Oscillation of Public Administration Paradigms and the Management of Public Service in Nigeria: Trajectory and Lessons

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-105
Author(s):  
Jide Ifedayo Ibietan

This paper chronicles various Public Administration paradigms and juxtaposes them with the management of Public Service (as an institution) in Nigeria. Attempts at making the public bureaucracy an effective instrument of development in Nigeria can be located in Public Service Reforms, and it is observable that the country has a long history in this. This study adopts the qualitative approach with a reliance on secondary data which were textually analysed, using the Neo-Weberian State Model as the theoretical framework. It is obvious that Nigeria’s experience with administrative reforms typifies an obsession with the traditional Weberian practice, as well as a half-hearted romance with SAP-induced/NPM reforms which labelled the country as a “hesitant reformer”. The paper emphasises a re-discovery of the values of Public Service in Nigeria based on the tenets of the NWS model. Other recommendations can also address the issues raised by the paper.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamello Rakolobe

Countries across the world are faced with high levels of corruption. In an effort to combat the threat, governments have declared war on corruption and have consequently put in place some anti-corruption institutions. The causes of corruption are numerous and the consequences are devastating for the social, political and economic development of nations. The perpetrators of corruption are in most cases the public servants as they are charged with the day-to-day administration of the government. This means that the caliber of public servants; which is determined by their recruitment inter alia will influence their practices and conduct. Lesotho has adopted a Westminster model of public administration in which recruitment to the public service is supposed to be merit-based. However, the recruitment of top officers such as Principal Secretaries is politically motivated and this has consequently resulted into a highly politicised public service; literature points that there is a relationship between politicisation of the public service and corruption. In this paper, I scrutinize and explain the effect of a politicised public service on the high magnitude of corruption in Lesotho. This study is based on secondary data such as official government reports, newspapers and research reports. I argue that the highly politicised public service in Lesotho contributes to the corruptionscourge that is besieging the country. I therefore recommend administrative reforms in view of depoliticizing the public service by removing the authority to appoint, promote and dismiss high-ranking public officers from the Prime Minister to a special Parliamentary committee that is inclusive of members from the ruling and opposition parties.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-42
Author(s):  
Nurfatma Asriyanti ◽  
Arif Nugroho ◽  
Racmi Yulianti

This study aims to determine Public Services through the E-filling System at the Cilegon Primary Tax Service Office and to determine the supporting and inhibiting factors. The research used is a descriptive qualitative approach. The data sources used are primary and secondary data. To deepen the data analysis interviews, observation, and documentation were carried out. The theoretical basis used is public service. The results showed that the public service through the e-filling system was running well-reviewed with the theory of public service. But there are several supporting and inhibiting factors found. Supporting factors 1) employee upgrading, 2) socialization. The inhibiting factors are 1) lack of human resources, 2) e-filling applications are down or error


2020 ◽  
pp. 002085232095521
Author(s):  
Rose Cole

To what extent can the public service bargain framework be applied to non-partisan ministerial advisors? Public service bargains are defined as ‘explicit or implicit agreements between public servants – the civil or uniformed services of the state – and those they serve’. The public service bargain framework has increasingly been used as an analytical tool with which to examine the elements of the bargain as experienced by various actors in different jurisdictions. The elements of the public service bargain framework are explored through the experiences of a distinct subgroup of non-partisan advisors – portfolio private secretaries – serving in the politicised environment of ministers’ offices. The minister’s office has been characterised as the ‘purple zone’ where politics (represented by the colour blue) and administration (represented by the colour red) converge to transform political will into administrative action. This qualitative research article: briefly reviews the public service bargain literature; describes the actors and setting; gives voice to their experience of the public service bargain; applies the public service bargain heuristic; and reveals new insights into how the public service bargain operates with dual principals. Points for practitioners The public service bargain framework allows for dual principal–single agent relationships within public administration settings. Applying the public service bargain heuristic to this group of non-partisan advisors: enables a view of how the public service bargain operates at different levels (macro, meso and micro); shows that the public service bargain for these advisors has changed over time in response to administrative reforms; and demonstrates that these advisors are professionally and personally affected through the misaligned expectations of dual principals.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Zaidan Nawawi

Ethics is an important element which determines the successful implementation of organizations activities and public administration actors. The importance to implement public administration ethics in the Indonesia government bureaucracy was based to the ethical problems which happened, such as corruption, collusion and nepotism. This research used qualitative method, where is primary data obtained from observations, and secondary data obtained from media and literature study. From the research that has been conducted, it is known that few of government officials in Indonesia are lack of accountability in performing their duties, authorities and responsibilities and as a result the public bureaucracy in the reform era was much highlighted by the public and got criticism. To solve this problem, besides by enforcing the laws, the government also must to cultivate and implement the public administration ethics for their bureaucratic apparatus.  


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 82-118
Author(s):  
YANA TOOM ◽  
◽  
VALENTINA V. KOMLEVA ◽  

The article studies the main stages and features of the evolution of the public administration system in the Republic of Estonia after 1992. This paper presents brief geographical and socio-economic characteristics that largely determine the development of the country’s public administration. The evolution of the institution of the presidency, executive, and legislative powers are considered. The role of parliament and mechanisms for coordinating the interests of different groups of the population for the development of the country is especially emphasized. The authors analyze the state and administrative reforms of recent years, which were aimed at improving the quality of services provided to the population, increasing the competitiveness of different parts of Estonia, as well as optimizing public spending and management structure. The introduction of digital technologies into the sphere of public administration, healthcare, education, and the social sphere is of a notable place. Such phenomena as e-residency, e-federation, and other digital projects are considered. The development of a digital system of interstate interaction between Estonia and Finland made it possible to create the world’s first e-federation, and the digitization of all strategically important information and its transfer to cloud storage speaks of the creation of the world’s first e-residency, a special residence of data outside the country’s borders to ensure digital continuity and statehood in the event of critical malfunctions or external threats.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jungwon Yeo ◽  
Eun Sun Lee

Purpose This study aims to examine and understand South Korea’s (S. Korea) COVID-19 response operations, a notable case for other countries to emulate, and suggest some practical implications for other countries struggling with coping with the current pandemic. Design/methodology/approach To examine the case, the authors propose a new theoretical framework based on concepts of the whole community approach in the emergency management field and on co-production in public administration studies, and use the theoretical framework to analyze the details of S. Korea’s whole community co-production for COVID-19 response. Findings The findings demonstrate that the successful pandemic response in S. Korea is attributable to a nationwide whole community co-production among multiple actors, including government, various industries, sectors, jurisdictions and even individual citizens, within and across relevant public service and public policy domains. Originality/value This study suggests a new theoretical framework, whole community co-production, which contributes to the conceptual advancement of co-production in the field of public administration and a whole community approach in the field of emergency and crisis management. The framework also suggests practical implications for other countries to integrate whole community coproduction that may transform current response operations to cope with COVID-19.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-285
Author(s):  
Claudia Petrescu ◽  
Flavis Mihalache

Public services represent an important dimension of quality of society, as they create the contextual conditions for people to further their quality of life. Romanian public administration reform has brought about a constant institutional transformation, which has influenced both the specific features and the quality of the services. This article aims to analyse trends regarding the perceived quality of public services in Romania, in European comparative perspective, using the data of the European Quality of Life Survey (2003–2016). The article aims to understand the low satisfaction with public services in Romania against the background of the public service reform measures taken by government in this period. The article describes the context of Romanian public administration and public service reform, the most important public policy measures adopted and the most important challenges. The lack of vision in the public service reform, the partial introduction of reform elements, the permanent and, sometimes, conflicting changes are issues that may have influenced the way in which the population perceives the quality of public services. The decentralisation process of public services and the insufficient allocation of public funds for delivering such services at local level might have an impact on their quality and quantity perceived by the population. Keywords: public services; public administration reform; citizens’ satisfaction; New Public Management; New Weberianism.


Author(s):  
B. Guy Peters

Contemporary public administration reflects its historical roots as well as contemporary ideas about how the public bureaucracy should be organized and function. This book argues that there are administrative traditions that have their roots centuries ago but continue to influence administrative behavior. Further, within Western Europe, North America, and the Antipodes there are four administrative traditions: Anglo-American, Napoleonic, Germanic, and Scandinavian. These are not the only traditions however, and the book also explores administrative traditions in Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and the Islamic world. In addition there is a discussion of how administrative traditions of the colonial powers influenced contemporary administration in Africa. These discussions of tradition and persistence also are discussed in light of the numerous attempts to reform and change public administration.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
Tawanda Zinyama ◽  
Joseph Tinarwo

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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-74
Author(s):  
Isro' Lailia

Fast and effective public services are a supporter of public administration so that continuous innovation is needed to improve the quality of public services. The city of Surabaya as one of the cities with the title of smart city has tried to always make innovations in an effort to improve the quality of public services, one of which is through the Surabaya Single Window. Surabaya Single Window is an online-based licensing service created to create effective public services. This article attempts to describe how the licensing service innovation carried out by the City Government of Suraya through the Surabaya Single Window covers five important aspects. The method used is descriptive qualitative using secondary data. It was found that the City of Surabaya succeeded in creating public service innovations through the Surabaya Single Window. The Surabaya Single Window has a positive impact on licensing services in the City of Surabaya, although in its implementation there are still certain guarantees. 


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