Shared Services in Ireland

Abstract

The global financial crisis has ushered in a new era of public service reform, in which governments try and reduce the size and cost of the state, change policy discourses and set policy objectives that may previously not have been possible. A common feature of the country-specific reforms adopted has been the concept of shared services, which offers a means of consolidating common ‘back office’ routine tasks, reducing duplication and achieving greater value for money. In a bid to emulate successful experiences in the private sector, the growing use of shared service centres (SSCs) as a new form of co-ordination practice is particularly worthy of further exploration. In this chapter, the introduction of shared service initiatives and the ensuing consequences are considered for the case of Ireland, one of the countries most badly affected by the financial crisis. The following section begins the analysis by presenting an overview of the Irish politico-administrative system and the co-ordination of policy within it, before turning to the recent introduction of shared service architecture. As well as considering the international context, some of the findings presented are gleaned from interviews and communications with those directly involved with SSCs, which have begun to move beyond a formative phase to become an important feature of the Irish administrative system.