The CAF is the European Common Assessment Framework for better quality in public administration, and it celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2020. The CAF improves public administration through self-assessment by the employees and executives of "their" organisation. The beginning of the CAF dates back to 1998 when the ministers of the European Public Administration Network (EUPAN) commissioned designing "general principles concerning the improvement of the quality of services provided to citizens".
The CAF 2020 is the fifth version of the CAF, and it is designed to be the European guideline for good governance and excellence in public sector organisations.
In four chapters, this book provides an overview of how the CAF is contributing to transform public administration. About 30 designated CAF experts from academia and practice offer insights into the impact of the CAF in different fields of public sector organisations, reflecting the powerful role of the CAF in navigating through challenging times. Furthermore, this book provides an overview of the institutional status of the CAF in Europe and internationally, and it shows the necessary steps for further strengthening the CAF as the number one tool for transformation and quality in the public sector.
As a resumé of the book, it can be stated that the CAF initiates and accompanies the transformation of public administration, especially through:
- transforming the organisation towards change and organisational development;
- transforming public administration towards the Sustainable Development Goals;
- transforming the public sector towards effective governance, multi-level collaboration and comprehensive policy-field-thinking;
- making public administration and structural reforms successful; and
- driving states and societies towards European integration and European values.
