NGOs and public service quality in Russia. Jacobson NGOs … · Russian survey of NGOs (n = 1000) 7 18 12 6 18 4 26 18 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Don’t know Lack of funds threatens by closure

NGOs and public service quality in Russia

Professor Lev Jakobson National Research University Higher School of Economics

APPAM International Academic Conference Moscow, June 28, 2011

A disquieting picture

10 years after the Gref’s program: fewer than 40 % of the program objectives were achieved

MONITORING OF THE RUSSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY What is the present condition of:

•  education? Good – 10%, satisfactory – 50%, bad – 36% •  health care? Good – 5%, satisfactory – 40%, bad – 53% Quality of public officials’ service (perception of those

who have applied for certificates etc.): excellent – 4%, good – 26%, satisfactory – 44%, bad – 30%

Is the level of corruption high or low? High – 83%, low – 7%

Centre for Studies of Civil Society and NGOs 2

To go beyond the administrative reform

•  The last decade: improvement of organization structures, regulations and public servants incentives – still in the agenda

•  The tasks are more doubtful than solutions

•  The state apparatus is the main arena of interest representation

•  Do the authorities recognize and take into account the interests of such people as you?- “Yes”-20%, “No”-69%, “Don’t know”-21%


Centre for Studies of Civil Society and NGOs

The departmental approach

•  Reduction of a complex problem to particular concern of a ministry (governmental agency)

•  Adequate treatment of a complex issue is possible if it implies broadening of responsibility of the agency initiating the reform → Usually blocked by other agencies

•  Social benefits and costs are taken into account with strong bias to the departmental benefits and costs

•  Bias towards the most visible and easily administered aspects of a problem

•  Excessive unification and centralization

4

Which of the following rights are the most important for you personally? (more than one option could be selected)

5 Centre for Studies of Civil Society and NGOs

Which of the following rights are you sure to posses?



Is the state able to manage it alone?

•  Relatively fast grows of expenditures, no increase of satisfaction

•  Forecasted rate of GDP grows is half of that of the previous decade

•  Consumers tend to be more particular and solvent

•  Competition is indispensable

•  Competition within the public sector is insufficient

•  Positive experience

7

Do you think that public associations and other NGOs should or should not participate, together with the government, in providing social services in education, health care, culture etc.?

Russian representative population survey (n = 1600), Russian survey of NGO leaders (n= 1000), Survey of experts at the federal level (n = 303)

87

90

69

12

5

14

1

5

18

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Top-rank federal social stratum

NGO managers

Population

should should not don't know


Top social stratum

How NGOs can help most in improvement of situation in health care?

1

7

12

15

16

23

27

41

44

0 10 20 30 40 50

Other

In no way

Difficult to say

To work actively themselves in the health care sphere, to provide services to population

To attract voluntary unpaid labor

To inform about quality of work of medical institutions

To attract voluntary money donations in the sector

To control work of medical institutions

To protect the rights of the patients

%


To inform about quality of services

9

How do you assess in general the contribution of NGOs to addressing social issues in our country?

Russian representative population survey (n = 1600), Russian survey of NGO leaders (n= 1000), Survey of experts at the federal level (n = 303)

26

2

4

49

31

32

17

55

30

8

12

34

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

NGO managers

Top-rank federal social stratum respresentatives

Poopulation

good satisfactory bad difficult to say


Population

10

Top social stratum representative

Should NGOs along with government institutions participate in solving social problems in education, health, culture, etc.?

1 2 2 4

7 1 3

6 6

9 2

45 47

43

43

44 38

45 52

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

In total Government Industry Federal Assembly

absolutely yes probably yes probably not absolutely not not answered

(N2=300) (n1=100) (n2=100) (n3=100)

Survey of experts at the federal level (n = 300, 2011)


How do you assess the contribution of NGOs to solving social problems in our country?

11 8 18

6

6 4

0 15

53

44

53

61

29

41

28 18

1 3 1 0

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

In total Government Industry Federal Assembly

good satisfactorily bad other answers not answered

(N2=300 (n1=100) (n2=100) (n3=100)

Survey of experts at the federal level (n = 300, 2011)


Russian NGOs: number of paid employees distribution

1-5 persons 34%

6-10 persons 14%

11-30 persons 10%

31 persons and over 5%

No employees in organization

33%

Do not know 4%


Russian NGOs: number of volunteers distribution

1-5 persons 14%

6-10 persons 11%

11-30 persons 18%

31-100 persons 12%

over 100 10%

Volunteers do not participate in organization

28%

Do not know 7%


How do you assess the economic condition of your organization?

%

Russian survey of NGOs (n = 1000)

7

18

12

6

18

4

26

18

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Don’t know

Lack of funds threatens by closure of an organization, work continues on pure enthusiasm

To continue operations the organization has to concentrate on fundraisings neglecting its primary tasks

Funding is insufficient to employ professional staff. To continue operations the organization can afford only volunteers staff.

Funding is sufficient to pay salaries to professional employees, but not sufficient to invest in necessary equipment or to cover other

necessary expenses

Funding is insufficient even for building up of financial reserves

Funding is sufficient to implement all current projects many but many new ideas remain unimplemented because of a shortage of

resources

Funding is sufficient to implement all plans


Funding is sufficient to implement all current projects but many new ideas remain unimplemented because of a shortage

of resources

Funding is insufficient to employ professional staff. The organization can afford only volunteers staff.

The organization has to concentrate on fundraisings neglecting its primary tasks

The activity continues on pure enthusiasm

15

What kind of relationships do you have with…


What conditions and measures can strengthen the role of NGOs in addressing social problems in our country?

23

17 14

12

7 6 5

0

10

20

30

40

2011, N2=300

state support openness, publicity, transparency improving the regulatory framework activity, independence, initiative

Survey of experts at the federal level (managers, officials of federal ministries and departments); managers of industrial enterprises (of different sectors and patterns of ownership); legislators

34

7 10

18

3 6

0

10

20

30

40

2008, N1=303


18

New tendencies

•  The authorities: indifference → suspiciousness → recognition

•  Decentralization (?) •  Public councils •  Public chambers •  Right of entry → competition → quality (?) •  NGOs: transparency and corporate governance


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Documents

NGOs and public service quality in Russia. Jacobson NGOs … · Russian survey of NGOs (n = 1000) 7 18 12 6 18 4 26 18 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Don’t know Lack of funds threatens by closure