Minister and

Mandarines

External Consultants in

Public Administration

Tom SchlanskyPublic Management

Spring 2013Prof. Dr. Eckhard

Schröter

Introduction | Term: Mandarin

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Civil servants

in Imperial China

• Teachers, judges, bureaucrats

• Elitist training

Introduction | Goal of presentation

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Provide an overview about the field of external public consultants

Deeper insight about think tanks

1

2

1. Introduction

2. Consultants

3. Focus: Think Tanks

4. Criticism

5. Conclusion

6. Discussion

Table of Contents

GOALS OF CONSULTING

Information Legitimation

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Overview | Utility

Consulting in concrete policy questions

External reports and evaluations

Information delivery in law making

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Overview | Operations – Examples

Associations Foundations PR- and PA-agencies

Think tanks Law firmsOthers• Chambers• Churches• Unions• (Independent)

Experts

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Overview | Providers of Public Consulting

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Definition „Think Tank“

Think

Tank

• practically oriented research institute• giving decision-preparing

results• private or public funded• usually non-profit• independent• trying to influence policy-

makingProblem: Free term

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Situation in Germany | Facts

noideology80-130*

think tanks

50% founded in the last 25 years

Majority state-funded academic think tanks

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Situation in Germany | Examples

Economy research institutes

• Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung

• IFO-Institut MünchenForeign policy

institutes• Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik• Deutsches Überseeinstitut

Social- and technical instiutes

• Max-Planck-Institut für Gesellschaftsforschung

• Fraunhofer-Institut für Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung

Mixed organization

s

• Bertelsmann-Stiftung• Forschungsinstitut der Deutschen

Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Situation in Germany | Zoom: SWP

CLASSIFICATION

academic

FINANCINGstate-funded

FOCUSforeign and

security policy

STAFF130

people

customers

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Situation in Germany | Zoom: Bertelsmann Stiftung

CLASSIFICATION

advocatic

FINANCINGprivate-funded

FOCUSbroad

STAFF300

people

cooperation partners

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Criticism | Problems in Public Sector Consulting

Translation

Amount Pricing

Influence Transparency

Measurability

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Conclusion

Huge range of public consultants

Different interests and backgrounds

Increasing complexity creates growing demand

Rising criticism and demand for transparency

1

2

3

4

Introduction | Consultants | Focus: Think Tanks | Criticism | Conclusion | Discussion

Discussion | Questions

1 | Should the influence of political consultants be limited?

2 | Is there neutral political consulting?

3 | Should there be more advocating think tanks in Germany?

Minister and

Mandarines

External Consultants in

Public Administration

Tom SchlanskyPublic Management

Spring 2013Prof. Dr. Eckhard

Schröter

Answer of the Federal Government on the „Kleine Anfrage“ of the party Die Linke http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/16/039/1603968.pdfWebsite :„The Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik“ http://www.swp-berlin.org/en/about-swp.htmlBPB-article by Martin Thunert http://

www.bpb.de/apuz/27231/think-tanks-in-deutschland-berater-der-politik?p=allWebsite: Transparency International http://

www.transparency.de/Transparenz-und-Unabhaengigkei.1133.0.htmlWebsite: ThinkTankDirectory http://www.thinktankdirectory.org

Additional information

Sources (excerpt)