Shocking Rise in Inefficiency of Govt Apparatus
THE HAGUE, 28/06/13 - The productivity of civil servants has slipped back sharply in recent years. Compared with the year 2000, 17 billion euros is being wasted annually, concludes consultancy bureau Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in a report sent to the Lower House on Thursday.
Government spending has risen in the past 11 years by no less than 62 percent. In 2000, the figure was 185 billion euros, which had risen to 300 billion by 2011. At the same time, productivity declined substantially, according to the researchers. If the government were to work at the same cost price as 11 years ago, at least 17 billion euros would have been saved in 2011 alone, the shocking conclusion runs. The researchers stress that they have corrected this figure for inflation. The possible savings were analysed by the research bureau on the basis of publicly available information. Existing figures from the Social and Cultural Planning Bureau (SCP) were used for this. In particular, services like the costs of having a pupil go through a school year or complete a court case were scrutinised. The researchers advise the government to manage more like a company. “There is a lack of structural steering at the moment,” explains researcher Arnoud van der Slot. The focus and aim of savings plans must be determined by charting what has caused the rise in the cost price in the past 10 years. The cause of the increase has not been looked into in this study. Additionally, there must be better monitoring within government organisations and ministers must take responsibility for productivity. |