Role of PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION in Developing and Developed Countries.pdf

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1.7ROLE OF PUBLICADMINISTRATION IN
DEVELOPEDAND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
In developing countries, public administration has actually facilitated modernization. The
public administration mechanism in these countries has been established by various
economic development theories, innate colonial administration structures as well as the
geopolitical impact of the Cold War.
As a repercussion of decolonization, in some of the newly independent countries,
the military, which was once regarded as the perfect example of discipline and
modernization, took charge of the leadership functions, thereby improving the strict and
dictatorial manner of administration. In many developed countries, the administration
has become a sort of bureaucratic class, which extracts rent and invests and indulges in
politics to pacify the critics. This has naturally affected the economy adversely, with
local markets vanishing and consumer demand dwindling.
Public administration in developing countries
Less-developed countries have had to face the opposite problem with their civil services.
Following the Second World War, many less-developed countries won their independence
even before developing adequate administrative structures or formal bodies comprising
trained civil servants. Very few colonial powers possessed adequately trained local
administrators. India inherited a worthwhile administrative structure and a partially
Indianized civil service from the British. However, the same was not the case in Pakistan,
which had also gained independence. When the Belgians departed from the Congo, they
did not leave them any trained staff. Needless to say, for a couple of years, there was
total chaos and lawlessness.
Not all political leaders of the newly independent nations possessed the capability
of meetingthe expectations of their supporters, despite inheriting an efficient administrative
mechanism. The civil servants who were left behind by the colonial powers, did not
always find the new fundamental and drastic policies and leaders compatible. This caused
many of these civil servants to quit and leave, making matters worse. To add to the
issues, the local civil servants were usually not half as competent.
With a dearth of adequate and competent personnel, there was a fall in the level
of efficiency as well as morality in administration. Some of the maladies of the newly
acquired independent countries included partiality, corruption, discrimination, tribalism,
as well as ineffective and inept civil services. In several countries, the incompetency of
the civil service played a significant role in bringing about military rule. The political
failure and incapability of the elected leaders was yet another factor.In countries where
the civil powerwas been unable to deal with the issues related to independence, military
rule was often the only option left.
Subsequently, the United Nations (UN) joined hands with the governments of the
developed countries, to begin creating training programmes to equip civil servants from
the underdeveloped countries with the required knowledge and confidence. The first
beneficiary was Brazil, where a school of public administration was established. Soon, in
1953, an Advanced School of Public Administration was established in Central America.
Many other international organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-7488299644 I.C.S IAS BPSC Institute of Civil Services

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operation and Development and the World Bank, lent their support to institutions whose
objective was to train administrators in underdeveloped countries. Examples of such
institutions are: the Arab Planning Institute in Kuwait, the Arab Organization of
Administrative Sciences in Jordan, and the Inter-American School of PublicAdministration
in Brazil, and so on. Civil servants of the underdeveloped countries were also trained at
institutes such as the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands, the Institute of Local
Government Studies, England, and the International Institute of Public Administration,
France.
The interest in providing training to the underdeveloped nations reduced in the
late 1970s as the international agencies assumed, and wrongly so, that these countries
would take the initiative to shoulder more responsibilities on their own. Also, the training
programmes took on a more general and academic form, which resulted ina severe
paucity of trained ‘specialized’ administrators, in the financial and planning fields. However,
attempts were made to rectify these insufficiencies by the British Council and other
such organizations in the early 1980s.
Public administration in developed countries
The distinctive characteristics of the developed countries are:
Well-developed economy
Superior technology and infrastructure
High GDP and net income per capita
High degree of industrialization
Superior standard of living of the people
When a state is developed and modernized, a positive and significant effect on its
social, political and cultural environment is inevitable. This positive impact also shows up
in its pillars, that is, the executive, judiciary, and legislature.
The administrative history of the United States of America is dotted with changes
and reforms, owing to industrialization, the two world wars and the studies conducted in
the sciences, social as well as behavioural.
General features
The government organizations have specific functions to perform. The large Weberian
bureaucracies are involved in different specialized functions. Let us look at someof
their general features:
Each role requires internal specialization within it.
People are selected on the basis of merit.
The process of law making and decision-making is rational.
The government agencies/institutions touch all aspects of the citizens’ lives.
Political power is directly related to legitimacy, more so because public affair is a
matter of popular interest.
The issues and challenges faced by the public administration of developed countries
is far from simple.
(i)There is incoherence between the various service-providers and regulatory
bodies. (This issue is more rampant at the local level where the concerned7488299644 I.C.S IAS BPSC Institute of Civil Services

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authorities chart out their own programmes and run them along with the
nationally funded programmes.)
(ii)Politicians are over dominating, especially in matters of the bureaucracy where
specialized skills/knowledge is required.
The majority of the developed states, mainly European, are referred to as
administrative states. The bureaucracy in each of these states fulfils specific functions.
As the author ofPublic Administration, Concepts and Theories, Rumki Basu explains,
the public administration in such developed nations fulfils regulatory functions and, at the
same time, ensures that law and order is enforced, revenues are collected and the
country is secure and protected from aggression of any sort.
The various services provided by the public administration include educational
and health-related services, as well as cultural, insurance and housing-related services.
Unemployment benefits as well as facilities for communication and transportation are
also offered. Public administration plays a significant part in stimulating the growth of
the economy by efficiently operating the nation’s industries and putting in place loan
disbursement mechanisms.
The challenges faced by the developed countries today are mostly economic in
nature. Their economies, especially government services, feel the pressure of economic
depression. The proposed reforms involve close supervision and administration of the
resources of the state. The public administration of these nations has been criticized by
the citizens and commoners for withdrawing some aids. The regulatory function of
public bodies has also received flak for failing to check certain major disturbances. With
time and relevant improvements, the role and challenges of public administration shall
yet again undergo some level of transformation.
ACTIVITY
Prepare a report on the state of public administration in your country. You may
refer to the Internet for information and statistics.
DIDYOU KNOW
Ancient Indian administration is by and large considered synonymous with
Kautilya — the most celebrated figure of Indian administrative history. His
celebrated workArthashastra is the most important work on public
administration in ancient India.
1.8SUMMARY
In this unit, you have learnt that:
Public administration, on the one hand, is an organized activity on the part of a
group of people, having been authorized on behalf of the ultimate sovereign, and
the voters, to administer and exercise direct control over their activities. On the
other hand, it is a subject matter of study, teaching and research in colleges and
universities.
Check Your Progress
7.State two
similarities between
public and private
administration.
8.Enumerate the
differences in
administration style
in private and
public
administration.
9.What was the
Minnowbrook
Conference?
10.State one
achievement of the
Minnowbrook
Conference.
11.List some
challenges faced by
public
administration in
developed
countries?
12.What are the general
features of a
bureaucracy in a
developed country?7488299644 I.C.S IAS BPSC Institute of Civil Services