Strengthening Australia’s public service
Management of public services is essential to ensuring they operate efficiently and effectively, delivering public value. Together with public service partners, we bring together a range of interdisciplinary researchers with expertise in robust and applied research.
In addition to the way public services are delivered, we’re interested in the capabilities and knowledge needed to provide them. Human resource management, including performance management, is a particular area of research strength.
Associated schools, institutes & centres
Impact
Our public management expertise leads to high-quality and reliable research that improves the way public servants think about public services.
In partnership with organisational clients, UNSW Canberra’s Public Service Research Group (PSRG) provides new insights into effective public service implementation and evaluation.
The PSRG conducts timely, high-quality and reliable research on public policy implementation. As a result, we deliver world-class executive education and professional development.
Public Service Research Group
Research within the PSRG focuses on policy implementation in a public service context across four key themes: Capability in Public Services, Complex Systems, Ethics and Inclusion. We conduct research across a range of disciplinary, methodological and subject boundaries.
Competitive advantage
Research within the PSRG broadly focuses on issues of policy implementation in a public service context across four key themes: Capability in the Public Service, Complex Systems, Ethics and Inclusion. Our research crosses a number of different disciplinary, methodological and subject boundaries.
Capability in the Public Service
This research brings together work on issues including human resource systems, performance management, organisational culture, workforce development and project management.
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Complex Systems
Complex systems have multiple boundaries and feedback loops from which new ways of working can emerge in unpredictable ways. We adapt and apply systems frameworks to support policy design, implementation and evaluation.
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Ethics
Our ethics research has a firm focus on exploring values, cultures and norms of individuals, organisations and institutions, seeking to understand how they emerge, change and influence practice.
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Inclusion
This research addresses the significant barriers to inclusion that still exist. We're also interested in the different policies, services and mechanisms that have been used to drive equity and social inclusion.
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Successful applications
The School of Business has worked with public servant partners to transform the way they design and deliver public services.
Study with us
A number of our postgraduate courses draw from our Public Service Management research including:
Master of Strategic People Management
The Master of Strategic People Management at UNSW Canberra is designed to develop middle managers, particularly in people management. This degree provides students with an understanding of systems theory and its implications for implementation.
Master of Business
The Master of Business at UNSW Canberra is a forward-thinking, industry-focused degree purpose-built to unlock your personal and professional ambitions and refine your leadership skills.
Master of Project Management
The Master of Project Management provides students with the knowledge, skills and tools to successfully deliver new products and services, perform change and transformation, and help project teams get things done.
Master of Workforce Planning
The Master of Workforce Planning at UNSW Canberra is designed to support workforce planning uplift by developing strategic workforce planners.
Doctor of Public Management (DPM)
The Doctor of Public Management (DPM) is a professional doctorate degree that provides an opportunity to combine a doctoral thesis with disciplinary and methodologically based coursework.
Graduate Certificate of Workplace Planning
In the Graduate Certificate in Workforce Planning at UNSW Canberra, you'll develop skills that will improve your organisation's productivity and outcomes.
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We collaborate with a wide range of university and industry partners including:
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We release a range of publications including submissions to government, journal articles, research briefs and issues papers. A selection is available here:
Our researchers
