Administrative reform in developing countries: A comparative perspective
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230080108 |
| Date | 01 January 1988 |
| Author | Jamil E. Jreisat |
| Published date | 01 January 1988 |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Vol.
8,
85-97
(1988)
Administrative reform in developing countries:
a comparative perspective
JAMIL
E.
JREISAT
University
of
South
Florida
SUMMARY
This study investigates administrative reform
in
seven Arab states, delineates common
problems and describes general tendencies
via
content analysis of official statements. The
study deals
with
reform
in
three major phases: defining administrative problems and needs;
developing strategies for reform; and developing instruments of action
for
implementation.
Appraisal of reform efforts discloses mediocre results based on a poor implementation
record attributable to incongruities
of
methods and objectives of reform. Among such
incongruities are the conventional limitations
of
bureaucracy, the copying of Western
administrative rationality
in
form
if
not
in
substance, and insufficient attention paid to
traditional, cultural, religious, and political contexts of administration. Recognizing the
difficulties involved
in
conceptualizing and implementing reform
in
any
society, the analysis
offers several recommendations
to
improve the outcome of reform efforts, among them:
encouraging employee involvement
in
reform decisions; improving collected diagnostic data;
providing special
training
for employees responsible for managing reform; soliciting
unwavering political commitment; developing incentive systems; and replacing the
piecemeal approach
with
reliance on a systems perspective.
INTRODUCTION
Administrative reform is a universal claim
of
contemporary societies, but strategies
of
general applicability for achieving such reform are far from being universally
defined. This study seeks to determine how certain developing countries articulate
approaches and strategies for building administrative capacities. Utilizing the
formal record of seven developing countries, this analysis identifies common
features of administrative reform efforts, compares proposed strategies for making
reform a reality, and establishes common patterns and coherent explanations in the
midst
of
the changing conditions of each country.
The focus of this study differs from approaches that advance various precon-
structed conceptual frameworks on the basis
of
an
a
priori
value judgement about
current conditions and presumed future targets for developing countries (Hope and
Armstrong,
1980;
Caiden,
1978).
The analysis seeks a greater sense
of
realism in
the literature on developing countries, which has been lacking in compatibility and
consistency. At a deeper
level
this study examines, however tentatively, the
serious, familiar charge that Western theory is invalid, parochial, or inapplicable to
problems and conditions of developing countries (Wiarda,
1983).
Consequently,
The author is Professor
of
Public Administration, Public Administration
Program,
University
of
South
Florida, Tampa, Florida,
33620,
USA.
0271-2075/88/010085-13$06.50
0
1988
by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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