Politics of administrative reform and reorganization in Bangladesh
| Author | Mohammad Mohabbat Khan |
| Date | 01 October 1987 |
| Published date | 01 October 1987 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230070403 |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, VOI.
7.
351-362
(1987)
Politics
of
administrative reform and reorganization
in Bangladesh
MOHAMMAD MOHABBAT
KHAN
University
of
Dhaka
SUMMARY
The present military government in Bangladesh has implemented a number
of
major
administrative reform and reorganization measures. The government claims that effectu-
ation
of
such measures has led
to
the decentralization
of
power and authority to the grass-
root level ensuring increasing popular participation
in
administration; the achievement
of
cost-effectiveness by reducing the number
of
ministries, divisions and personnel from the
public pay
roll
and by quickening of the pace
of
decisionmaking due to elimination
of
redundant bureaucratic layers. But the implementation,
in
reality, has contributed among
other things to the legitimization and strengthening
of
the military government, and a
weakening of the democratically organized political opposition. It also enables generalist
civil servants to preserve, and to some extent strengthen, their position within the civil
service system.
INTRODUCTION
Major reform and reorganization measures usually claim one
or
more
of
six
objectives. They aim to shake up an organization, simplify and streamline it,
reduce costs, symbolize priorities, improve programme effectiveness and improve
policy integration (Szanton, 1981, p.
2).
It is commonly believed that any reform
or
reorganization measure undertaken in the public sector,
if
implemented, will
bring about a desirable change in the existing state of affairs by redressing the
defects afflicting the civil service system
of
a country
or
parts
of
it.
But it is now apparent that politics plays a crucial role in any reform
or
reorganization effort. This particular aspect signifies the role
of
Realpolitik-the
political impact of and motivation underlying such efforts (March and Olsen,
1983). Recently, two scholars focused on ‘the political relevance
of
reorganization,
on the methods by which some politicians seek to exert control over the bureauc-
racy and by which some bureaucrats seek to exert influence over policy-making
or,
at the very least, resist having their influence weakened’ (Aberbach and
Rockman, 1984, p.
1).
Their analysis indicates that political expediency comes to
play a much greater role in any reorganization process than is commonly perceived.
This article identifies and analyses the political impact
of,
and political motives
Dr
Khan is Professor, Department
of
Public Administration, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-2, Bangla-
desh
027 1-2075/87/O4035
1-1
2$06.00
0
1987
by John Wiley
&
Sons, Ltd.
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