Do all trustworthy governments promote peace?

19 June 2014

Yesterday, on Waterloo Day European time, the 2014 Global Peace Index was released by the Vision of Humanity.

The overall assessment suggests that the world is continuing an eight year trend of becoming less peaceful. This reflects terrorist activity and the number of active conflicts. The economic impact of containing violence is estimated to be about  US$10 trillion (or close to 12% of global GDP ).

While 51 countries have improved, 111 countries are less peaceful. Syria has taken over from Afghanistan as the least peaceful country although, together with South Sudan, remains awful.  Georgia stands out as making the greatest advances in peacefulness.

New Zealand has slipped from third place, a rank since taken by Austria (after Iceland and Denmark) while New Zealand, now fourth, is followed by Switzerland and Finland. Canada is improving, but Japan is slipping several places (now 8th) as is the United Kingdom ( to 44th), and the United States (to 101st). Australia is in 15th place.

The GPI ranks states according to 22 qualitative and quantitative indicators of peace. The index measures levels of internal and external conflict, safety of citizens, and levels of militarisation.

Global Peace Index 2014

2014       (2013)

1                1              Iceland                                       

2               2              Denmark                                          

3               4               Austria

4            3               New Zealand

5            5               Switzerland           

6            7               Finland

7            8               Canada

8            6               Japan                                  

9           10              Belgium

10           11              Norway

              

 11          9              Sweden                                        

 15        16              Australia

 47        44              United Kingdom

 101        99              United States

 

 

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/our-gpi-findingsGood government

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June 18, 2014

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Unions boycott Canadian Public Service Week celebrations

17 June 2014 

This week, the Canadian Government is celebrating National Public Service Week.  Twenty two years ago the event was created by the shortest Act in Canada’s statute book with scarcely more words in the Act than in the title –“The National Public Service Week: Serving Canadians Better Act 1992” 

The celebration recognises the “… value of the services rendered by federal public service employees, (and) acknowledge(s) the contribution of federal public service employees to the federal administration.” It promotes pride in, and recognition of, the Public Service by raising awareness of the excellence of the Public Service.

The shine has been taken from promotional activities and special awards this year through a blocking campaign by the Public Service Alliance of Canada ( a union with more than 120,000 public servants.) The PSAC is boycotting National Public Service Week and has organised competing events intended to highlight spending cuts and diminishing services. 

The Canadian Prime Minister has spoken of the Public Service promoting  prosperity “… from helping respond to natural disasters, to supporting the conclusion of Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, to helping Canadian businesses reach new markets, and to improving services to Canadians.”

The retort of the union is that it is “…an insult to our members that the Government … celebrates this event while it … continues to cut services to the Canadian public, slash public-service jobs and attack collective bargaining rights, health and safety protections and retirement security…”

But the Government says it continues listening to Canadians and “…engaging them in creating the service environment of tomorrow. It has challenged the Public Service to adapt to the mantra of doing more and better, with less.”

 

www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/arp/nfpsw/gui-eng.asp

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/581077/national-public-service-week-kicks-off-next-week

http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2014/06/15/statement-prime-minister-canada-national-public-service-week#sthash.yj63dZHB.dpuf

www.iccs-isac.org/research/citizens-first/citizens-first-6/?lang=en 

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June 17, 2014

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What constitutes bribery?

13 June 2014

Ambassadors to the United Nations from dozens of countries are to enjoy an expenses paid week in New Zealand.  The purpose is to promote support for New Zealand’s campaign to serve on the Security Council.  Selection to the Security Council is through the votes of ambassadors, cast by secret ballot.

The ethics of seeking support in this way must be questionable.  A clear implication of this promotion is that ambassadors can be suborned, and that whatever the instructions from their national governments, the ambassadors will exercise a personal preference. Why else would the hospitality be given in this way and not in the form of state visits by government leaders?

Accreditation to the United Nations is a premier appointment in most diplomatic services. The appointees comprise an elite. That an elite group of public servants sees fit to engage in a jaunt of this character seems extraordinary. It could be portrayed as a circumstance that the OECD Convention Against the Bribery of Foreign Officials seeks to combat – New Zealand is providing personal and private benefits to foreign officials so that they exercise their discretion in New Zealand’s favour.  If the visits are sanctioned by the United Nations, there appears to be a very hollow commitment by those who should be exemplars of all that the United Nations Convention Against Corruption requires – and New Zealand’s tardiness in ratifying the Convention more understandable.

A presumption must be that the ambassadors have the consent of their governments to visit New Zealand – that they are in the course of their official duties, to the extent that taking part in top line tourist activities is a duty. But that in itself seems to lack integrity.  Agencies – and their staff – should not accept benefits which create an impression of bias. Decision making must not be influenced by personal interests or advantage. Yet that seems to be the rationale behind New Zealand’s hospitality.

 

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11271333

www.justice.govt.nz/publications/global-publications/b/publication/bribery-and-corruption-saying-no

www.ssc.govt.nz/node/1914

 

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June 13, 2014

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Getting more for less, UK style

11 June 2014

Rt Hon Francis Maude, UK Minister for the Cabinet Office claims that productive, effective and successful government has delivered nearly $30 billion in savings over the last 12 months. (This somewhat uncertain figure is a comparison with spending in 2009.)

These savings flow from being “…open, tight, loose, digital, innovative…”

He believes that the job of saving money in government can never end. “…The business of reform from now on has to become business as usual. There will always be new ways of saving money: there are always better ways of doing things…”  He will carry on “…pushing, challenging and driving departments to deliver more for less…”.

Being open, tight, loose, digital and innovative are the principles of public service reform distilled from the British experience.

 

“The first principle is open, because being transparent builds trust, sharpens accountability and drives improvements. Taxpayers can see how their money is spent and people can judge how services perform. It can also stimulate economic growth…”.

“The second principle is ….tight control from the centre over common activities. We introduced spending controls ….to create a proper corporate centre for government and exert the same standards which you would find in large businesses. Those controls account for more than half the savings…”

“But… loose control over front line operations, is my third principle…. diversifying the range of public service providers – supporting mutuals, joint ventures and social enterprises in delivering public services….. Already there are nearly 100 staff-owned mutuals in the UK delivering around £1.5 billion worth of public services while cutting costs and dramatically improving productivity.”

“The fourth principle is innovation. Public servants need to have permission to try sensible new ideas so we can move away from the risk aversion that has held progress back. ../ you learn more from the ideas you try which don’t work, than from those that do.”

The fifth principle is digital by default, because as well as being much cheaper, services delivered online can be faster, simpler and more convenient for the public to use. … also make things easier for citizens and businesses who rely on the services.”

The Ministers view is that the changing culture in the Civil Service is “…faster and less bureaucratic, focused on the delivery of outcomes, rather than process or structures…”

While Francis Maude champions more for less, today is the anniversary of  New Zealand’s imperial aspirations, with the annexation of the Cook Islands in 1901.

www.gov.uk/government/speeches/francis-maude-announces-end-of-year-savings-2013-to-2014

 

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June 11, 2014

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Annual Prizegiving for Departments and their Chief Executives

4 June 2014

Yesterday Trans Tasman released its fifth annual evaluation of State Services  agencies and the pecking order of agency chief executives.  A purist would see a misnomer in the awards which are for the Department of the Year – although agencies that are neither Public Service Departments nor non Public Service Departments are also part of the catchment; and only State Services chief executives are in contention for the award of Public Sector Chief Executive of the year.

Inland Revenue Department was named as the 2014 Department of the Year.  IRD was among the top five agencies last year, but the judges saw a ‘‘clear improvement in customer engagement’’ over the past 12 months. IRD is now seen by the public to be more than just a compliance agency, being recognised “…as a crusader which goes after people who try to avoid their tax obligations….’’

Graeme Wheeler , Governor of the Reserve Bank, was named as the Chief Executive of the Year.

Previous Departments of the Year have included the Treasury, the Ministry of Social Development and the Department of Corrections.  As in previous years some agencies are criticised more in the TransTasman report than others – State Services Commission is on the receiving end again this year. And David Smol, last year’s Chief Executive of the Year recognised for his endeavours in amalgamating agencies into the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, has been criticised this year for disappointments flowing from that amalgamation.

 

www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/10110774/Reserve-Bank-governor-named-top-chief-executive

http://ssc.govt.nz/state_sector_organisations

 

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June 4, 2014

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What does New Zealand need from the SFO?

28 May 2014

The latest report from the Performance Improvement Framework reviewers released by the State Services Commission this week assesses the Serious Fraud Office against the capability model.  As a specialist and dedicated agency the SFO is likely to be disappointed that it is largely considered to be “needing development”, and “well placed” in only a  few areas.  In PIF Factsheet 5,  a tabulation of recent agency reviews indicates that the SFO capability is rated marginally better than Careers NZ and the State Services Commission.

The challenge would seem to be getting over itself. The SFO’s value will flow from being able to project much greater influence than a “tiny agency within the complex landscape”.  Its small, introspective, tactical, elitist and unconnected character inhibits the contribution to government that the reviewers expect of it. It needs to be “joined up” with related agencies, providing a strategic and systemic capability. It is criticised for lacking a substantive intelligence capacity, a victim focused commitment to crime prevention, and a drive to making its expertise available across the sector.

The reviewers anticipate that  “..in four years time the SFO will remain respected and even feared for its specialist expertise in detecting, investigating and prosecuting serious and complex financial crime. The SFO value proposition will be very clear, and its story will be something New Zealanders understand, are proud of and link to a feeling of confidence in our financial institutions and the justice system. It will be seen as iconic and as a key element in New Zealand’s protection of its international reputation as a country of high integrity in which corruption and fraud will be found out and held strongly to account. ”  ….

“While something of a beacon of integrity and expertise in its own right, the SFO will also be deeply integrated into the justice and economic sectors and will operate on shared intelligence and embedded multilateral agreements. It will have built strong collaborative relationships across the finance and banking sectors, with professional services companies as well as regulatory and law enforcement agencies and these will facilitate information sharing and early detection. Information sharing and productive strategic exchanges with international counterparts will allow the SFO to keep abreast of global trends and initiatives.”

 

www.ssc.govt.nz/sites/all/files/PIF-Review-SFO-May14.PDF

http://www.ssc.govt.nz/sites/all/files/pif-factsheet5-may14.pdf

www.sfo.govt.nz

 

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May 28, 2014

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Field day for anti migrant euro sceptics

27 May 2014

Anti immigration parties have fulfilled predictions of popular support in the European elections. Although the turnout was lower than in previous polls, voting for UKIP in Britain, the National Front in France and the Danish People’s Party was particularly notable. With only minority support for main stream parties that favour the union, euro sceptics seem to be the winners.  For the first time since 1973 when the Eurobarometer was set up to measure public sentiment, there is no longer a sizable majority of Europeans believing that membership of the EU is a “good thing”.

Political parties in Europe – and possibly New Zealand also  – may need to consider the thesis advanced by Paul Collier in his 2013 book Exodus. He argued that there is an obligation on countries which have accepted large numbers of migrants to determine how much diversity they want and how policies should be managed to achieve that outcome. He thinks the need is to develop a political consensus on the ideal mix of people and cultures and set up immigration controls to achieve that mix.

A Sky News survey in the UK last year asked about the type of person who was more acceptable than others to live and work in Britain. Respondents were sympathetic to immigration from the Old Commonwealth, with some preference for Western Europeans and Americans. Eastern Europeans and people from the New Commonwealth were marginally more acceptable than the largely unfavoured regions of South America, Africa and Asia.

The preference also was for professionally qualified migrants rather than manual workers, the unskilled –or retired people. More respondents in lower socio economic groups thought immigration affected their employment opportunities and pay rates, than those with professional qualifications. More than two thirds however wanted an end to immigration and expected “drastic action” by the British Government to achieve  that.

 

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27559714

www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/140354/michael-clemens-and-justin-sandefur/let-the-people-go

www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/00191b53ff/Eurobarom%20tre.html?tab=2013_3

http://news.sky.com/story/1153164/immigration-britons-want-drastic-action

 

 

 

 

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May 27, 2014

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Some Australians find doing business in New Zealand is hard work

26 May 2014

Apparently many Australians like doing business in New Zealand because they feel familiar with customer expectations, they have connections with New Zealand and they see strong growth prospects. These were among findings in the 2014 Australian International Business Survey released last week. The survey is assessed as “one of the most comprehensive investigations into Australian international business activity to be conducted in more than a decade….”

The data was provided by more than 1,600 Australian businesses operating in more than 120 countries. It reflects the experience of businesses operating offshore and enables a comparison of conditions experienced in seven of Australia’s top ten markets: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.

Although 62% of respondents said that they felt business conditions in New Zealand were much the same as in Australia, 14% reported finding New Zealand a more difficult market and 1% said New Zealand was the most difficult market in which they operated. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 24% said that it was easier or much easier to do business in New Zealand than in Australia. What seems extraordinary is that 13% said that it was easier or much easier to do business in China than in Australia, and 14% indicated that it was about the same.

The most recent  World Bank Ease of Doing Business Survey ranks New Zealand overall as the third most easy country in which to do business (after Hong Kong and Singapore), Australia is 11th  and China is 96th.

The World Bank is concerned with regulatory efficiency in measuring the ease of doing business.  The criteria relate to obstacles in –

  • Starting a business
  • Dealing with construction permits
  • Getting electricity
  • Registering property
  • Getting credit
  • Protecting investors
  • Paying taxes
  • Trading across borders
  • Resolving insolvency

 

www.austrade.gov.au/about-austrade/news/latest-from-austrade/2014/australias-international-business-survey-2014

www.doingbusiness.org/rankings

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IC.BUS.EASE.XQ

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May 26, 2014

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Spot fixing – that’s not cricket

22 May 2014

Corrupt conduct seems to be a seasonal theme – and cricket is getting its share of attention this week.

While Australian cricketers, tossing from the Knacker’s End are making maiden-like claims to purity, some of their New Zealand counterparts seem to have been exposed closer to Stiff Cover than Silly Point – and possibly as removed from the spirit of the game as an Outfield Nancy.

The irony of course is that while New Zealand politicians squabble to paint each other as more corrupt because of historic horse ownership, the Independent Commission Against Corruption in New South Wales has exposed Liberal Ministers scheming to extract donations from prohibited donors, not unlike the corrupt practices of some of their Labor party predecessors.   It may well have been corrupt payments that funded the campaigning that gave the Liberals election success.  And this week Federal Police, who have warned of  a  ”tsunami of corruption” as organised crime swamps Australian sport,  have arrested a public service statistician and an investment banker who corruptly acquired millions of dollars from currency trading with the benefit of restricted official information.

In Canberra  an undercurrent of corruption is motivating an unusual alliance as small parties and independent MPs, pushing for a national anti corruption agency along the lines of ICAC.  They seem unlikely to gain any more traction  than in 2012 when the Federal Parliament first rejected proposals for a corruption commission.  Yet Australia is party to the UN Convention Against Corruption which expects member states to have an anti corruption agency independent of the Police. The need for such an agency is one of the reasons for delay in New Zealand’s ratification of UNCAC as there is a reluctance to disrupt the jurisdictions of the Police and Serious Fraud Office.

There seems little basis for the faith that the New Zealand chapter of Transparency International has in the transformative effect of UNCAC membership.  Germany Japan, Bhutan and Barbados remain aloof from UNCAC like New Zealand – although so do Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Chad and North Korea!

http://sports.in.msn.com/cricket/clarke-confident-no-corruption-in-aussie-team

http://citynews.com.au/2014/two-arrested-corruption-charges/

www.smh.com.au/sport/a-tsunami-of-corruption-headed-for-australian-sport-police-warned-20140513-zrbc2.html

www.theaustralian.com.au/archive/national-affairs/xenophon-to-back-greens-national-anti-corruption-commission-plan/story-fndsip4d-1226363183240

www.afr.com/p/national/icac_probe_inches_closer_to_abbott_tlnRTpGLPgO4FzI08Ha5BO

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May 22, 2014

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