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Sigma assists partner countries in strengthening policy-making and strategic capacities and in setting up co-ordination mechanisms at the centre of government. Activities in this area aim to ensure coherence among sectoral policies of ministries and consistency of government policy-making and policy implementation.
To support these activities, Sigma has produced several Sigma Papers devoted to policy-making and co-ordination. All of these documents are available on the Sigma website and on OLIS.
Co-ordination at the centre of government (CoG): functions and organisation of the Government Office
This paper examines the structure and tasks of the Government Office or Prime Minister's Office (i.e. the administrative organ supporting the collective work of the Council of Ministers) and provides comparative information on government offices in OECD countries and in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. Sigma Paper no. 35, Co-ordination at the Centre of Government: The Functions and Organisation of the Government Office
Role of ministries in the policy system
Despite significant progress in the strengthening of policy development capacities in the new EU Member States, an understanding of the crucial role of ministries in the policy-making process is still lacking. Ministries often fail to mutually co-ordinate their respective policies at an early stage, which can lead to contradictory sectoral policies as well as to overlapping and sometimes contradictory legislation. This paper provides a synthesis and case studies of eight new Member States (countries of Central and Eastern Europe) and four "old" Member States (Austria, France, Germany and Spain). The Role of Ministries in the Policy System: Policy Development, Monitoring and Evaluation (Sigma Paper no. 39)
EU negotiations for Western Balkans
This Sigma Paper aims to help Western Balkan countries understand the need for professionalism in negotiations and for improving their legal framework, institutional set-up, implementation and enforcement of the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) and eventual EU negotiations. Sigma Paper no. 37, Enlargement of the European Union, An Analysis of the Negotiations for Countries of the Western Balkans
Political appointees and civil servants as policy advisors
In EU Member States civil servants contribute policy advice concerning implementability, legality, effectiveness and efficiency. The policy-making process in Western Balkan countries is considerably hampered by the fact that policy advice is usually entrusted exclusively to political appointees. This paper provides comparative information and a common base for further development of the policy-advisory function in the region. Sigma Paper no. 38, Political Advisors and Civil Servants in European Countries
Organising the central state administration: policies and instruments
This Sigma study focuses on the organisational dimension of national administrations and the impact of “agencification” on governance structures. It refers in particular to the accountability mechanisms that EU Member States have (or have not) put in place to ensure policy coherence across the state administration, control of public funds, and responsiveness of the government as a whole to the expectations of citizens. Sigma Paper no. 43, Organising the Central State Administration: Policies and Instruments
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