Milan Vašina will participate in the digital transformation of the Czech state on behalf of Aspen Institute CE
The effectiveness of the Czech Civil Service is one of the top program priorities for Aspen Institute CE, which is why our expert group was formed last year to focus intensively on this topic.
We are very pleased to see that the efficiency of the civil service is also an important topic for the current Czech government, as evidenced by yesterday’s official announcement of the creation of an independent advisory body to the Deputy Prime Minister for Digitalization, Ivan Bartos. The main objective is to contribute to the streamlining of the state administration and accelerate the digital transformation process.
Expert advisors from the Czech Republic and abroad will help with the digital transformation of the state across disciplines such as digital transformation and modernization of the state, innovation, science, research and others. We appreciate the fact that two members of our expert group, including Milan Vašina, Executive Director of Aspen Institute CE, have been selected to serve on the government advisory body.
Members of the independent advisory body:
Michal Bláha, founder of the initiative Hlídač státu
Ondřej Ferdus, Director of the Digital Economy and Technology Department, Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic
Ondřej Filip, Director, CZ.NIC
Tomáš Havryluk, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Alzacz
Jiří Hlavenka, entrepreneur and IT investor
Jan Indráček, Partner, McKinsey & Company
Ole Jann, Professor at CERGE-EI
Eva Pavlíková, co-founder and director, Česko.Digital
Radim Polčák, Vice-Rector for Development, Legislation and Information Technology, Masaryk University Brno
Diana Rádl Rogerová, Managing Partner Delloite
Milan Vašina, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Central Europe
The Effectiveness of the Czech Civil Service was also discussed at the Annual Conference The Shape of (Central) Europe 2021 last December. The debate can be viewed with this link.
Aspen Institute CE Expert Group about the Effectiveness of the Czech Civil Service
The Aspen Institute’s Expert Group for the Effectiveness of the Czech Civil Service was formed in the spring of 2021 with the goal of analyzing options for modernizing the civil service, highlighting the topic with the public and key members of the administration and emerging government, and helping move the Czech Republic toward a more efficient state. Its members are experts in management, human resources, and transformation of large organizations across the private, non-profit and public sectors. Several projects have been implemented in pursuit of these goals. In the spring, a survey of perceptions of the civil service was conducted in collaboration with NMS Market Research. The expert group subsequently put together a rough blueprint for civil service modernization, drawing on both foreign experience and existing data on the civil service, as well as private sector experience. The proposal outlines three key areas of needed change (focus on results, talent development and flexible organization) and how to implement these changes in practice. Another activity of the expert group involved collaboration with other non-profit organizations working on the topic of the effectiveness of civil service: Česko. Digital, České priority, Hlídač státu and Rekonstrukce státu. Together with them, Aspen Institute Central Europe organized a seminar on the Modernization of civil service in November 2021 at the Senate of the Czech Republic: a key priority for the Czech Republic. The seminar served as an opportunity for discussion between legislators, key representatives of the state administration and representatives of the expert public. The topic of modernization of the civil service was also discussed during the June 2021 Moonshot by Aspen CE conference and the December annual The Shape of (Central) Europe 2021 conference, both of which featured members of the Expert Group in discussion with civil service and political representatives. The Expert Group celebrated its success at the end of 2021, as the newly installed government expressed its intention to implement changes leading to a more efficient state apparatus through a coalition agreement. The Expert Group on Efficient Public Administration continues its work in 2022.