One of the clearest lessons from recent work on government productivity is that the core problem isn’t frontline workers or a lack of funding, but the steady expansion of administration and process.

The growth of DEI strategies and sustainability frameworks are just manifestations of a problem. The public sector is increasingly oriented around process management, internal compliance, and announcement-driven politics, rather than outcomes.

This is a complex story, one that certainly involves an ever greater emphasis on affirming the subjective demands of diverse publics in a postmodern world, but also the changes wrought by technologically-enhanced communication, which demands massive communications operations, and a 24/7 capacity to respond to news that arrives via social media long before it hits the legacy newsroom.

Governments face constant pressure to respond to the political issues of the day as a result. That pressure cascades downward into more frameworks, reporting, internal strategies, and more administrators to manage them – the rise of the managerial state and the professional managerial class. The system is now one that rewards activity and signalling, not performance.

Public servants operate within the incentives they’re given. If voters and political leaders don’t demand measurable results, service quality, and value for money, there is little reason to prioritize them, especially when process compliance and splashy communications are much safer than effective delivery.

Improving government productivity ultimately requires more than internal reform. It requires greater public awareness and voter demand for governments that actually deliver.

Without that demand, quality government will remain optional.

Check out this stellar second panel where we discuss these things and more. The discussion centred on Stephen Tapp’s third paper on government size and productivity in Canada, with a focus on the provinces. Former Deputy Minister Mike Keenan shared his expertise in transportation and energy on the importance of infrastructure and energy to productivity. Former Chief Economist and Statistician at Statscan PhilipCross commented on the major macro factors affecting Canada’s overall productivity. And Tim Sargent discussed the importance of intergovernmental measures and international trade to improving Canada’s standing.