Positive Public Administration: Reimagining government by learning from what works
By Andrew Wills, IPAA Queensland Director
Public administration has traditionally focused on identifying and fixing problem such as inefficiencies, governance failures, or service delivery gaps. While this is essential, it can sometimes overshadow what is going right in government. Positive Public Administration (PPA) is an emerging approach that challenges this mindset by emphasising the importance of recognising and learning from success.
Instead of asking only “what’s broken?”, PPA invites us to ask “what’s working and how can we build on it?”
What Is Positive Public Administration (PPA)?
PPA draws inspiration from positive psychology and appreciative inquiry, which focus on strengths and flourishing rather than just problems and deficits. Applied to the public sector, PPA examines successful programs, high-performing agencies, and effective leadership to extract lessons that can inform broader reform and institutional improvement.
The approach was ‘launched’ in 2019 by a group of nineteen scholars who published an open letter titled ‘Towards a Positive Public Administration: A Manifesto’, including Australian researchers Professor Brian Head and Professor Janine O’Flynn.
The approach is not a replacement for traditional evaluation or performance management. Rather, it is a complementary lens that provides a more balanced and constructive view of public sector performance.
Does It Matter?
Here are some key reasons why PPA is gaining interest:
1. Scalable learnings and better policy
Many effective solutions already exist within government. These “bright spots” (Douglas et al. 2019) often go unnoticed because attention is consumed by crises and failures. By identifying successful programs and understanding what makes them effective, governments can replicate and adapt these in other contexts.
It is argued that a great number of examples of effective practice in government are left isolated in public sector bureaucracies due to the historic focus on failings and crises. In turn, opportunities to replicate and scale initiatives with the potential to achieve great public value are lost. Policy innovation labs provide useful examples of how PPA can be implemented in practice (for more see Lewis and colleagues’ work in the reference list).
2. Strengthening Public Trust
In a time when public confidence in institutions is fragile, celebrating effective government can counter unfair narratives or perceptions of dysfunction. Sharing stories of success helps demonstrate the public sector’s capacity to deliver real value to communities.
Paul ’t Hart, a public leadership scholar, emphasises that stories of successful public leadership help build legitimacy and show the potential for responsiveness and innovation in institutions (’t Hart, 2014).
3. Supporting Public Servants
Public servants are often under pressure, facing criticism without recognition of their efforts. PPA provides a way to boost morale and motivation by spotlighting successful work, collaboration, and innovation. At IPAA Queensland’s launch of the Australian Policy Handbook, lead author Professor Catherine Althaus touched in this issue.
PPA may contribute towards breaking public perception issues experienced by public sectors across many jurisdictions and help to celebrate success, strengthen morale and rebuild trust.
How Can It Be Applied in Practice?
PPA does not require wholesale change, it begins with intentional practices. An overview of key references suggests that there are some ways that agencies can embed this approach:
- Identify and share “bright spots”
- Use Appreciative Inquiry approach to change and innovation
- Foster peer learning networks
- Measure positive outcomes
Naïve optimism?
Critics of PPA may argue that the approach is naive or overly optimistic. There is a legitimate concern that focusing on positive examples could obscure underlying systemic issues or lead to complacency (Douglas et al. 2019 and Lucas et al. 2024). However, advocates stress that PPA is not about avoiding critique but about balancing it. Remaining critical where necessary, learning from what goes right in order to improve the system as a whole.
There are numerous mechanisms for holding public administrators (and indeed systems of public administration) to account in response to major failures such as public inquiries and Royal Commissions (see IPAA Queensland insights article on these functions for more). Estimates committee hearings inevitably focus on the perceived failings of government, including the role of the public sector. The nature of today’s social and news media provides a perpetual platform for critical views. PPA may help to drive a fairer, and arguably, more evidence-based narrative of public sector performance and delivery.
Learn More
Professor Janine O’Flynn, Director of ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy and IPAA ACT Councillor delivered the Donald C. Stone Lecture at the American Society for Public Administration in March 2025. Her lecture is a great place to learn more from a leading thinker in the field:
See Pathways to Positive Public Administration (2024) edited by Lucas and colleagues for a more in-depth overview and several case study examples.
Conclusion
Positive Public Administration offers a fresh and hopeful lens on the public sector and public administration. It does not propose to ignore problems but argues that focusing on success is equally vital. By recognising and building on what works, governments can foster more resilient institutions, motivate their workforces, and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
References
Douglas, S., ‘t Hart, P., Flinders, M., Head, B. et al (2019). Towards Positive Public Administration: A Manifesto.
Lewis, J., McGann, M., & Blomkamp, E. (2020). When design meets power: design thinking, public sector innovation and the politics of policymaking, Policy & Politics, 48(1).
Lucas, P., Nabatchi, T., O’Flynn, J. & ‘t Hart, P. (2024). An optimistic state? Pathways to Positive Public Administration. In Pathways to Positive Public Administration: An International Perspective. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Lucas, P., ‘t Hart, P., & O’Flynn, J. (2025). Has the time arrived for positive public administration? The Mandarin, 24 Feb 2025.
McGann, M. Blomkamp, E., & Lewis, J. (2018). The rise of public sector innovation labs: experiments in design thinking for policy, Policy Sciences, 51(1).
’t Hart, P. (2014). Understanding Public Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan.