Administration

The 'Citizens dialogue on the electricity grid' (BDS) is an initiative that has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Bundeswirtschaftsministerium - BMWi) since 2015. As a neutral actor in the expansion of the electricity grid, the initiative aims to facilitate an open and transparent exchange between all stakeholders. In order to achieve this goal, the initiative provides basic data at the beginning of the electricity grid expansion process and explains how the general public can become involved. The first funding period ended in December 2019. The National Institute for Public Administration Germany conducted an evaluation of the first funding period, which ran from December 2015 to December 2019. In addition, the BMWi commissioned the National Institute for Public Administration Germany to evaluate the second funding phase, which will start in 2020. This evaluation used a range of social research techniques to assess the initiative as a whole and the specific measures implemented.

The project aimed to address the question of which specific skills and qualifications will be increasingly in demand in the context of digitalisation, and to identify the key factors that will contribute to the success of Qualification 4.0 for the public sector. Based on the results of scientific analyses of the changes in skills requirements and the development of qualifications, the project developed strategies and recommendations for the design of initial and continuing vocational education and training and for improving the transfer of digital skills.

The concept of open data is gaining significant traction in German politics and administration. In the coming years, the provision of publicly funded administrative data is to be expanded and access to the data is to be simplified. The publication of administrative data plays an important role in the context of open government efforts to foster greater trust between the political, administrative, civil society and business sectors. A number of open data platforms are already in operation in Germany. However, there is currently limited insight into the extent to which existing offerings align with the needs of the respective user groups. Against this background, the primary objective of the research project initiated by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (BMI) was to identify potential for improvement in order to facilitate the continued development of open data offerings in Germany in line with demand. In the initial phase of the project, the national metadata portal for open administrative data in Germany (GovData.de) was selected as the focus of the empirical research. The objective was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the needs and experiences of users of open administrative data in Germany.

The National Institute for Public Administration Germany was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community to investigate the prevalence of violence against public sector employees. The aim of the project was to create a factual basis for the development of sustainable and differentiated strategies for dealing with violence against public sector employees, as there are currently no comprehensive figures on assaults on public servants and no systematic overview of practical experience with approaches to curbing violence. The project was conducted by the National Institute for Public Administration Germany in close cooperation with the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB) and the German Civil Service Federation (dbb).