Thematic area: Human Rights, Development and Governance. Sector: Public Sector, Civil Society and Democracy
Brazil-EU exchange on Participatory Democracy
Partners: 
Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management / 
Directorate-General Human Resources and Security.
Year: 2013
Project Overview:
Given the expansion of the social and economic role of government as a guarantor of quality public services and an increasingly demanding society with growing needs, a new model of state is arising, one that is closer to the citizen, that is more transparent and produces public value. In this context, gauging quality now has a very significant role to evaluate user satisfaction in public services, assuming that one can only control what one can measure.
Currently, the Brazilian government has a management programme in place, ‘Gespública,’ directed towards public organisations as a whole and open to all levels and branches of government. It aims to contribute to improving the quality of public services provided to citizens and to increase the country's competitiveness. Currently, the ‘Gespública’ approach includes a satisfaction survey that is shaped after SERVQUAL and the Common Measurement Tool, which seek to capture these dimensions of quality and assist fault-model research into service delivery. Such an approach, however, needs to be revised.
Some European countries have substantial experience with satisfaction surveys among users of public services, the Spanish government being a case in point. Spain has implemented a number of initiatives, including the perception of citizens about the services provided by the state, service charters and other related services, which allow for public funds to be invested where they are really needed.
Therefore, the European experiences, not only that of the Spanish government, but also of other EU countries, of conducting satisfaction surveys among users of public services, are acknowledged as being very successful and may contribute to the implementation of similar efforts within the Brazilian government.
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