Towards whole-of-government enhancement of public value: an Australian case

The creation of public value holds a central place both in contemporary
academic discussions of public administration and in practitioner
interpretations of their roles in and around government.
Mark Moore’s influential public value framework connects public
value creation in service delivery to the achievement of desired
social outcomes, and to the maintenance of governmental legitimacy
and trust. Towards the end of its long term in office, the
Labor-led Government of South Australia (2002–2018) embraced
Moore’s public value characterization of government’s role in society.
We review that unique effort to promote public value across
the whole of government, in policy design and practice. In so
doing, we extract suggestions for public sector leaders and managers
aspiring to implement similar system-wide change: (1) Gain
powerful support; (2) Be clear on what is to be achieved; (3)
Secure organizational resources; (4) Build a coalition; and (5) Keep
communicating and learning.