Foreword

Governments face increasingly multidimensional policy challenges in conjunction with scarce public resources and low levels of trust in government. The 2008 financial crisis, and more recently the COVID-19 pandemic, have highlighted this state of affairs in the starkest possible terms. Traditional analytical tools and approaches are no longer fit for purpose in the current environment. Classic governance problems, often caused by the inadequate design or poor management of institutions, are exacerbating the need to adapt to rapid political and technological developments. The challenges of our time therefore require a crosscutting, integrated and innovative governance approach. More than ever, governments and citizens need public institutions that can anticipate difficult policy issues and respond to them coherently and effectively, in the public interest. The OECD strives to support this endeavour by gathering evidence and creating legal instruments that promote principles and good practices across key thematic areas of public governance.

Weaving together existing OECD legal standards in public governance and lessons learned over the course of the past decade, the Policy Framework on Sound Public Governance aggregates baseline features found in governments that work well. Acknowledging that each government possesses unique strengths and areas for improvement, this Framework provides governments with an integrated baseline diagnostic, guidance and benchmarking tool to design and implement governance reforms. It reflects a broad consultation process with OECD members, international organisations, civil society organisations and the public.

The Framework posits that effective democratic institutions lie at the core of pluralist democracies and are indispensable not only for reform, but, more importantly, for engaging in open, equitable and inclusive decision-making in the public interest, with the ultimate goal of enhancing wellbeing and prosperity for all. As defined in the Framework, sound public governance is a combination of three interconnected and largely mutually dependent elements: values, enablers, and instruments and tools. The key governance values presented in the Framework underpin the way in which governments select and prioritise policy problems, take policy decisions and structure their relations with stakeholders. The Framework then identifies a nexus of enablers that support government pursuing effective and equitable decision-making and reform. Finally, sound public governance also directly relates to how governments formulate, implement, communicate and evaluate reforms and policies. To this end, the Framework presents the policy instruments and management tools used by governments at different stages of the policy cycle to shape these core components of policy-making.

With this Framework, the OECD offers governments guidance for ensuring that their core institutional and decision-making arrangements are suited to the contemporary policy landscape and lead to better outcomes for people.