations with General Electric and Ford Motor Company. He has led the integration of global businesses, conducted due diligence and negotiated multiple collective agreements.
Todd is an experienced facilitator and author of articles on the Public Governance, the federal expenditure management information system, the policy implementation gap and the award winning “Dr. Schumpeter Comes to the Capital – Creative Destruction in Public Spending.” He holds a Bachelor of Public Administration, Highest Honours, from Carleton University and a Master’s of Industrial and Labour Relations from Cornell University.
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