New public management approach’s tools like total quality management, strategic management, performance management, benhmarking, process management are used extensively in transformation of public administration mentality in the world and public administration reforms that performed in this context. Among these the most commonly used method in the public sector, is strategic planning. In the public sector, strategic planning approach has been used by many developed countries all along. Countries are implementing strategic planning, national and federal level as well as central and local government level, depending on their structure of public administration.
In our country, "strategic planning" model have adopted within the scope of public administration reforms, that carried out since the beginning of the 2000s, as an essential tool for ensuring planned service delivery in public administration, policy development, set policies based on tangible business programs, implementation monitoring and evaluation effectively and using public fundings effectively, economic and efficiently, accountability and fiscal transparency. Strategic planning has been made compulsory for public institutions by 5018 numbered Public Financial Management and Control Law (PFMC) adopted in the year 2003.
In the Law no. 5018, strategic plan is defined as “plan including that medium- and long-term goals of the public administration, principles and policies, aims and priorities, performance criteria, methods to be followed to achieve these and resource allocation”. Strategic planning model provided by law; is consists of the strategic plan that make up the planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation processes, performance program and annual report components.
If it will be looked at the historical process of strategic planning practices that is being implemented since 2003 in Turkish public administration; it is seen that the preparation and the updating of strategic planning guidance for public authorities, performed pilot schemes, setting out a legal framework for the process and extensification to all public enterprises in progressive transition. In this context, public agencies within the scope of the central government which are under the obligation of preapearing strategic plan, social security institutions, municipalities, provincial special administrations and SOEs have arranged more than once strategic plan.
When the practises in this process are examined, one can easily say that important developments have provided and various achievements of the experience has obtained. For example, the resistance in the begining that arise from the prejudice caused by the idea of strategic planning is not appropriate for the public administration's is substantially eliminated. Most of the public agencies considers that the strategic planning is an informative and constructive process. Concepts such as mission, vision, objectives, goals, strategies, results-oriented, output, product are provided a common language between the agencies with the strategic planning process. Agencies have begun to use various data collection methods under state analysis.
Despite improvements in the process outlined above it is seen in both the macro and micro dimensions are faced with various problems as well. Failure to achievement of appropriation at all levels, dysfunction of the accountability system, coordination problems between agencies that responsible for the establishment and the operation of the strategic planning process, Lack of language unity and continuity between manuals and guides, obligation to follow single guide of all of public agencies, with different functions and fields of activity, not to provide adequate support to the process of senior staff, failure to form significant progress in the development of monitoring and evaluation system, the problems in establishing the relation between strategic plans-performance program-budget, can be considered as the most important issue titles. Thus the general purpose of the study is to provide an overview about the development of the strategic planning process in Turkish public administration, experience gained in the process and the current situation with reference to the problems. In this context, on one hand an answer is sought for the question "where we are in the strategic planning work in Turkish public administration?" and on the other hand inferences for the future are considered.
Subjects | Political Science |
---|---|
Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | October 15, 2015 |
Submission Date | February 5, 2017 |
Published in Issue | Year 2015 Volume: 1 Issue: 1 |
STRATEGIC PUBLIC MANAGEMENT JOURNAL © 2015 is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International