scholarly journals Bureaucratic Accountability and Public Sector Management in Nigeria: Examining the Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-178
Author(s):  
C.J. Igbokwe-Ibeto ◽  
K.O. Osakede ◽  
F. Nwobi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Public Sector Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Bureaucratic Accountability

The main objective the public sector in Nigeria seeks to achieve is policy initiation, formulation and implementation for the well-being and welfare of the citizens. However, over the years, the sector has been plagued with declining service delivery and moral bankruptcy. This article within the framework of social exchange theory examined the dynamics of bureaucratic accountability, the nexus between bureaucratic accountability and public sector management in Nigeria. It is usually the public that suffers from a malfunctioning public service. Nigerian citizens look up to public servants for protection against various ills in the society and the provision of essential services. If the involvement of public servants in the political, economic and social life of the country is considered, we shall better appreciate the needed urgency in making the service accountable for its actions. It argues that for Nigeria to match forward, there is need for effective, efficient, patriotic and committed public servants, who should be accountable for their stewardship. The article recommends that unless the Nigeria public sector is revitalized and "dead woods" therein removed, Nigeria and Nigerian will continue to experience deep-seated frustrations in the often-touted desire to move the nation forward. Key Words: Accountability, bureaucracy, government, service delivery, patriotic

scholarly journals Who wants to work in bureaucracy? Career intentions of post-millennial students

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Jäkel ◽  
George Alexander Borshchevskiy
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Civil Service ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Employment ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Millennial Students ◽  
The Public ◽  
Career Plans

This article investigates who wants, or does not want to work in Russian public administration, and why. A majority of Russians believe that public servants are concerned with improving their personal well-being rather than serving the public interest. Understanding working sector choices is thus the first step to attract talent into the civil service. We study public employment intention among a group of students of public administration in two elite Moscow universities who are relatively early undergraduates. Parents working in the civil service are the most important public sector career motivators of students in Russia, more important than positive perceptions of public sector compensation and its impact on society. Our findings imply that early-stage career plans are shaped outside university lecture rooms. We conclude that teaching public administration in Russia will have to focus on drawing a line between behavior that falls below standards of the profession and efforts to contribute to the well-being of citizens.

scholarly journals The Dilemma of Accountability and Good Governance for Improved Public Service Delivery in Nigeria

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kehinde David Adejuwon
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
The Government ◽  
Effective Service

The public sector in Nigeria is irrefutably beset with gross  incompetence and ineffective management. Perplexing difficulties endure in the Nigerian public sector in spite of a number of reform programmes that have been designed to enhance efficient and effective service delivery for almost two decades. The fact that public service has failed dismally to achieve its laudable objectives is the reason for the vote of no confidence passed on its administrators by majority of the Nigerian populace. The article examines the dilemma of accountability and good governance in Nigeria and demonstrates that the critical point in achieving meaningful developments in the country intrinsically lay with improved service delivery in the public sector. The basic reason why the public service has become the scorn of the people is because for too long, both the government and public servants have paid lip service to the crucial issue of effective and efficient service delivery. The article argues that improved service delivery will improve both the performance and the image of public service and re-awaken the citizens’ interest and trust in them to do business with public servants. It suggests that  in order to bring sanity back to the Nigerian Public Service,  all unprofessional tendencies such as ethnicity bias and nepotism in appointments and promotions, lack of security of tenure of office, and appointment of non-career public servants into key positions in the public service must stop. Also,  effective service delivery must be tailored to the circumstances of Nigeria. The study made use of secondary data obtained from various sources. It therefore concludes that without a reawakening of the culture of accountability and transparency lost over the years, the trusting relationship needed to forge between the government and the governed for the actualization of good governance will not materialize.

Training and development model for municipal frontline staff

2021 ◽  
pp. 014473942199752
Author(s):  
Rochelle G Wessels
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
The Body ◽  
Development Model ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Frontline Staff ◽  
The Public ◽  
Customer Care ◽  
The City

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that public servants must deliver services to improve the general welfare of the citizens. The public servants therefore have a duty to the citizens to deliver effective and efficient public services that will be to the satisfaction of the citizens to improve their well-being. However, this is not the case since service delivery protests have become the norm, with citizens regularly protesting about the services received from the various municipalities. Citizens are not happy about the level of service delivery received and therefore take to the streets to render their unhappiness. The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is no exception, as service delivery protests have also plagued the municipality and during 2016, the media referred to the protests as Tshwane burning. The municipal frontline staff are at the coalface of service delivery and are often the only public servants that the citizens come into contact with. The municipal frontline staff deliver services to the public on a daily basis and should possess the necessary knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and competencies to deliver professional services. This article will describe what the Customer Care Consultants think should be included in the design of an essential model for training and development for Customer Care Consultants at the City of Tshwane, as they are at the forefront of service delivery. It does so by drawing on an extensive case study using a qualitative questionnaire toexplore the views and perceptions of the municipal frontline staff. The article seeks to add to the body of knowledge by critically analysing the views provided by the Customer Care Consultants on the content for a training and development modelfor Customer Care Consultants at the City of Tshwane. This study reports on research undertaken for the author’s doctoral research conducted during 2018 and culminates in a training and development model for municipal frontline staff.

scholarly journals Determinants of Organizational Commitment among Academics of HEIs: The Buffering Role of Coworker Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-233
Author(s):  
Ashfaq Ahmad ◽  
Hazrat Bilal ◽  
Palwasha Bibi
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Social Exchange Theory ◽  
Supervisory Support ◽  
The Public ◽  
Worker Support ◽  
The Relationship

The significance of retaining committed staff is a main focus in contemporary literature in higher education. This study seeks to address issues related to lower employee commitment through a Social Exchange Theory Lens to explore the buffering role of co-worker support on the relationship between Supervisory Support (SS), Organizational Climate (OCL) and commitment HEIs in the Public Sector Pakistan. A quantitative and cross approach to survey was adopted as a survey technique by 366 respondents using a proportionately stratified random sampling method. The research theoretically argues and empirically shows that SS and OCL have a direct relationship with organizational commitment in the public sector HEIs. The findings suggest the significant role of SS, the organizational climate and the commitment to higher learning in the public sector. In addition, the findings confirm the hypothesis regarding the buffering effect of co-workers' help in the relationship between SS, OCL and organizational commitment. The main contribution concerns the implementation of co-worker support as a moderator between the relationship SS, OCL and the OC. The study also leads to a better understanding of the mechanisms of the organizational commitment seen in HEIs with regard to the buffering role of co-worker support in the Pakistani context.

scholarly journals The antecedents of employee engagement and their effect on public sector service delivery: The case study of government departments in Harare

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawaziwa Wushe ◽  
Jacob Shenje
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Business Success ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government ◽  
Public Sector Service ◽  
Sector Service

Orientation: Employee engagement has become an impetus behind business success and a deciding factor for service delivery, especially in the Zimbabwean public sector.Research purpose: This study sought to investigate the antecedents of employee engagement and their effect on public sector service delivery with reference to selected government departments in Harare.Motivation for the study: The government departments in Harare have witnessed gross employee disengagement as indicated by reduced employee commitment and high absenteeism.Research approach/design and method: A quantitative research design was adopted for this study. A structured questionnaire was developed, validated and distributed to 260 employees and management working in five selected government departments.Main findings: This study showed that the antecedents of employee engagement such as effective leadership, training and career development, compensation and incentive programmes, and organisational policies and procedures greatly influenced employee engagement in the public sector. The study also noted that employee engagement positively impacted service delivery in the public sector.Practical/managerial implications: An important implication of this study is the need for the public sector management to understand the significance of the social exchange for employee engagement and to provide employees with resources and benefits that would oblige them to perform productively.Contribution/value-add: This study is expected to enrich the empirical evidence on the antecedents of employee engagement and also provide recommendations for practitioners in investigating the influence of employee engagement on service delivery in the public sector.

The empowering of public sector officers in the Mauritian public sector in the context of reforms

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soolakshna Lukea Bhiwajee ◽  
Thomas N. Garavan
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
Major Factors

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide insights about the usefulness of management education for the public sector in the Republic of Mauritius, which embarked on reforms initiatives around two decades ago. In this context, public officers were encouraged to follow specialised management courses. However, as at date, there is considerable evidence to say that the Mauritian public sector has not been successful in adopting new public sector management (NPM) doctrines. This study investigates into the effectiveness of the public sector management courses offered to the public servants in Mauritius to cope with NPM. It tries to identify the barriers that they face to implement what they have learnt, back at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach The study makes use of the qualitative method using thematic analysis to analyse data, which was gathered through an unstructured interview carried among principal assistant secretaries and assistant secretaries of the Mauritian public sector. Findings The study showed that while NPM is still making its way in the Mauritian public sector, officers perceived that management education has helped them in gaining the required scientific skills and competencies to cope with their day-to-day work. But applying them to the workplace has not been easy. The major factors put forward by these officers have been mainly the ingrained public sector culture and existing leadership. Originality/value While extant researches focus on the success or failure of the implementation of NPM in various governments around the world, this study investigates how far management education has helped public sector officers adopt NPM doctrines in the Mauritian government. In doing so, it has also identified the barriers to the implementation of NPM in the Mauritian public sector.

What Makes Government Work Great: The Characteristics of Positive Public Service

2021 ◽  
pp. 009102602098555
Author(s):  
B. J. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Experiences ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
The Public ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
Government Work ◽  
Depth Interviews

Optimal work experiences in the public sector do not receive the attention they deserve. And, though positive psychology research has shown that flourishing in the workplace is connected to healthier and more fulfilled employees as well as improved organizational performance, the public sector has largely taken a backseat as a subject of study in this field. This article addresses this shortcoming by conducting in-depth interviews of current and former public servants to identify the most prevalent features of their best work experiences and their connection to the components of prominent well-being theories. Five characteristics of positive public service emerged: challenge, efficacy, camaraderie, empowerment, and service. Several well-being components were connected to these characteristics as were other features such as hardship, novelty, leadership, and helping others. These findings provide a stronger theoretical basis to suggest that more can be—and should be—expected of government work.

Strategy in the Public Sector: Management in the Wilderness

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 955-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Llewellyn ◽  
Emma Tappin
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Sector Management ◽  
The Public

scholarly journals Science needs more external evaluation, not less

2021 ◽  
pp. 053901842110191
Author(s):  
Loes Knaapen
Keyword(s):  
Performance Metrics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
External Evaluation ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Scientific Communities ◽  
Economic Productivity ◽  
The Public ◽  
Quantitative Performance ◽  
The Many ◽  
Lay Public

When science is evaluated by bureaucrats and administrators, it is usually done by quantified performance metrics, for the purpose of economic productivity. Olof Hallonsten criticizes both the means (quantification) and purpose (economization) of such external evaluation. I share the concern that such neoliberal performance metrics are shallow, over-simplified and inaccurate, but differ in how best to oppose this reductionism. Hallonsten proposes to replace quantitative performance metrics with qualitative in-depth evaluation of science, which would keep evaluation internal to scientific communities. I argue that such qualitative internal evaluation will not be enough to challenge current external evaluation since it does little to counteract neoliberal politics, and fails to provide the accountability that science owes the public. To assure that the many worthy purposes of science (i.e. truth, democracy, well-being, justice) are valued and pursued, I argue science needs more and more diverse external evaluation. The diversification of science evaluation can go in many directions: towards both quantified performance metrics and qualitative internal assessments and beyond economic productivity to value science’s broader societal contributions. In addition to administrators and public servants, science evaluators must also include diverse counterpublics of scientists: civil society, journalists, interested lay public and scientists themselves. More diverse external evaluation is perhaps no more accurate than neoliberal quantified metrics, but by valuing the myriad contributions of science and the diversity of its producers and users, it is hopefully less partial and perhaps more just.

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