Moral Dimensions of Statecraft: A Plea for an Administrative Theology

1987 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 699-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. P. Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Moral Responsibility ◽  
Public Service ◽  
The State ◽  
The Public ◽  
Moral Dimensions

AbstractThe issue of moral dimensions of the state and its statecraft is the focus of this article. The issue is premised on two questions: how do we secure moral responsibility of the state and its functionaries; and what can be done to enhance the sense of mission, dedication and service which used to be the hallmarks of the public service? The concept of “administrative theology” is suggested as a possible answer in our search for a moral government and statecraft. Particular emphasis is placed on the concept of service and the doctrine of vocation. The author concludes by pleading the case of administrative theology as a possible source for a moral government and its statecraft.

ISO 9001 and the public service: an investigation of the effect of the QMS on the quality of public service organizations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Armando López-Lemus
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Services ◽  
The State ◽  
Iso 9001 ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence exerted by a quality management system (QMS) under ISO 9001: 2015 on the quality of public services organizations in Mexico. Design/methodology/approach The methodological design was quantitative, explanatory, observational and transversal, for which a sample of 461 public servants from the state of Guanajuato, Mexico was obtained. To test the hypotheses, a structural equation model (SEM) was developed through the statistical software Amos v.21. For the analysis of the data, software SPSS v.21 was used. Regarding the goodness and adjustment indices of the SEM (χ2 = 720.09, df = 320, CFI = 0.933, TLI = 0.926 and RMSEA = 0.05) which, therefore, proved to be acceptable. Findings According to the results obtained through the SEM model, the QMS under ISO 9001: 2015 is positively and significantly influenced tangible aspects (β1 = 0.79, p < 0.01), reliability (β2 = 0.90, p < 0.01), related to response quality (β3 = 0.93, p < 0.01), guarantees (β4 = 0.91, p < 0.01) and empathy (β5 = 0.88, p < 0.01) of the quality related to public services in Mexico. The study’s key contribution is that it discovered that implementing a QMS in accordance with the ISO 9001: 2015 standard has an impact on the quality of public services, with the most influential quality of response. Similarly, the assurance and dependability of service quality turned out to be important in providing public service quality. Research limitations/implications In this paper, the QMS was only evaluated as a variable that intervenes in the process of obtaining quality in public service under the ISO 9001 standard in its 2015 version. In this regard, the results’ trustworthiness is limited to the extent that the findings may be generalized in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico’s public service. As a result, the scientific community is left primarily focused on service quality to promote new future research. Practical implications The ISO 9001: 2015 standard’s QMS is one of the tools for success in both the commercial and government sectors. However, there are practical limitations, which focus on the time during which managers exercise their vision in the public sector: first, the dynamics that managers play in public policy; second, the length of time they have served in public office; and third, the interest of directors of public institutions to improve the quality of service provided by the government. Other practical consequences concern organizational culture and identity, public servant commitment, senior management or secretaries of government, as well as work and training. Originality/value The findings of this paper are important and valuable because they foster knowledge generation in the public sector through the ISO 9000 quality area. A model that permits the adoption and implementation of a QMS based on the ISO 9001: 2015 standard in public organizations that seek to provide quality in their services offered to the user is also presented to the literature. Similarly, the paper is important because there is currently insufficient research focusing on the variables examined in the context of public service in Mexico.

scholarly journals Minister-Permanent Secretary Relationships: Lessons from Zimbabwe’s Government of national Unity

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Tawanda Zinyama ◽  
Joseph Tinarwo
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
The State ◽  
Team Work ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Unity ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government

Public administration is carried out through the public service. Public administration is an instrument of the State which is expected to implement the policy decisions made from the political and legislative processes. The rationale of this article is to assess the working relationships between ministers and permanent secretaries in the Government of National Unity in Zimbabwe. The success of the Minister depends to a large degree on the ability and goodwill of a permanent secretary who often has a very different personal or professional background and whom the minster did not appoint. Here lies the vitality of the permanent secretary institution. If a Minister decides to ignore the advice of the permanent secretary, he/she may risk of making serious errors. The permanent secretary is the key link between the democratic process and the public service. This article observed that the mere fact that the permanent secretary carries out the political, economic and social interests and functions of the state from which he/she derives his/her authority and power; and to which he/she is accountable,  no permanent secretary is apolitical and neutral to the ideological predisposition of the elected Ministers. The interaction between the two is a political process. Contemporary administrator requires complex team-work and the synthesis of diverse contributions and view-points.

scholarly journals Professionalization and Innovations in Nigerian Public Service: How far the Dream of Success?

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Salami Issa Afegbua
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
The State ◽  
First Century ◽  
The Public ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Made In

Public service accounts for a substantial share of a country’s economic activity. It is designed as an agent of fruitful change and development in the state. The transformation of any society or system depends on the effectiveness and efficiency of its civil service. The article examines the nature of professionalization and innovation in Nigerian public service. It argues that professionalization in the public service is an overarching value that determines how its activities will be carried out. The article note that various attempts have been made in Nigeria to professionalised and encourage innovation in the public service, but these have not bring about the expected changes in the public service. It therefore advocates for professionalization and innovations as panacea to the ills of public service in Nigeria. The article concludes that no public service can meet the challenges of the twenty first century without a stronger commitment to the professionalization of its workforce.

Don't Talk Back!

2017 ◽  
pp. 85-104
Author(s):  
Edorodion Agbon Osa
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Cultural Transformation ◽  
The State ◽  
Community Level ◽  
British Imperialism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Service Broadcasting ◽  
The Public Sphere

Founded on the philosophy of advancing the course of democracy and acting as a stimulus for socio-cultural transformation at the community level, community broadcasting provides access to the public sphere by making its audience the main characters in the production and dissemination of its messages thus serving as a platform for the expression of the divergent views and opinions that exist at the community level. But almost a century after broadcasting was introduced to Nigeria as part of British imperialism, this grassroots form of broadcasting is yet to fully take off. Starting with a broad examination of public service broadcasting, this chapter discusses the state of community broadcasting in Nigeria, using Habermas' concept of the public sphere, and recommends its improvement given the crucial roles of community broadcasting in the society.

scholarly journals An anti-corruption value of administrative and legal restrictions of joint work of near persons in justice system

2021 ◽  
pp. 63-73
Author(s):  
Oksana Polna
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Justice System ◽  
The State ◽  
Joint Work ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
Legal Restrictions ◽  
Relationship Of

The article focuses on the formulation of an urgent comprehensive scientific thought on the anti-corruption value of the administrative and legal restriction of the closely affiliated persons’ collaboration in the justice system of Ukraine. It is a justified restriction of the citizens’ rights to access professional public service in the justice system, provided by national administrative legislation, to continue public service and to exercise a career in this system, by preventing the conclusion of a service contract, blocking the promotion of persons, if this predetermines about direct subordination to a closely affiliated person; termination of official legal relations with persons who are in a relationship of direct subordination to a closely affiliated person. It is noted that the general anti-corruption essence of the restriction under consideration is manifested in the fact that this restriction appears as a «personnel barrier» for increasing corruption risks in the justice system due to the implementation of personnel policy, as well as a “personnel instrument” for correcting situations when a violation of the corresponding restrictions takes place. Considering the concept and essence of limiting the collaboration of closely affiliated persons in the justice system, the author proves that the anti-corruption value of such a limitation is that it: while restricting the joint work of closely affiliated persons in the justice system, makes it impossible for nepotism as a separate manifestation of corruption to arise in this system; is a real barrier that reduces the dynamics of the spread of corruption and limits its scale (primarily, in the form of nepotism) in the system of public administration subjects in Ukraine in general and in the justice system in particular; contributes to increasing the authority of judges, professional public service in general and the level of respect and trust of society in the judiciary, the state, as well as reducing legal nihilism in society; maximizes positive incentives for lawful behavior of citizens in general and professional public servants in the justice system, in particular; is the actual result of a public demand for a decrease in the level of tolerance to corruption in the public administration system in general and in justice system, in particular. In the conclusions to the article, it is noted that non-compliance with the administrative and legal restrictions on the collaboration of closely affiliated persons in the justice system creates a situation in which the public service bodies in this system are filled with close persons, who may enter into a corruption conspiracy to use the common good and public interest in their own (personal) interests, which is unacceptable because it distorts the purpose of the existence of the state in general and the judicial power, in particular. Keywords: administrative and legal restrictions, anti-corruption value, corruption in the justice system, joint work of closely affiliated persons, justice system, personnel barrier, personnel tool.

scholarly journals THE RIGHTS OF NATIONAL MINORITIES TO INFORMATION

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-53
Author(s):  
Aid Mršić ◽  
◽  
Larisa Softić-Gasal ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
The State ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Pressure ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Trends ◽  
National Minorities ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Guardian

The public service, which should be the guardian of the identity of national minorities, fell under the political pressure. In this way, it came out of the scope of its actions. Leading people in independent media believe that the role of the public service is crucial in protecting national minorities.But the media can not do it alone. First of all, the state must regulate, and respect what it has brought. With strong strategies and the inclusion of national minorities in all social trends, it is possible to achieve, not fully, but partially, the equality of all those who liveon the territory of BiH.On the other hand, the public service must respect what the state says. The Communications Regulatory Agency is obliged to impose rules in an adequate manner and at the same time to monitor how much the media (public service) meets its obligations.

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