This is the first edition of Government at a Glance, a new addition to the OECD’s At a Glance series. Government at a Glance fills an important gap in internationally comparative data and general knowledge on how governments work, providing indicators describing government institutions, structures, inputs and prevailing public management practices in OECD member countries. It also examines public governance issues that are important to governments’ capacity to address the long-term effects of the recent crises, and raises some questions facing governments as they look to further transform their public governance practices. This publication is particularly timely as the recent financial and economic crises have heightened the role of government in the economy and society, while requiring governments to be more efficient, effective and citizen-centred.

The current financial, economic, social and environmental challenges place governments at centre stage. Having responded successfully to the unprecedented financial crisis of 2008, governments are now striving to exit from their exceptional interventions and to return economies to self-sustained growth. Meanwhile, they are also looking for policy solutions to climate change, poverty, ageing populations, migration and a host of other long-term concerns. Designing and implementing these policies draws on the capacity of governments to serve the public interest and to strengthen frameworks for well-functioning markets.

Government at a Glance is a new publication series produced by the OECD that explores emerging public governance issues and sets out indicators in a range of areas that, when examined together, constitute important building blocks of a wellfunctioning public management system. Chapter I – the special feature chapter – describes some key public governance issues that are important to governments’ capacity to address the long-term effects of the current financial and economic crises and links them to indicators presented further in the publication. It also raises some fundamental questions facing governments as they look to further transform their public governance systems to better adapt and respond to unpredictable environments. Chapters II-X provide a set of indicators that show the current role and reach of government, and focus on important aspects of government’s public management capacity. This new publication builds upon 20 years of expertise at the OECD in the area of public governance (defined as the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority) and public management, particularly in describing and analysing government activities, developing benchmarks and internationally comparative data, identifying good practices and monitoring results. It also benefits from a practitioner focus: the OECD’s unique access to senior-level officials in member governments provides perspective on how public administration works to support sectoral policies such as health or education, which are dealt with in other OECD At a Glance publications.

Governments have been concerned for quite some time with their institutional and human capacity to improve the livelihoods of citizens, the competitiveness or viability of business, the delivery of basic public services, and trust in regulatory institutions. As part of broad reform and change agendas, many OECD member countries have been developing and revising their governance institutions, frameworks and tools. The current global financial, economic, social and environmental challenges highlight the unique role of government in serving the public interest. They also direct renewed attention towards the institutions, policies and tools that help government deliver what citizens and businesses need and expect, highlighting areas where further changes may be needed, or where additional consideration may be required on how best to realise reform efforts. Not only are the regulatory rules, oversight systems and procedures for the financial services sector at the forefront of proposed actions by government, but the fiscal crisis has also put the role of governments, the scope of their activities and their effectiveness in advancing the public good at centre stage. In particular, governments are looking at how they can improve their capacity to anticipate and manage risks, and react quickly to complex problems in changing environments. Due to the global nature of these challenges, it is no longer enough to act at the national level. International co-operation and co-ordination is proving to be a critical element of any credible and effective policy response.