TEPs facilitate horizontal and vertical co-operations by working across institutional boundaries and administrative districts. The TEPs adopt principles of good governance for their work, such as e.g. participation, openness, accountability, efficiency and coherence. For this reason, pacts are an outstanding example for implementing the principles of governance on regional and local level.
Constantly, the partnerships pass through a variety of governance processes:
On partnership level, the participation of all relevant regional stakeholders needs to be ensured. Between 10 and 15 regional stakeholders are involved in each TEP on provincial level. An even higher number of partners can be stated for the partnerships on sub-regional or local level. In order to co-ordinate the various topics of the institutions, openness and transparency are as essential as the jointly defined rules of the decision making process. Finally, the results of the consultation process lead to the strategy and work programme of the TEP. All involved partners thereby agree on the implementation of measures according to the TEP strategy. Ultimately, this governance process allows accountability.
Labour market measures require examinations in regard to their efficiency and coherence and adaptation to local needs. By involving all relevant stakeholders, the TEPs also link labour market and employment policies with other policies, such as for example social, educational, structural and regional economic policies. Thus, the TEP work programmes comprise co-ordinated measures and enable a comprehensive approach to tackle regional employment difficulties. This approach links policies and therefore avoids double funding which results into more efficient implementation.
As stated in the update of the evaluation, the TEPs succeed in raising acceptance of labour market issues by institutions not primarily involved in labour market policy, adopt standard measures to local needs and improve policy outputs through a continuous and more systematic approach (Up-date of the evaluation of the Austrian Objective 3 Programme, European Social Fund 2000-2006, priority 6. WIFO. 2005). The various governance processes implemented by the pacts have highly contributed to achieve these positive TEP outcomes.
One of these processes was the national consolidation process, “STEPs”, which was built up and carried out together with all TEPs (see TEPs & consolidation). The overall objective of STEPs was to develop and further strengthen the concept’s stability and functional plausibility of the TEPs in order to ensure continuity beyond the funding period 2000 - 2006. During “STEPs”, the governance-systems and –processes of the pacts were analysed, reflected and strengthened. Additionally, the TEPs worked on instruments enhancing efficiency and effectiveness.
Not only in the “STEPs”-Process the TEPs were engaged with governance issues. They also exchange information on governance at the TEP meetings and are actively involved in the OECD LEED forum on Partnerships and Local Governance, an international network of partnerships searching for ways to optimise the contribution of partnership structures on local governance and the effectiveness of policies.
For additional information in German please visit TEPs & Governance.