There is a growing global interest in Africa and how to improve the quality of life of its people and for good reason. The world can no longer afford to ignore the democratic changes that have occurred across the continent over the past two decades, changes with tremendous implications for professional education and training for the tasks of nation
Originally published in 1974, this book is a valuable contribution to the literature about the African context of public administration. The application of research to public administration and the communication of research findings are discussed in depth. All aspects of the subject are presented: non-university based, non-academic institutes as well as undergraduate and post-graduate programmes. The book concludes with some non-African comparisons from Australia, France, the USA and UK.
Compiling the experience and expertise of over 50 leading international scholars, this Handbook of Teaching Public Administration offers critical insights into the questions, issues, and challenges raised by teaching practitioners and aspiring professionals. Its global scope provides a comprehensive overview of the diversity of current practice in teaching public administration.
The administrative sciences have been dominated by a turn to managerial perspectives in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and in the spirit of this turn, 'New Public Management' (or NPM) promises to produce efficient, responsible and client-oriented public services. The reforms carried out in the pursuit of New Public Management are often accompanied by great optimism and rapid, enthusiastic steps toward implementation. Even in highly developed industrial countries, however, these fundamental reforms often overlook the political and cultural contexts of the implementing country. New Public Management in Africa: Emerging Issues and Lessons provides much-needed theoretical foundations for NPM reforms in the African context and reflects on the success of existing reforms in the development of several African states. The individual contributions in this timely volume provide important analyses of academic discourse, practical policy, achievements, and desiderata. The book as a whole, however, provides a valuable impetus for public administration research in and on African states, sharing findings on the results of reforms to date and adjustments required for these reforms to succeed. For public administration researchers outside of Africa, this book offers a review of New Public Management case studies that are unavailable or difficult to find elsewhere, contributing much to the exchange between African and Western administration science research, and demonstrating that African administrative research is well-prepared to help resolve global challenges.
Public Budgeting in African Nations aims to provide usable budgeting and fiscal policy management information to development practitioners interested in improving the performance of governments in the context of good governance. It shares regional and cross-cultural experiences with international audiences and gives reflective attention to comparative budgeting and fiscal policy management. With a promising economic and fiscal forecast, such information is timely for international development practitioners and for scholars and researchers interested in advancing development management. This book adopts an interdisciplinary/pragmatic approach to analyze and present research findings on public budgeting as a sustainable development tool. The central argument is that development practice will benefit from a bottom-up, decentralized approach to budgeting and fiscal policy management, involving national, sub-national, and civil society institutions. From this perspective, a balanced budget should draw from and reflect values and priorities across the full spectrum of social and political life.
The aim of this scholarly collected work is to contribute to the scientific discourse on public administration in a globalised environment. The book reflects on governance challenges in South Africa and in Africa, with its point of departure being the ‘master narratives’ (the so-called grand debates) such as New Public Management and, specifically, the role of technology. It also reflects on the so-called middle range discourses concerning organisational-level issues in government (e.g. leadership and work procedures) and explores new solutions to old governance challenges like corruption and service delivery. The uniqueness of this collected work lies in its ability to reflect on existing philosophies and practices in an innovative way. Through its multidisciplinary lens, the book opens up a new vision for the future of public administration in the South African context and on the African continent, not neglecting the current local, regional and global environment. Until recently, globalisation was considered an entrenched world order, but international political events during the course of the past few years have resulted in one of the biggest challenges to its endurance in recent history. This includes developments such as the successful referendum in Britain to exit the European Union, highlighting the growth of a severe nationalist and protectionist agenda that may be a signal of the unravelling of the current globalism world order. These developments inspire deeper interrogation of the challenges to effective public administration globally and the ripple effects in South Africa and Africa as a whole. Pointedly, it is evident that ensuring the voice of citizens in policy decision-making remains a critical governance challenge. On the policy front, there are perennial challenges of land reform, service delivery and poverty, while on the governance front, corruption has metastasised with a growing culture of impunity and lack of accountability in leadership. In the midst of growing corruption, and more than 20 years into democracy, South Africa’s income inequality remains one of the highest in the world. This setting constitutes the context of the research outcome published in this scholarly work.
Building an effective, inclusive, and accountable public administration has become a major point of attention for policymakers and academics in Ethiopia who want to realise sustainable development. This first handbook on Ethiopian Public Administration is written by Ethiopian academics and practitioner-academics and builds on PhD studies and conference papers, including studies presented at the meetings of the Ethiopian Public Administration Association (EPAA), established in 2016. Public Administration in Ethiopia presents a wide range of timely issues in four thematic parts: Governance, Human Resources, Performance and Quality, and Governance of Policies. Each of the individual chapters in this volume contributes in a different way to the overarching research questions: How can we describe and explain the contexts, the processes and the results of the post-1990 politico-administrative reforms in Ethiopia? And what are the implications for sustainable development? This book is essential for students, practitioners, and theorists interested in public administration, public policy, and sustainable development. Moreover, the volume is a valuable stepping stone for PA teaching and PA research in Ethiopia.
UNESCO pub. Conference report and recommendations on the adaptation of public administration to different socio-cultural contexts, particularly in developing countries - discusses the impact of colonial stuctures and bureaucracy on self reliance in Africa (incl. Role of CAFRAD); obstacles to administrative reform in Latin America; central government and local government failures in Turkey; role of UN, etc.; stresses the need for decentralization, codetermination, workers self management. Bibliography and references. Conference held in Tangiers 1982?
This Handbook provides an authoritative and foundational disciplinary overview of African Public Policy and a comprehensive examination of the practicalities of policy analysis, policymaking processes, implementation, and administration in Africa today. The book assembles a multidisciplinary team of distinguished and upcoming Africanist scholars, practitioners, researchers and policy experts working inside and outside Africa to analyse the historical and emerging policy issues in 21st-century Africa. While mostly attentive to comparative public policy in Africa, this book attempts to address some of the following pertinent questions: How can public policy be understood and taught in Africa? How does policymaking occur in unstable political contexts, or in states under pressure? Has the democratisation of governing systems improved policy processes in Africa? How have recent transformations, such as technological proliferation in Africa, impacted public policy processes? What are the underlying challenges and potential policy paths for Africa going forward? The contributions examine an interplay of prevailing institutional, political, structural challenges and opportunities for policy effectiveness to discern striking commonalities and trajectories across different African states. This is a valuable resource for practitioners, politicians, researchers, university students, and academics interested in studying and understanding how African countries are governed.
