Rights exist behind the wire
In 2004 the ACT Legislative Assembly enacted the Human Rights Act, the first Bill of Rights to be passed into law in Australia. In essence the Act provides that no one may be treated or...
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Introduction
Professor Mark Evans Public sector institution-building and processes of governance
Role
Director
Organisation
ANZSOG Institute for Governance
Background
Professor Mark Evans is the Director of the ANZSOG Institute for Governance. The emphasis of his work at the Institute is threefold: the provision of state (particularly the ACT) and Commonwealth departments with strategic training and research support; the delivery of Executive MPA and short courses in designing public policies and governance and innovation; and the convenorship of the Excellence in Local Government Leadership Program. Before taking up this role Mark was Professor of Government, Head of the Department of Politics and Provost of Halifax College at the University of York in the United Kingdom. Mark has played an international role in supporting better administrative practices in public administration in developed and developing contexts. He has delivered training and managed evaluation projects for the World Bank in Afghanistan, United Nations agencies, and the European Union, as well as government departments such as: Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development; the UK’s Cabinet Office and departments for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Australia’s National Water Commission and National Audit Office; and, China’s Olympic Committee and Social and Economic Reform Commission. Mark has honorary titles with Renmin University in Beijing and the Universities of York and Hull.
Research Interests
Mark’s research has centred on: a) evaluating the role, real and potential, of policy transfer in institution-building in developed and developing areas; b) investigating the impact of New Labour’s constitutional reform project on institution-building in the UK; c) studying the nature and impact of administrative reform in developed and transition states; d) evaluating state policy responses to processes of globalisation; and, e) evaluating critical issues in Australian governance. The research theme that binds all of these areas together is his interest in public sector institution-building and processes of governance. He is also the editor of the international journal Policy Studies and has supervised 16 PhD theses to a successful conclusion.
Commissioned ReportBotterill, L. & Evans, M, (2011), The National Water Commission Five Years On, Canberra
ANZSIG InsightEdwards M. & Evans, M., (2011), Getting Evidence into Policy-makingThis article examines the case for getting more evidence into policy-making. It begins by evaluating the national and international contexts that have given rise to the latest renaissance in thinking on evidence and policy. It then draws on contributions to the ANZSIG Parliamentary Triangle Seminar and companion papers, to identify four critical obstacles to the achievement of evidence-based policy making in government. The article outlines a range of strategies for getting evidence into policy. It concludes by arguing that in most part evidence-based policy-making remains demand-led, and that developing and embedding a culture of 'strategic commissioning of evidence' at the level of political and permanent leadership is the fastest way of getting evidence into policy-making and achieving more strategic government. Here the SES has a particularly important role to play in championing evidence-based policy-making and forging strong working relationships with knowledge institutions through action learning processes which can help mitigate risk in public sector innovation, facilitate solutions to public policy problems and incubate ideas to support future decision-making.
Book ChapterEvans, M. , (2011), Conceptualising Integrity in Public Administration, in Aulich, C., Evans, M. & Wettenhall, R.(eds.), Understanding Integrity Agencies in Australia , (Routledge: Taylor Francis)
Book ChapterEvans, M., (2010), Understanding Policy Transfer - A British Perspective, in Fenwick, J. & McMillan, J.(eds.), Public Management in the Postmodern Era - Challenges and Prospects , (Edward Elgar)
Book ChapterEvans, M., (2010), Towards Public Service Oriented Governance? Administrative Reform with Chinese Characteristics, in Massey, A.(eds.), Comparative Public Administration , (Edward Elgar)
Book ChapterEvans, M., (2010), The rise and fall of the Magic Kingdom: understanding Kevin Rudd's domestic statecraft, in Aulich, C & Evans, M. (eds.), The Rudd Government: Australian Commonwealth Administration 2007–2010 , (ANU Press)
JournalEvans, M., (2010), Observing Government Elites: Up Close and Personal, Public Administration, 88, 1, pp. 269-272
Edited BookEvans, M. & Lunt, N., (2009), Understanding Competition States, (Oxford: Routledge/Taylor and Francis/Policy Studies)
SubmissionFleming, D. & Evans, M., (2009), Strategic Framework for Access to Justice in the Federal Justice SystemThe Faculty of Law and the ANZSOG Institute for Governance strongly commend the
Commonwealth's Strategic Framework for Access to Justice in the Federal Civil Justice System. Articulation of a principle-based strategic framework for access by individuals, small enterprises, nongovernment organisations and other entities to justice is strongly commended as a positive and forward-looking response to issues identified by governance and justice studies specialists, government reviews and litigants over the past decade.
SubmissionEvans, M., (2009), Reform of Australian Government Administration: Building the world's best public serviceSubmitted on 30 November 2009. This submission is the product of a series of deliberations within the Australia-New Zealand School of Government's (ANZSOG) Institute for Governance on the present state of Australian government administration. The submission addresses a number of general matters of broad principle which are of particular interest to the Institute in terms of its research on critical governance issues and provides specific comment on issues raised by the Advisory Group's discussion paper and the recently published KPMG Benchmarking Australian Government Administration Performance report.
Research PaperBarakat, S., Evans, M., & Zyck, S., (2009), Post-Conflict Legitimacy: An Alternative Paradigm for Reconstruction and Stabilization, A Paper for the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Nepal & the United Nations Development Programme, (PRDU)
Edited BookEvans, M., (2009), New Directions in the Study of Policy Transfer, (Oxford: Routledge/Taylor and Francis/Policy Studies)
SubmissionEvans, M., (2009), Integrity and Accountabilty in Queensland: Review SubmissionSubmitted on 16 September 2009.
BookEvans, M., (2005), Policy Transfer in Global Perspective, (Ashgate, London)
BookEvans, M., (2005), Constitution-making and the Labour Party, (Palgrave, London)