No abstract

Faced with pressures from governments and civil society, multinational enterprises (mnes) have increasingly committed themselves to signing codes, charters and guidelines of good conduct developed, for instance, by the United Nations (the un Global Compact), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (oecd Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises), or multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Kimberly Process (a joint governmental, industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds). The issue of how to implement such commitments requires abilities to engage external counterparts constructively and — equally important — the ability to convince actors within a mne to agree to implement such codes of conduct. This article discusses the challenges of implementing the oecd Guidelines and proposes that mnes consider appointing business diplomats, who the authors consider are best qualified to meet these complex but also increasingly important business challenges. Business diplomats are best qualified to nurture such a business culture that supports, leads and cajoles a mne to orient its business activities towards an overall balance of diverse objectives and respect for obligations. These objectives and obligations are at times in opposition with each other, and at other times coalesce towards achieving a sustained business that is based on publically agreed criteria of good conduct.

MotivationThe article shows that the measurement of SDG attainment remains vague and incomplete and argues that participation‐based and inclusive monitoring must be an integral part of managing the SDG implementation process.PurposeCountries are supposed to review their progress of SDG implementation every four years, but the method of reviewing is left open. In addition, and even more urgent is the need to improve on the inadequate definition of monitoring methods that countries are supposed to deploy.Approach and methodsThe article reviews the various options currently available to conduct the four‐year review and the methods of on‐going SDG monitoring.FindingsThe analysis shows that the SDG monitoring methods have not yet been defined, leaving stakeholders (governments, business and civil society) without appropriate guidance.Policy implicationsThe authors propose two types of monitoring: micro‐monitoring and macro‐monitoring, both of which are necessary to ensure effective and efficient monitoring in achieving process accountability, institutional learning, and innovation.

New Public Management held the promise of changing traditional bureaucracies into a resultsoriented and transparent form of government. Though many of the principles of NPM are being implemented as a way of thinking about government it has been largely discredited. This paper gives examples from Switzerland and The Netherlands where the premises of NPM have either explicitly or implicitly been rejected. The paper concludes by suggesting reasons that led to the decline of NPM and concludes by offering a 'conceptual restart' of public administrative reform. This is based on a constructive mix between aspects of NPM and traditional administration, leading to a New Public Administration. IntroductionNew Public Management held the promise of changing traditional bureaucracies into a results-oriented and transparent form of government, directed and supported by efficient and effective public managers. Though many of the principles of NPM are being implemented in many parts of the world, NPM as a way of thinking about government has been largely discredited. This paper gives examples from Switzerland and The Netherlands where the premises of NPM have either explicitly or implicitly been rejected, in the case of Switzerland by the votes of two parliaments, one provincial the other municipal, and in the case of The Netherlands by the publication of a report abolishing the NPM-inspired autonomous status of many organizations with a public task. The paper concludes by suggesting reasons that led to the decline of NPM and concludes by offering a 'conceptual restart' of public administrative reform. This is based on a constructive mix between aspects of NPM and traditional administration, leading to a New Public Administration.If the valuable elements of NPM are to be saved, some kind of understanding and accommodation is imperative with the role of the democratic process and © 2 0 0 5 S p r i n g e r S c i e n c e + B u s i n e s s M e d i a I n c .the classic Weberian bureaucratic principles connected to it. A demonstration for this need for a restart will be made by the example of the Dutch government wide benchmark. A remarkable effort of showing the performance by organizations together responsible for more than half of all public expenditures, which still is not enough to satisfy the political process.The end of NPM does not mean the end of the improvement of public organizations. Ignoring the classic political hierarchic way of getting things done is not an option, but neither is getting back to old mechanisms of power and distrust. There is need-an urgent needVfor a conceptual restart. To do so, several elements should be considered. These have to do with trust and distrust, with building relations and rational concepts. We show how it can workVor at least we will give you the reader an A-B-C agenda for changing the public sector after the demise of NPM. Examples are found in the way the National Audit Office in The Netherlands had linked the different ways of showing yourselves responsive as a public organiz...