The seminar titled 'Outsourcing in the public sector' was presented by Dr. Aoife Ní Lochlainn, Public policy analyst and researcher. It took place on Wednesday 19 June 2024 at 15.30 in The Richmond Education and Event Centre, No 1 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7, D07 TH76, location here.
As this is a work in progress, the presentation will not be put up. When the report is finished, this will be put up onto the website.
Details of seminar:
Dr. Aoife Ní Lochlainn made the presentation which was followed by a Q&A chaired by NERI Co-director, Dr. Tom McDonnell.
Abstract:
The case for outsourcing in the public sector remains contested. A previous NERI paper (2014) sought to analyse the evidence on public service outsourcing through a Value for Money (VFM) framework. The VFM framework allows for the consideration and analysis of evidence through focusing on three main criteria, Economy, Efficiency and Effectiveness. The 2014 paper found that the evidence revealed a nuanced picture of public service outsourcing, with short-term cost savings sometimes coming at the expense of service effectiveness or employee well-being. This paper presents an update on the previous analysis, retaining the framework of VFM but with an extra emphasis on criteria of effectiveness. What has the research of the last ten years told us about the impact of outsourcing on the effectiveness of public services?
Biography of the presenter:
Aoife Ní Lochlainn is a public policy analyst and researcher. She has a PhD in Economic and Social History from the European University Institute and over fifteen years of experience in economic, social and environmental policy. She has worked in the private, trade union and NGO sectors and is currently Policy Manager at the Irish Environmental Network. Previous areas of research include privatisation (TASC), worker directors (TASC), outsourcing (NERI) and just transition (NERI).