In this interview, Sigitas Šiupšinskas discusses his work in public administration, regional policy and public service with the Lithuanian government. He discusses the VORT (Improvement of Performance-Based Management – from the Lithuanian Valdymo, orientuoto j rezultatus, tobulinimas) project and the Sunset Commission (The Commission for the Improvement of State Administration). He details the methods of the reforms, the gains achieved and the challenges faced. He talks about the effects the cultural environment of the Lithuanian government had on these reforms. He also talks about the successful efficiency gains in public administration and civil service reforms, and the implementations that led to those. Šiupšinskas discusses evaluative measures, methods of prioritization, and functional reviews.

In this interview, Gord Evans discusses his experience working in Lithuania on center of government reforms from 1998 to the early 2000s and again starting in 2009. He explains the importance of the Chancellery’s office and later Prime Minister Kubilius in building support for the initial center of government reforms.  Evans emphasizes that the leadership of top officials was necessary for the institutionalization of reforms as well as for ensuring that officials continued to adapt reforms to Lithuania’s specific context and changing needs. It was critical to reform effectiveness that Lithuanian officials from across ministries took ownership over reform planning, sustainability, and evolution. Evans also describes the processes of several specific reforms, such as aligning budgeting and policy planning, instituting impact assessments, and improving legislative efficiency. In addition, Evans talks about how the requirements of EU accession influenced the motivation, challenges, and speed of reform.    

Case Study:  Focusing on Priority Goals: Strategic Planning in Lithuania, 2000-2004

In 2009, Giedrius Kazakevicius was asked to lead a reform agenda in Lithuania in his capacity as vice-chancellor of the prime minister. At this time, the government of Lithuania was undergoing a party shift from social democrats to conservatives, and a structural shift from having a chancellery to a prime minister’s office. In this interview, Kazakevicius explains the necessity and obstacles of implementing government-wide reform amidst such a transition. Particular challenges that Kazakevicius describes are the creation of a detailed budget under budget cuts, and the formation of a strategy to approaching reform that prioritizes certain sectors in an efficient and productive way. He discusses the need to set both personal and results-related goals with specific deadlines and ways to measure achievement through active use of baselines and metrics. Kazakevicius emphasizes the general goal of creating a results-oriented culture of government in Lithuania that focuses on strategic planning, as opposed to the previous system that solely concentrated on inputs and implementation. 

Case Study:  Improving the Quality of Decision Making: Fighting Reform Fatigue in Lithuania, 2006-2012