LA REFORME DE
L'ETAT
LA REFORME DE
L'ETAT
L'Etat fait aujourd'hui trop de choses et coûte beaucoup trop cher.
Il doit donc se recentrer sur ses fonctions traditionnelles
(cf. page démission Etat):
- Sécurité,
- Défense nationale
- Garantie des libertés
- Justice
et abandonner son interventionnisme systématique dans les autres
domaines de la vie du pays, l'économie en particulier.
Pour une purge des hommes de l'Etat
L'Etat est un groupe d'homme (cf. Dico). La réforme de l'Etat passe donc par une réforme de ces hommes.
La confusion est aujourd'hui complète entre
Administration, Etat et Politique.
Les hommes politiques sont en effet en majorité issus
de l'administration.
Ils agissent donc aujourd'hui selon les priorités suivantes :
1 - l'intérêt de l'Etat (c'est à dire leur intérêt
personnel)
2 - l'intérêt de l'administration, (la famille d'abord)
3 - l'intérêt du pays qui est le seul à prendre en compte.
Les priorités doivent être inversés.
L'origine, la formation, la complicité et la
culpabilité des quelques milliers d'hommes et de femmes qui
constituent l'Etat aujourd'hui interdit toute idée de réforme
en douceur.
Ces hommes et ces femmes doivent donc être remplacés par des
personnes issus des différents secteurs de la vie du pays, à
commencer par l'économie.
Deux méthodes de calcul peuvent être utilisées pour estimer le nombre de fonctionnaires nécessaires :
1 - Par les fonctions à remplir
Un tiers des fonctionnaires s'occupent de
choses qui ne les regardent pas, et qui seraient mieux faites par
le privé. Cela est particulièrement vrai dans les domaines de
la santé (assurances maladies, retraites) et de l'éducation.
Sur 5,5 millions de personnes, on peut estimer que 1,5 millions
sont concernés.
Pour les 4 millions restants, des gains de productivité élémentaires permettraient de gagner au strict minimum 500 000 postes.
2 - Par la productivité
Nous avons vu dans la page "La France au
service de son administration" que 2,5 millions de
fonctionnaire ne servent qu'à redistribuer l'argent taxé.
Il est évident que le nombre de personnes nécessaires pour
effectuer ce travail avec un peu d'informatique et d'efficacité
et de moins de 1 million.
Sur les 3 millions de fonctionnaires assurant
un service public, mon expertise de consultant me permet
d'estimer des gains de productivité réalisables d'au moins 30%.
Ces services pourraient donc être réalisés par moins de 2
millions de fonctionnaire avec la même qualité de service si
les normes d'efficacité du secteur privé était appliquée.
Au total, et avec les deux méthodes d'estimation, il apparaît que nous avons besoin de moins 3 millions de fonctionnaire, contre 5,5 millions aujourd'hui.
A ceux qui ne vont pas manquer de se dire "mais ça va faire tout ça de chômeurs en plus" je rappelle que chaque fois qu'il y a un fonctionnaire en plus, il y a 3 chômeurs et 3 inactifs de plus, et suppression de 0,66 emplois dans le privé.
Il ne faut donc pas penser "fonctionnaire ou chômeur" mais "fonctionnaires et chômeurs" ou "moins de fonctionnaires et moins de chômeurs".
A ceux qui pensent que tout ce que je dis est pure fantaisie, je donne à méditer les objectifs de réforme de la fonction publique définis par l'administration Clinton (homme de gauche au sens américain du terme) :
IV. IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN A BALANCED BUDGET WORLD
We still have work to do, for while the era of big Government is over, the era of big challenges is not. Achieving educational excellence, finishing welfare reform and our campaign for safe streets, helping families to succeed at home and at work, balancing the budget, keeping America strong and prosperous, reforming campaign finance and modernizing Government operations so that, together, we can meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of this remarkable time.
President Clinton December 11, 1996
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE AND REDUCE COSTS
1. Restructure
Agencies
2. Improve Effectiveness of the Federal Workplace
3. Reform Federal Purchasing Practices
4. Expand Competition to Improve Services and Reduce Costs
5. Follow the Best Private Sector Practices in Using Information
Technology
6. Improve Credit Program Performance
7. Improve Business Management Practices"
A titre d'exemple, les points 5, 6 et 7 sont détaillés
ci-dessous.
Pour ceux qui souhaiteraient en savoir plus, l'intégralité du
document de présentation du budget 98 des Etats-Unis est
disponible sur Internet au format PDF (un autre exemple à
suivre) à l'adresse suivante :
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/budget/index.html
5. Follow the Best Private Sector Practices in Using Information Technology
Well-managed information technology should improve the Government’s productivity while cutting its costs. Table IV–3 at the end of this chapter lists some of the most impor-tant investments in information technology for which the President is proposing funding. To ensure the maximum return on investment, agencies can now copy the successful practices of private firms, due to their new authority under the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act. These practices—reengineering, buying and manag-ing smart, integrating information—ensure that the technology provides workable solu-tions to real problems at a reasonable cost.
· Re-engineer before automating: Agencies can redesign how they do business to en-sure that automation cuts costs, improves effectiveness, and uses commercial, off-the-shelf technology as much as possible. The Census Bureau, for example, moved its in-formation to the World Wide Web to let researchers draw from the vast stores of Census data. The Weather Service restruc-tured the duties of its forecasters, using advanced workstations to increase their productivity, and the accuracy and timeli-ness of weather forecasts. The warning time for tornados has risen significantly, giving communities more time to take ap-propriate precautions, such as moving chil-dren off playgrounds.
· Acquire systems in phases: By acquiring information technology systems in pieces, rather than all at once, agencies can reap immediate benefits while increasing the chance of having an integrated, working system at the end. A General Accounting Office (GAO) study found that buying sys-tems in phases was one of the most impor-tant strategies followed by companies that have most successfully acquired new infor-mation technology systems.
· Buy off-the-shelf: Agencies can reduce their risks of problems by avoiding custom-de-signed components. The broad range of in-formation technology equipment, software, and services now commercially available provides new opportunities to use commer-cial, off-the-shelf technology, rather than designing and building more-costly custom systems from the ground up. Through con-tracts with the General Services Adminis-tration (GSA), agencies can get standard commercial software packages for financial systems.
· Consolidate and out source: The Govern-ment can close over half of its larger com-puter centers and eliminate duplicative communications links. The National Aero-nautics and Space Administration cut its data center processing costs by 30 percent in its first year of consolidation, and ex-pects to save another 35 to 40 percent next year. GSA will close 11 data centers, outsourcing all of its data center require-ments to the private sector.
· Monitor progress with performance-based management systems: Agencies are estab-lishing performance-based monitoring sys-tems, enabling managers to track whether major system acquisitions are meeting ex-pectations for costs, schedules, and capa-bilities. The Federal Aviation Administra-tion’s Air Traffic Modernization System is using performance measures that are linked to design and procurement deci-sions.
· Integrate information: By integrating their information, agencies can stop duplicating each others’ efforts while making their critical information more accurate. Many agencies collect information that other agencies use. Over 40 agencies, for exam-ple, collect and use trade data for analysis and for processing imports and exports. Those agencies are integrating information about shippers, bills of lading, types of cargo, exports, imports, and duties into a cohesive, coordinated system. The new sys-tem will eliminate duplicative import forms, speed cargo clearance, and improve our trade statistics. Similarly, eight agen-cies administering programs that deliver cash benefits to individuals are working together to better coordinate program in-formation across major Federal benefit programs, in order to prevent overpay-ments and avoid the costs of trying to re-coup them after the fact.
6. Improve Credit Program Performance
To fulfill its stewardship responsibilities to taxpayers, the Government must manage its cash and loan assets as wisely as possible. Specifically, it must design and administer its loan programs prudently, and provide incentives to ensure that it can collect its ‘‘receivables’’ (that is, the amounts owed) in a timely fashion. At the end of 1995, contingent liabilities (that is, outstanding guaranteed loans) totaled $737 billion, and non-tax receivables totaled $245 billion, of which $50 billion was delinquent. The 1996 Debt Collection Improvement Act gives agen-cies a range of new tools to improve credit program performance.
· Lower costs with improved loan servicing: The Debt Collection Improvement Act lets agencies withhold Federal payments to those who are delinquent on loans from the Federal Government, refer delinquent accounts to a private collection agency or a private attorney, or sell the ‘‘account re-ceivable’’ to the private sector. Agencies also can keep up to five percent of any increase in their collections in 1997, com-pared to their average annual collections in 1993–96, but they must use the funds they keep to improve their credit manage-ment and debt collection.
· Obtain higher recoveries on delinquencies with enhanced payment offset: Also under the Act, the Treasury Department has begun to implement its new authority to intercept any Federal payment to a delin-quent individual or entity to offset the delinquent amount. Through agency refer-rals of such debt to the Treasury Depart-ment, the Government expects to recover over $300 million in the next three years, which it will credit to agency accounts.
· Consolidate Government-wide debt collec-tion: The Act enables Treasury to des-ignate agencies as Federal Debt Collection Centers to compete for delinquent account referrals and, in turn, be paid from recoveries. By October 1997, Treasury will des-ignate up to five agencies to provide comprehensive account maintenance and special collection services. For agencies with decentralized account servicing oper-ations or few loans, the centers will offer a low-cost alternative to in-house servic-ing.
· Coordinate and expedite asset sales: The Act encourages agencies to sell loan assets when the Federal Government will benefit financially. In 1996, the Department of Housing and Urban Development received over $300 million more by selling collater-alized loans than it would have—had it continued to hold these delinquent loans in its portfolio. VA sells over $1 billion in collateralized loan assets each year. The Small Business Administration will under-take loan sales in 1998.
7. Improve Business Management Practices
The Administration is trying to transform a Federal Government with vestiges of early 20th Century thinking into one suited for the next century, and seeking to provide financial accountability for Government spend-ing. An efficient, effective Government needs sound financial management, reliable information, and, where appropriate, fees from those who benefit from Government’s business-like activities. The Administration is taking a coordinated approach to electronic process initiatives in order to re-engineer financial services; aggressively implement electronic purchasing, payment, and funds transfer; and improve the quality and timeliness of financial reporting.
· Collect fees from the beneficiaries of Gov-ernment’s business-like activities: The Fed-eral Government provides services to busi-nesses and others in the private sector. The budget would impose or raise fees on these recipients because, where possible, those who benefit from the Government’s business-like activities should finance the services—not the general taxpayer. Spe-cifically, the budget proposes Federal Aviation Administration fees to fund the air traffic control system; Food and Drug Administration fees to finance the testing and approval of new drugs; and Food Safe-ty and Inspection Service fees to fund the costs of meat and poultry inspection in production plants.
· Re-engineer travel policies and procedures: The Federal Government spends over $7 billion a year for travel (almost $5 billion in the Defense Department). GAO found that DOD spends an additional 30 percent of its direct travel costs to manage its travel system, while the private sector spends about six percent. DOD has begun implementing the recommendations of a two-year study to streamline its travel management procedures. GSA also has begun implementing the recommendations of a similar study of civilian agency travel management policies and practices. Both efforts likely will dramatically cut travel administrative costs throughout the Gov-ernment.
· Use electronic means to improve purchas-ing and capture financial data for easier accounting: Purchase cards and electronic data interchange let buyers buy items cheaply and conveniently, while they cap-ture the needed financial data from the buyers. USDA estimates that a paper pur-chase costs $77 to process, while the same purchase by card costs $33; USDA hopes to cut the card cost to $17 per transaction. At the same time, information technology makes it easier for buyers to learn about items for sale. The ‘‘GSA Advantage’’ World Wide Web site lets Government em-ployees browse through thousands of prod-uct listings and order with the Govern-ment’s ‘‘IMPAC’’ credit card, and agencies can order high-end computer equipment and software through the Web page of NASA’s ‘‘Scientific and Engineering Workstation Procurement’’ contract. The Administration wants to adopt ‘‘smart card’’ technology so that, ultimately, every employee will be able to use one card for a wide range of purposes, including travel, small purchases, and building access.
· Phase-in electronic funds transfer: The Debt Collection Improvement Act supports agencies’ efforts to modernize their pay-ment processes by requiring the Federal Government, by 1999, to make payments
NDLR : Y a pas à chier, on est pas dans le même monde ni dans la même logique !
Copyright © 1997 MLR
Reproduction intégrale vivement conseillée avec mention
d'origine.
Révision : 22-12-1997.
