The Whole of Government (Material for MPA Students)

"The Whole of Government" is a new concept following New Public Management, when some problems could not be addressed by existing practices. The whole of government relates to vertical and horizontal coordination to eliminate the situation in which different policies undermine each other. Hence, the concept can be summarized as:- Coordination+Integration=The Whole of Government. In Nepalese context, 'The High Level Mechanism' was formed under the chairmanship of then Prime Minister Giriza Prasad Koirala. 

Before going in depth with  TWG, it is pertinent to consider few factor that gave push to its emergence. 

1. Pillarization of Departments: New Public Management (NPM) emphasized on 'Tunnel Vision' lacked to address integrally different sectors' problems.   NPM focused on single department for single task, because of which there emerged a form of pillars in each organization. In a ministry, there are few departments and each work differently. In a government, there are few ministries and they work differently and separately. This trend is same for all state units. That created pillarization with lack of coordination. NPM got criticized because of departmentalization became infamous. 
2. Insecurity:- Different threats to mankind like natural disasters, conflict, racism, regionalism, and global network of terrorism significantly created insecurity. Individual organization or departments is unable to function addressing these threats. They needed coordination and group efforts. These two, mainly, reasons forced to the emergence of TWG

How to Implement TWG?

1. Structural Set Up:- The concept of TWG need a mechanism for coordination of all ministries and departments. A special body can be set up in the chairmanship of Prime Minister consisting all ministers and departmental heads. This can be separated by in two categories. One of political coordinating group consisting PM and Ministers and the another of Secretaries and departmental heads. Similarly, this can also be formed in sectoral set up. But the board or committee or the office must be authorized as coordinating mechanism of the state. 
2. Procedural Set Up:- Establishing networks for working in each office of the state is anther mechanism of implementing TWG. One must not do its work in isolation. Because in a state, an activity of one office of the state affects another. The shaping of nation is the responsibility of all units, not of one, and every single unit of the state is responsible for wrong dos of its counterpart. Work must be result based and the doer should be held responsible. 
3. Cultural Set Up:- Developing evolutionary cultural set up so that all the state mechanism would work in mutual understanding and coordination can be another method of implementing TWG. 

Challenges of TWG

1. Like the traditional approach, today in present days the same coordinating approach does not work . It needs comprehensive coordination appproach . It need horizontal coordination betwwn state agencies and it is very difficult and big task to coordinate horizontally in any environment.
2. Accountability:- The fixed and solid rules should be established determining who is accountable to whom. But there is always confusions that either minters are accountable to primeminister or to the party in vertical structure. Similarly, in it is highly difficult coordinating in horizontal structur
3. It is a long term  vision which needs enoughs patience, can't be established a good practice in a short span of time.