Many governments Introduce productivity or efficiency drives. They aIm to reduce the size of the state not by cutting services but by cutting the cost of those services.

However, few, if any, of those drives have the intended results.

Why?

Well, those governments rarely introduce systematic productivity improvement processes, and even more rarely attempt the culture change needed to make any significant change.  There are no targets, no benchmarks.

An aim without a plan is simply a wish … and there are not enough fairies around to make all the wishes come true.

Productivity by exhortation is doomed to failure.