CBS-conference: Municipalities can save money by forming new partnerships
All Danish municipalities could save DKK 3.8 billion, if they had a stronger focus on outsourcing. The City of Copenhagen, for instance, could save DKK 256 million. These are the results of a new analysis from the Danish Confederation of Industry, who has looked into the potential for savings in the Danish municipalities. According to this analysis, Gribskov saves DKK 10.1 million by virtue of comprehensive outsourcing. If other municipalities were to use the same model, local taxes could be lowered by half a percentage point.
CBS' conference Collaboratory will show how Denmark with new and more creative strategies will find its way out of the financial crisis and clear the way for new partnerships across the three sectors: State, market and civil society. One of the inspirators at the conference is Inger Marie Vynne, Deputy Chief Executive of Gribskov Municipality.
DENMARK'S LARGEST PUBLIC CONTRACT IN GRIBSKOV
Gribskov municipality is beating its own record these days. Tasks for more than DKK 250 million annually will be offered within healthcare during the autumn of 2013.
- At the moment, the local council of Gribskov municipality is in the middle of preparing the largest public contract in Denmark within welfare. The contract value runs into DKK 1.5 billion over 6 years. What we find exciting and challenging is how we through this public contract strengthens our innovative power. The demographic development and the wish for more healthcare for everybody call for new solutions. Private companies must help Gribskov find these answers. At the same time we hope that it is going to strenghten the competitiveness of the companies, says Inger Marie Vynne.
CITIZENS ARE IN FOCUS
To Inger Marie Vynne, it is not interesting whether a task is solved in the private or public sector. Her focus is on collaboration across the sectors create cheaper and better service for the citizens.
- During our last public contract, we focused on collaboration and partnership. Since then we have handled various tasks through a development partnership between private suppliers, municipal suppliers and the municipality. In the next public contract, this public-private collaboration with and about the citizens will be even more advanced. We expect that our future contract and collaborative partners work with the citizens and each other, knowing that they are also competitors, says Inger Marie Vynne.
To rethink the inclusion of citizens and users is one of the themes as the Collaboratory conference at CBS.
CBS GATHERS EXPERIENCE FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
Carsten Greve, Professor at the Department of Business and Politics at CBS takes part in arranging the conference in a CBS Public-Private Platform context. He is supportive of the break with sectoral thinking and wants to place focus on the inclusion of the citizens in the new partnerships through this conference.
- For many years, the public sector has been the only one to solve welfare challenges, but in order to further develop the welfare society, the public sector has focused its attention on the inclusion of citizens and the possibility of co-creating welfare. The public sector can really use the ideas from citizens, companies and interest organisations for practice-oriented innovation, of which the aim is to create better results for less money. This can, for instance, take place through new ways of involving the citizens and the users or including digital welfare solutions, says Carsten Greve.
The conference presents international think tank gurus and researchers such as Charles Leadbeater, Geoff Mulgan and Rod Rhodes, and local experts such as Christine Antorini, Danish Minister for Children and Education, and Inger Marie Vynne, Deputy Chief Executive at Gribskov Municipality. The cross-ministerial think tank MindLab facilitates breakout sessions where the participants can experiment with new welfare solutions, etc.
This year's theme is Policy into Practice. The theme will be developed around the following key issues:
- Civic engagement
- Governance and creativity
- Reform involvement
- Social innovation
Keynote speakers
Christine Antorini
Christine Antorini is Minister for Children and Education (October the 3rd 2011- ) and member of Parliament for the Social Democratic Party in North Zealand greater constituency from September 2011. She holds a membership in the national management of the Young Socialist People's Party 1983-1988 and in the central board 1988-1998. She has been Vice-chairwoman of the Socialist People's Party 1991-1998, member of the EU Information Board ('EU-oplysningsnævnet') 1997-1998 and member of New Europe's working party 1999-2002. She holds a master in Public Administration from Roskilde University.
Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater is a leading authority on innovation and creativity. He has advised companies, cities and governments around the world on innovation strategy and drew on that experience in writing his latest book We-think: the power of mass creativity, which charts the rise of mass, participative approaches to innovation from science and open source software, to computer games and political campaigning.
Geoff Mulgan
Geoff Mulgan is Chief Executive of Nesta, the UK's National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts, a major investor and funder of innovations. From 2004-2011 he was the first Chief Executive of the Young Foundation, which became a leading centre for social innovation. Between 1997 and 2004 Geoff had various roles in the UK government including director of the Government's Strategy Unit and head of policy in the Prime Minister's office. He is an adviser to many governments around the world. His latest book 'The Locust and the Bee' is published by Princeton University Press in spring 2013.
Rod Rhodes
Rod Rhodes is Professor of Government at both the University of Southampton (UK); and Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia); and Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Newcastle (UK). Previously, he was the Director of the UK Economic and Social Research Council's 'Whitehall Programme' (1994-1999); Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University (2006-11); and Director of the Research School of Social Sciences at the Australian National University (2007-8). He is the author or editor of some 30 books including recently: Everyday Life in British Government (Oxford University Press 2011); and The State as Cultural Practice (with Mark Bevir, Oxford University Press 2010). He is life Vice-President and former President and Chair of the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom; a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia; and an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK).
Inger Marie Vynne
Inger Marie Vynne is Vice Chief Executive of the municipality of Gribskov (2007-). From 2001 to 2007 she worked - also as a memeber of the top management team - in the municipality of Græsted-Gilleleje, wellkown for being a first mover within public-private partnerships. Inger Marie Vynne works in practice with creating novel forms of dialouge and partnerships across the traditional divide between public and private, thus developing new welfare solutions and next practices. She holds a master in Business, Language and Culture from Copenhagen Business School.