Making Public and Civil Registries Work
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Stronger Accountability Framework Reforming the public and civil registries involved creating a new serviceoriented mindset. By ending budgetary support, the government forced the agencies to become self-sufficient. Reforms eliminated many functions with the potential for conflict of interest. Agencies were no longer permitted to monitor land use; other services, such as land surveying, were privatized. The agencies’ processes were simplified, streamlined, and in some cases eliminated. Transparent technology and the separation of front- and back-office functions removed back-office influence over registrations, making bribes unnecessary. Higher salaries, better incentives, and the use of mystery shoppers have made taking bribes less appealing. At the same time, staff gained influence over their organization’s fate through their independence from other ministries and increased responsibility to provide better service and boost revenues. Citizens gained power through simplified procedures, access to clear guidelines on timelines and fees, and a hotline for reporting abuse. All these features have strengthened the links of accountability among the government, the registry agencies, and citizens (figure 7.2). Figure 7.2 Accountability Framework for Public and Civil Registries
• Citizens supported radical reforms • Government communicated reform process to public
Citizens/firms
Government
• New vision of putting citizens first adopted • Mindset changed to one of service culture • Policy of zero tolerance for corruption adopted • Financial autonomy and discipline demanded • Independence of the registries established
Public and civil registries
• Operations streamlined, and number of face-to-face contacts between citizens and officials reduced • Customer service made driving source for reform • Information technology and web-based services introduced • Good performance rewarded
Source: Authors.