The Sedimentation of Public Values: How a Variety of Governance Perspectives Guide the Practical Actions of Civil Servants

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martijn van der Steen ◽  
Mark J. W. van Twist ◽  
Daphne Bressers
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Public Values ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
Good Government

What defines a good civil servant is not self-evident. In fact, when you ask civil servants what it means “to be a good civil servant” and “to do a good job,” you receive differing responses based on the various values that guide the way each individual approaches their job. The differing values can be traced to well-established perspectives in the literatures of public administration, governance, and political science. Each perspective defines “good government” and “being a good civil servant” in different ways, elevating differing values in the process. These perspectives are institutionalized and internalized in the present-day reality of public administration. Therefore, a present-day civil servant works amid a variety of competing perspectives about what “good government” and “being a good civil servant” mean. It is interesting how various perspectives on “good governance” and “being a good civil servant” play out in the working-practice of civil servants: How do values from the various governance perspectives guide the practical actions of civil servants? To answer this question, we conducted a research project to look for patterns in the values that guide the work of civil servants. We distinguished four governance perspectives from literature on governance. We translated these four governance perspectives into typical value statements that guide practical action, and used Q-methodology to survey civil servants with these perspectives as options. We found four distinct profiles of combined values that apparently guide the practical actions of civil servants. The profiles help us better understand the variety of values that guide practical actions of civil servants.

Exploration of the technocratic mentality among European civil servants

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232199642
Author(s):  
Ringa Raudla ◽  
James W. Douglas ◽  
Zachary Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Technical Knowledge ◽  
High Level ◽  
Proper Balance

Civil servants vary in the degree to which they hold technocratic attitudes. We explore whether bureaucrats’ exposure to politics and politicians is associated with the depoliticization dimension of the technocratic mentality. We use survey data of high-level executives in 19 European countries to explore factors that are associated with executives’ perceptions that removing issues and activities from the realms of politics leads to more farsighted policies. We find that respondents’ level of exposure to politics and politicians is indeed negatively associated with technocratic mentality. Bureaucrats have studied political science or public administration, work closer to politicians (in terms of type of organization), interact with them more frequently, and have more positive perceptions of these interactions tend to have lower levels of technocratic attitudes. Points for practitioners Beliefs affect behaviors and behaviors affect outcomes. Technocratic attitudes may limit the ability of civil servants to work effectively with politicians. We show that educational degrees that promote democratic values and exposure to politicians (particularly positive interactions) are associated with lower levels of technocratic attitudes. Given that a proper balance between political and technical knowledge can enhance organizational performance (Krause et al., 2006), these findings should be taken into account when staffing and structuring public organizations.

TERMINATION OF CIVIL SERVICE

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (10) ◽  
pp. 98-100
Author(s):  
Samira Eldar Mehraliyeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Legal Basis ◽  
The Law

The responsibility of civil servants in public administration in a democratic environment is one of the central issues. The responsibility of civil servants and the grounds and conditions of termination are specified in the Law on Civil Service, which is the main legislative act implementing sectoral regulation, which emphasizes the importance of this issue. The article briefly analyzes the civil service position and civil servant, the legal basis, the concept of responsibility as a legal phenomenon, and the grounds for termination. Key words: civil service position, civil servant, termination, responsibility, restrictions

Newspaper Reports about Good Governance

2020 ◽  
pp. 29-48
Author(s):  
Zane Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Good Governance ◽  
Economic Change ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Media Representations

This chapter further examines civil servants’ life worlds through reference to a few hundred stories published in a local Indonesian newspaper between June 2003 and January 2004. It argues that we can observe some of the semiotic reflexes of ongoing social, political, and economic change by looking at how media representations about the deviant practices of a handful of local civil servants became reconfigured as a widespread practice via subsequent representations. In particular, it focuses on how imitation, the use of universal select deictics, the erasure of particular selective deictics, and the quotation of authoritative voices enregistered the “mass-mediated chronotopic identity” of the deviant Indonesian civil servant.

scholarly journals REKRUTMEN DAN PENGEMBANGAN PNS DALAM PERSPEKTIF GOOD GOVERNANCE DI KABUPATEN LOMBOK TENGAH

KOMUNITAS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-139
Author(s):  
Agus Agus
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Improper Use ◽  
Governance Practice ◽  
Work Planning ◽  
Policy Solutions

The purposes of this research are to describe; the condition of civil servants (PNS), the implementation of recruitment and development of civil servants, also problems and policy solutions for good governance practices in the recruitment and development of civil servants in Central Lombok. The result of research, there is surplus (excess) of the number of civil servants who have to occupy the position on Echelon III, those are 4,241 people and echelon II are 73 people. The implication is unhealthy competition to obtain structural positions, which then disturbs the health of bureaucratic organizations. Recruitment of civil servants is guided by Government Regulation (PP) No. 98 of 2000 which constructs six stages of work; planning, announcement, application, screening, appointment of  CPNS up to appointment to be civil servant. The position of Regent as the officer of the regional staffing authority gives him authority in the appointment of echelon IV to Echelon II without any sides’ consideration. As the result, practices of civil servant development policy create three conditions; the growth of spoils system practices, the improper use of the work of Baperjakat, and ultimately the practices disturb the independence of Baperjakat work. Good governance practice in civil servant recruitment has practiced aspects of efficiency, transparency and equity, but it has not been seen in the development aspect. Based on the above conditions, this research offers policy solutions to local governments.

scholarly journals THE CONCEPT, ESSENCE AND CONTENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE MISTAKE IN THE ACTIVITIES OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Public Organizations ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Legitimate Interests ◽  
Legal Entities

Introduction. Public authorities, officials, civil servants in carrying out administrative activities, in some cases may violate the principle of legality of public administration, carry out erroneous administrative actions, adopt unreasonable and illegal administrative acts. These negative results of executive and administrative activities of officials violate the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, the legitimate interests of public organizations and legal entities. Such phenomena are called "administrative error". The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical and legal bases of administrative error in the activities of public authorities. Research methods. During the analysis of the essence and content of the administrative error, general scientific methods were used, which are based on the method of dialectics, and especially scientific methods of legal knowledge (formal-logical, system-structural). Summary of the main results. The article is devoted to the analysis and research of the concept of administrative error in various legal spheres. The question of studying the causes and consequences of such errors is relevant today, as Ukraine is still reforming the administrative system and changes in the system of public authorities and public administration. These processes, under the influence of administrative reform, have shown not only declarative intentions to transform these relations towards democratic ones, but also a real desire to change the system of public administration to European standards. Therefore, the process of development of public administration was one of the defining components of the overall vector to a democratic, social and legal state. During the exercise of powers by public authorities, officials and civil servants, the action or inaction of governmental subjects of administrative law may be allowed, which leads to violation of human and civil rights and freedoms, legitimate interests of public organizations and legal entities. The consequences of their actions, which lead to administrative errors, are particularly severe, as they violate key principles of public administration, legal rights and individual freedoms, and diminish the authority of public authorities. An imperfect system of mechanisms for the occurrence, detection and prevention of administrative errors is a significant barrier to ensuring a modern system of good governance. Because administrative errors of public authorities are a serious political and socio-legal problem of assumptions, which demonstrate the legal insecurity of man and citizen. Conclusions. Creating an effective mechanism for detecting, preventing and correcting administrative errors could be crucial to reforming the system of public administration in line with modern European values.

scholarly journals Archiving and Re-using of Qualitative Data as a Path to Development of Public Administration Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-160
Author(s):  
Joanna Gajda
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
American Political Science Association ◽  
Data Archiving ◽  
American Political Science ◽  
Science Association

 In response to the assumptions of new public management models and public or good governance, practical aspects of research in the area of public admin­istration and the development possibilities of qualitative research methods are presented in the article. Due to the fact that qualitative research has become increasingly popular in the above disciplines, data archiving and trans­parency is discussed (Moravcsik), (Yom et al.) and guidelines and principles are established (American Political Science Association). However, there is a lot of controversy among scholars (Monroe), and some examples are missing. This paper presents the challenge of ‘openness’ in the empirical activities (or empirical practice) of researchers. Its purpose is to present the archiving data potential from in-depth interviews on the example of a small set of qualitative data from research in the field of public administration. Firstly, the basic assumptions of new models of functioning of public administration and related consequences for researchers are described. In the second part, the challenges related to openness in contemporary public administration models are briefly mentioned. Next, the method of creating an archive from existing data, individual stages, documents, and data is outlined; it is based on the au­thor’s best practice on Qualidata (American Political Science Association; Van den Eynden et al.) and DA-RT principles.1 The summary includes examples of probable opportunities and challenges related to usage of data archiving for the research in public administration and political science development.

scholarly journals PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF CIVIL SERVANTS AS A FACTOR OF SUCCESS OF PUBLIC MANAGER

2020 ◽  
pp. 152-157
Author(s):  
A. Zhulavskiy ◽  
V. Hordiienko ◽  
N. Malko
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Effective Work ◽  
Public Administration Reform ◽  
European Standards ◽  
State Body

The article is devoted to the actual issues of professional competence of civil servants in the system of effective public administration. It was found out that official duties of a state body require professional knowledge and certain competencies of a civil servant how to properly apply them. The analysis of the legislative and regulatory framework in the field of civil service shows that a concept as "professional competence of civil servants." Undergoes formation of its foundations and development. The precondition for the formation of competencies for an employee is determined by the position requirements and job responsibilities. The role of the head of the state body, his/her vision and style of management of the institution and staff, his/her fairness and professionalism in the selection of specialists play an important role. The analysis of the procedure of civil servant evaluation, servant’s activities during the last year and the effectiveness of the tasks set by the head of the civil service indicates a constant need to increase the level of professional competence of the employees. Activities of an HR specialist or service, who is responsible for supporting employees in personal, professional and competence growth through elaborating individual plans and training schemes. Approaches to evaluate activities of civil servants and impact of these activities were identified. The current state of implementation of the system of training and re-training, the basic requirements and types of educational services, platforms, including online, were assessed. Basic requirements to professional competence of civil servants necessary for effective work of public authorities were identified. The ways to solve and improve the mechanisms of realization civil service policies, namely improvement of the system of increase of professional competence of civil servants, were suggested. Considering the long-term public administration reform in Ukraine, the government's focus on the gradual provision of public institutions with competent and professional employees who would meet European standards, was identified.

scholarly journals LEGAL RESTRICTIONS ON WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE TASKS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN UKRAINE

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Legal Restrictions ◽  
The Impact

Introduction. The article is devoted to the analysis of the content of the institute of legal restrictions imposed on a woman who is in the civil service and performs tasks in the field of public administration. On the basis of the provisions of acts of international law and the laws of Ukraine on Civil Service, found that for women - civil servants subject to special legal restrictions, which are provided by law bans involvement of women in certain forms of their professional duties and tasks for narrowing their total workload to preserve their health and create conditions for full implementation of the social function of the mother. The main results of the study. It is proved that the relevant legislation on public service both Ukraine imposed restrictions on female civil servant to attract her to the tasks of public administration and, at the same time, it focused on social protection. This approach is contributes to the establishment of a regime of "normal living conditions for civil servants. In particular, under the law relating to limiting women's participation in official missions, limiting working hours for women, limitations associated with the transfer of female civil servant to another location and so on. Particular attention is paid to the specifics of women's performance in the field of public administration of defense and national security. It is established that many legal restrictions for women in these areas are not always observed. In particular, attention is focused on unequal age conditions for concluding a contract for military service for women, the established age limit for female conscripts, regardless of service, and the ability of men to serve in the army for 15 years longer than women. The latest changes in the legislation to correct this situation are also disclosed. Conclusions. It is noted that the legal restrictions provided for in the legislation, which are provided for women involved in public administration, despite their positive impact, narrow in some way the scope of their professional opportunities, as well as limit the actual ability to exercise power. However, their inherent social nature and the state must provide adequate compensatory mechanisms stimulating professional activity of women civil servants and minimize the impact on female civil servant consequences relevant restrictions. In its turn, optimal administration of such measures is intended to increase not only the professional performance of women as public administrators, but also enhance the social effectiveness of public administration in general.

scholarly journals THE CURRENT STATE AND PROSPECTS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM AFTER 2014 YEAR

2020 ◽  
pp. 217-233
Author(s):  
Vainius Smalskys ◽  
Svitlana Khadzhyradieva ◽  
Sergii Slukhai
Keyword(s):  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Civil Servant ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Administration Reform ◽  
Public Servant ◽  
Service Legislation ◽  
The Ideal

As for the civil service in Ukraine, we can identify a number of innovations aimed at improving the performance and ensuring the quality of civil service, namely: separation of administrative and political positions; clarification of the legal status of a civil servant; separation of civil service from political activity; establishing an exhaustive list of persons who are not subjected to the civil service legislation; introduction of a new approach to the classification of civil servants’ positions; a competency-based approach to the selection of candidates for the civil service; defining legislatively common approaches to entry, performance and separation from civil service; improving professional skills and professional training of civil servants, their labor remuneration, bonus payments and encouragement, as well as disciplinary responsibility.  Reforming the civil service legislation has become the most important step towards the public administration reform. Constant changes and amendments to the newly adopted legislation signify about it imperfection. Nevertheless, it should be noted that legislators and reformers are moving in the right direction. The data analyzed in the article show that Ukraine has come a long way from the Soviet civil service legacy. However, it is still in the middle of the road: these achievements must be supported by continuous efforts to render them irreversible and significantly improve the efficiency of public administration. The analysis of the sources in the article shows that the ideal picture of a public servant should correspond to his real perception. In fact, the public perception of civil servants in Ukraine is quite negative, as people see a striking difference between the reality and the ideal mentioned above. It turned out that the public servant, according to public perception, lacked almost all the necessary features. This demonstrates the enormous problems with civil servants in Ukraine due to the mismatch between public perception and the ideal image of a public servant. Thus, statistics show that the majority of respondents (about 70 percent) said that a Ukrainian civil servant is poorly qualified, tends to avoid solving complex cases, impatiently violates the law, demonstrates low respect for customers, is not trustworthy, is biased and interested in his own interests (puts one's own interests ahead of the public), non-result oriented, etc. The article concludes that public service reform in Ukraine should be supported not only by political measures that enhance the professionalism of employees, but also include procedures for changing public attitudes towards them. The negative perception of civil servants can be closely linked to the civil service itself: Ukrainians perceive it as a corrupt and bureaucratic institution that breaks innovation, does not care about cost-effectiveness, and does not perceive positive change.

scholarly journals POLITIK MENURUT FOUCAULT DALAM “THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF KNOWLEDGE” DAN RELEVANSINYA BAGI MULTIKULTURALISME INDONESIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 12-22
Author(s):  
Agustinus Wisnu Dewantara
Keyword(s):  
Political Philosophy ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Abuse Of Power ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
Public Behavior ◽  
Archaeology Of Knowledge

Political science, the study of politics, examines the acquisition and application of power. Related areas of study include political philosophy, which seeks a rationale for politics and an ethic of public behavior, political economy, which attempts to develop understandings of the relationships between politics and the economy and the governance of the two, and public administration, which examines the practices of governance. Many have dream up the idealization of the politics realization. Politics should not dirty! But, the fact, actually in Indonesia, politics are corruption, abuse of power, and immoral. Is that only one paradigm of politics? Indonesia must learn to Foucault to build the good governance. Specially, i hope, the discussion of this theme can give any contribution for Indonesian politic and social lives, of which to be felt decline in any ways progressively.

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