政策評価を核とした「行財政システム改革」 : 三重県を事例として(戦後日本の教育行政研究(2)-教育委員会「存続」の意義を問い直す,I 年報フォーラム)

抄録

In this report, I have presented as a case study from Mie prefecture an example of repeated trial and error procedures aimed at improving a policy evaluation system. The government reform was promoted on the basis of the idea of "the ordinary citizen as the starting point", and an improved version of "administrative and financial system reform" was devised with policy/administration evaluation as its pivotal axis. In the area of educational administration and finance too, various multi-faceted reforms were promoted in the form of new policy axes or reformed policies and links, under the leadership of the office of the prefectural governor. These reforms, which brought about changes in the resource allocation framework of educational administration and finance, can be thought of as directed toward improvements in the effectiveness of distribution and production. As result, various items of new knowledge could be obtained. Firstly, choosing to introduce unitary "administrative and financial system reforms" over a wide area under the leadership of the prefectural governor meant that it was susceptible to influences resulting from a change in the person of the governor. The second issue is concerned with the cost-effectiveness of the construction of an administrative management system. Third is the point that the most decisive factor in terms of an increase or decrease in the educational budget was a factor outside the rational system (abolition, reform, suspension) that existed within the management system framework. The change to a system which can easily be penetrated by the vision of the governor is likely to accelerate this state of affairs. The state of affairs as described here is not linked to the creation or enhancement of the function of governance in the sphere of educational administration and finance, but on the contrary may well become an impediment. Moreover, a new problem arises in the form of how to ensure the stability and continuity that constitute vitally important management principles in educational administration and finance. The introduction of a wide-area, unitary management system under the direction of the governor's office can bring about a fixed effect in terms of cost savings (economies of scale). But at the same time, new costs may be generated by the expansion of the governor's field of discretion. The difficulty of attempting to achieve the creation or enhancement of the governance function in educational administration and finance by means of a management system framework can be seen as providing support and evidence for the view that newly generated costs are larger than any cost-reduction effect. A Board of Education has the characteristics of an enterprise similar to "local public enterprises" such as bodies providing water services, hospital services and traffic services. It follows from this that the Board of Education should be categorized as an independent cost center. Is it not arguable, from the point of view of cost-effectiveness, that it is precisely independence from the somewhat inefficient unitary management system that is likely to lead to the creation and improvement of the governance system in educational administration and finance?