Lecture # 06 & 07

1. Lecture # 06 & 07 Models of Public Administration

2. Introduction • The field of Human Resource Management (HRM) evolved as a result of external and internal pressures that forced governments to recalibrate their personnel. • These models of public administration are fundamental to contemporary government HRM reforms. • Limitation of these models is the diverse cultural ad geopolitical factors. • In developing countries and transition economies, varying legacies like colonialism, post-colonialism and state socialism have meant that when these models are transplanted, some changes are made. • Nevertheless, these models provide the basis of HRM reforms.

3. Traditional Public Administration • Traditional public administration is associated with the emergence of civil service system which emphasizes upon merit based recruitment and promotion, job security and fixed salary. Laws and regulations regarding these procedures are watched over and implemented by more or less independent authorities. (It was introduced in the second half of the nineteenth century). • Purpose behind establishing/institutionalizing this merit is to ensure that personnel is apolitical and working in the interest of the society as a detached and impartial implementer of the laws and protector of the public interest. • There are some variations is this Weberian bureaucratic model of rationalization, functional specialization and hierarchical organization based on the legal traditions and the cultural factors. • Different systems adopted different approaches to treat merit and promotion. Some relying on seniority, while others on job descriptions, position classifications or broad banded systems. • This model was transplanted by colonizing powers and later inherited by newly independent nations. And, the civil service in some cases became a spoils system.

4. Public Management • It emerged in US in the late nineteenth century when the movement of administrative reform started. • Traditional public administration differed from private sector in terms of job security, criteria of efficiency, promotion, placement, performance. Other differences include remuneration criteria, mobility of staff and different working conditions. Practices developed in the private sector were the principal source of the public management model. • This model is basically labeled as “managerialism”. Private sector is subject to continuous changes as compared to public sector. • Public management discards rigid rules, formal procedures and uniform systems and emphasizes on efficiency and results. • It emphasizes upon “hands-on” approach and initiativeness. The aim is that HRM is driven by business objectives and the requirements of bottom line organizational performance. • Public management changed the role of personnel function in public sector administration from personnel administration to Human Resource Management. • It emphasized upon using business techniques like “MBO” and “Strategic Planning” according to the given circumstances. • Public management model opposes “one-size-fits-all” approach. And, that is in fact a paradox since Public Management itself sought to get imposed globally.

5. New Public Management • It is a development of public management. It has gained world-wide attention from international institutions like OECD. • It has been adopted by diverse economic and political cultures. • It should be distinguished from new public policy. Some governments adopted it as an ideology while others as a response to globalization. It was imposed upon developing nations. • It also adopts business model and techniques like TQM and staff empowerment. It can be both viewed as a doctrine and a distinctive toolkit of administrative techniques. • NPM emphasizes that self-interest should be aligned with the principal’s objectives (principal-agent) and then should be monitored according to the rules, constraints and performance agreements that incorporate incentives rather than the principles of obedience, trust and joint commitment. • Characteristics of NPM are competition, marketization, autonomization, disaggregation and deregulation…all of these embody anti bureaucratic philosophy. • NPM is a creature of Anglo-Saxon culture. However, it is not welcomed by all European countries.

6. New Public Management • NPM advocated the normalization of the status of the public official by declaring market conditions as the primary driver, workplace strikes and the limited role of civil service. • NPM heavily focuses on the performance/output through the principles of contracting and pay for performance. • Wholesale adoption of private sector practices has been found to impair the espirit de corpse. • Cutomerization is the most attractive element of NPM. • NPM is not always the answer.

7. The New Public Service Following are the seven principles of NPS, its main focus is that treat customers as stakeholders not like customers. • Serve rather than steer • The public interest is the aim, not the by-product. • Think strategically, act democratically. • Serve citizens, not customers. • Accountability is not simple. • Value people, not just productivity. • Value citizenship and public service above entrepreneurship.

8. Responsive Governance • It focuses on creating public value by managing multiple stakeholders and conflicting values in an overtly political or public interest context. • It emphasizes upon a government that is open and responsive to civil society, more accountable and better regulated by external watchdogs and the law. • It includes the dimensions of voice, civil society partnership through NGOs and community participation. And, most important, treating citizen as a stakeholder rather than as a customer. It echoes the notion of “creating public value”. • 360 degree accountability, openness, transparency, apolitical and socially responsible civil servants are the hallmarks of this model. • ICTs and the responsive governance are tarred with the same brush. • The full utilization of ICTs requires new combination of expertise, accountability and responsiveness.

9. Emerging Issues • These models overlap with each other which gives difficulty in measuring them. • Among the OECD countries, all have engaged in the blend of these models. Anglo-Saxon countries tended to be more enthusiastic about NPM, and middle ground was taken by Nordic countries. • Developed countries that adopted NPM rediscovered the virtues of traditional public administration, whereas many countries in East Asia which embarked upon traditional public administration are cautious about NPM, and, finally a few high performing bureaucracies are attracted to some business management techniques like TQM but less attracted to marketization. • The seeds of responsive governance can be found in the United States. • Many poor countries like in Africa have yet to institutionalize traditional public administration. Economic and political strains have double jeopardized the underdeveloped countries. Examples include Somalia and African countries. • Some Latin American countries have experimented with NPM and governance models without first institutionalizing traditional public administration. Whereas, there is an attraction for grass-root and bottom up democracy in many developing countries. Vietnam is a case in point.

10. The resilience of traditional civil service values • NPM views the public sector like any other business. • NPM philosophy works at the expense of professionalism and prestige of the public sector. • Central agencies are increasingly refocusing on integrative functions. • Absence of corporate capacity has proven a problem in some countries adopting NPM. • There is no turning back to a prior state of administration.

11. Public administration: responsive to whom? • The kind of professional public administration and leadership that is needed emphasizes the values of integrity, accountability and self discipline as per the public service values. And, the greater emphasizes is on responsiveness. • With the state no longer the single locus of power, accountability takes on new and important dimensions. • The models of public administration place different emphasis on different types of accountability (i.e. political, administrative, personal, professional, output and deliberative). • In an emerging governance model, the concept of responsiveness is increasingly becoming a key measure of accountability. Responsiveness is a complex notion which raises the question of “responsive to whom”? Following shows responsiveness of civil service to three key stakeholders. • Responsiveness to politicians • Responsiveness to citizens • Responsiveness to customers

12. Towards a new synthesis • The preceding discussion has identified the components of a possible HRM synthesis as it relates to the civil service • A politically impartial, professional and merit based civil service. • A core “guardian” agency exercising strategic leadership and monitoring rather than bureaucratic control. • Focus on result oriented management in the public service. • Tough objective anti corruption rules and agencies. • Legislative provisions and professional ethos that facilitate in making civil service externally scrutinized. • Network via latest information technology to ensure communication .

13. Models of Public Administration in Developing Countries

14. Development Administration • With the emergence of developmental creed in the West, it was postulated that to attain development, country’s administrative structure should confirm to the standards of industrial societies. • This tradition was based on the politics-administration dichotomy, it was a system that relied on hierarchy, unity of command, political neutrality, merit based recruitment and promotion, public service accountability, objectivity and probity. • These principles to be accompanied with existing indigenous cultures & traditional values. They advocated least role of civil servants. • Based on that premise, the state was to withdraw which really effected negatively the governing system. These principles were good for developed societies but in developing nations they gave birth to the cancerous spread of rent-seeking, deteriorated civil society and social capital. • In reaction to this, West called for more administrative reforms and the challenge for developing nations was to develop sound administrative system to get international aid.

15. Development Administration Actually, two problems were the reasons of failure of this model • Ignorance of the West for the cultural and traditional factors in developing nations while imposing conditions for aid. • Failure to confirm administrative reforms with the governance culture and indigenous styles and values.

16. Development Management • This model deals with how three actors (state, civil society and market) in the development can play their part. • According to this, state can never abdicate its responsibilities so civil society acts as a bridge from public to state. • There are some deficiencies in marketization which can only be addressed by state but nevertheless market can play its due role and state provides that enabling environment.

17. Development Governance It focuses on • Institution building • Strong system • Accountability