collaboration
16 April 2007
In realising that the public service alone cannot have all the answers and
solutions to the demands of the developmental state, the annual Public
Management Conversation will this week occupy a central space in fostering
debate and discussions amongst a forum of 100 eminent academics, practitioners
and ministers from South Africa and various Commonwealth nations, who will
participate in the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration and
Management (CAPAM) Conversation.
The goal of the Conversation is to strengthen the relationship between the
South African public administration, academic, and the consulting community,
through the medium of a Commonwealth dialogue.
The CAPAM forum scheduled for 16 to 19 April 2007 at the Lord Charles Hotel
in Somerset West, will have interactive sessions on the theme "Building the
Academic/Practitioner Interface in South African Public Administration." The
first two days of the forum will be dedicated to discussions by CAPAM board
members about CAPAM's strategic objectives and how they can further deepen the
role of the association in public sector reform among member countries.
The sessions on 18 and 19 April 2007 will engage academics and practitioners
in panel discussions which will focus on:
* Moving from a comparative and/or theoretical basis to seeking agreement on
what exactly constitute the key elements of the desirable level and quality of
the interface. It focuses on dimensions, standards, values, structures,
organisations and looks at evaluations of past initiatives and to addressing
reasons for sub-optimal progress.
* Strategies and the nurturing of the ongoing and long term policy
conversations on Public Administration and transformation; they will focus on
strategies needed in strengthening the interface between the theory and praxis
of Public Administration and will explore the suitability and structure(s) of a
role or roles for the academic community regarding accountability and oversight
activities of the public service.
* Academic independence and the needs for the developmental state; it will
examine the nature of the in terms of the suitability of the current curricula
for the medium and long term needs of South Africa.
The different panels will enable members to share vital knowledge, develop
and expand leadership and governance, and maintain a current, creative and
innovative approach to public administration and management.
The CAPAM conversation will serve as a platform for collaborative efforts,
ensuring that the public service does not operate with a silo mentality,
detrimental to the overall effectiveness and ability to deliver services within
the public service. The forum emanates from the understanding that there are
untapped sources of expertise in both the public service and academia that can
be harnessed to benefit academia, the public service and ultimately the South
African society.
For more information, please contact:
Lewis Rabkin
Cell: 082 497 3220
Issued by: Ministry for Public Service and Administration
16 April 2007
