An Assessment of Strategic and Administrative Policies Towards Service Delivery in A Bureaucratic Environment: The Case of Nigeria (Published)
The need to demonstrate managerial excellence by public and private administrators in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Bureaucrats are saddled with the responsibilities of managing public funds, budget implementation/performance integration, amongst others; as such there is the need for strategic policies to regulate and enhance their activities for effective/efficient service delivery. These strategic and administrative policies are targeted towards pressing issues in the public domain. Previous policies have been overly ambitious with government employing substantive strategies, which have proven quite successful in some other climes, to achieve large scale industrialization, whilst much attention has not been given to providing the necessary framework conditions to support the growth of strategic and administrative policies. The study provides an insight to strategic and administrative policies. The study is thus expected to enlighten/sensitize administrators to adhere strictly to carefully laydown governmental policies that are geared towards improving efficient service delivery. The study took its research methods from the empirical perspectives, and its theoretical framework from administrative policy. The study recommended, that policy pronouncements by the government and its’ agencies should conform with human and environmental devolvement in both public and private sectors in the country. Hence government is expected to deal more specifically with policies that are strategic in nature.
Keywords: Bureaucracy, Service delivery, administrative policy, strategic policy
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS AND GOVERNANCE IN BANGLADESH: HOW FAR THE DREAM OF SUCCESS? (Published)
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the status and impact of reforms in governance which has been taken by various governments in Bangladesh since its independence. In doing so, the paper highlights on two reform packages New Public Management (NPM) of OECD member countries and Good Governance (GG) of donor agencies and its impact on Bangladeshi governance. Bangladesh was a colony of British and Pakistan over two centuries. As a result, at the initial stage of independence; the inherited administrative structure failed to manage the postcolonial economy and expectation of citizens of independent Bangladesh, which hinders to implement most of the reform efforts. Civil-military elitism dominated the bureaucracy that caused the lessening of accountability of the administration; as a result, corruption, inefficiency and ineffectiveness of administration appear to exemplify Bangladeshi governance. The learning lessons for public administration is lack of appropriate political leadership, unrealistic and ambitious reform initiatives, incapacity of government, chaotic political culture, absence of permanent reform institution, and lack of strong political will are responsible for futile to implement any reform initiative. Apart from these, some important elements of New Public Management (NPM) and Good Governance (GG) has been bespoke by recent past governments in governance process through policy initiatives to make the administration more accountable and citizen centric which is a very good sign of good governance in Bangladesh. Therefore, the impact of reform strategies of western world (NPM) and donor agencies (GG) influenced the third world countries like Bangladesh which ultimately transforming the literature of Public Administration to Public Management.
Keywords: Bangladesh, Bureaucracy, Governance, NPM, Public Administration, Reforms