Summaries of Articles published in French and Spanish
| Date | 01 September 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002085236403000308 |
| Published date | 01 September 1964 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
i
Summaries
of
Articles
published
in
French
and
Spanish
Towards
an
a Efficient
and
Sufficient ~
Adm inittrotion
J:C.
RODRIGUEZ
ARIAS.
i
i
This
is
an
exp.loratory
analysis
for
the
study
of
strategy
and
methods
of
administra-
tive
reform
in
regard
to
the
needs
of
developing
countries
in
Latin
America.
j
The
paper
was
prepared
as
part
of
a
res-
earch
program
initiated
in
the
Higher
Insti-
tute
of
Public
Administration,
Buenos
Aires,
under
the
auspices
of
the
Ford
Foundation.
It
mainly
refers
to
Argentina’s
present
efforts
to
organize
and
execute
economic
and
social
development
programs,.
Some
criteria
are
offered
in
this
paper
which
stress
the
expediency
of
strengthening
the
principles
of
democratic
government
which
are
fundamental
to
the
political
philo-
sophy
and
the
practices
of
pub.lic
administra-
tion
in
Latin
America.
The
author
points
out
that
these
principles,
although
traditionally
rooted
in
the
whole
region,
are
actually
carried
out
in
a
very
weak
and
confused
fashion,
to
the
point
of
engen-
dering
a
situation
-
excess
of
centralization
and
personalism,
erosion
of
authority
in
the
executive
departments,
etc.
-
which
is
one
of
the
main
limitations
and
obstacles
to
the
proper
operation
of
the
so-called
development
I
administration,
and
a
source
of
inefficiency
and
frustrations
in
this
field.
The
paper
recognizes
and
stresses
the
value
of
technical
adjustments,
which
should
be
made
effective
and
induced
upon
the
admin-
istrative
machinery
on
a
permanent
basis,
as
I
in
a
built-in
self-improvement
effort;
but
the
author
also
points
out
the
dangers
of
a
tech-
nical,
limited,
and
specialized
approach
which,
in
many
instances,
trying
to
modernize
and
adapt
the
traditional
machinery
to
the
needs
of
technological
progress,
has
damaged
the
structure,
nature,
and
constitutional
object-
ives
of
the
political
body,
and,
if
not
applied
properly,
could
even
lead
the
democratic
State
astray
through
nondemocratic
roads.
Technical
assistance
experts
coming
to
Latin
America
from
other
areas
should
be
briefed
in this
respect
to
carefully
avoid
the
danger,
which
is
ever-present
in
weak
political
structures,
of
societies
motivated
against
tra-
ditional
democratic
government
perhaps
being
blinded
by
an
exaggerated
valuation
of
effi-
ciency,
no
matter
at
what
cost.
It
is
true
that
inadequate
practices
of
sound
government
are
frequently
translated
into
cumbersome
bureaucracies;
but
the
best
so-
lution
is
to
invigorate
the
irreplaceable
insti-
tutions
and
authorities
of
representative
gov-
ernment,
rather
than
to
replace
them,
even
temporarily,
by
building
up
parallel
executive
lines
created
to
undertake
the
new
tasks
of
development
administration.
A
short
experience
in
this
respect
is
showing
that
these
new
executive
agencies,
even
if
they
are
ingrafted
or
implanted
in
the
tradi-
tional
political
structures,
are
bound
to
ope-
rate
in
a
vacuum
if
the
government
is
not
prepared
to
fulfill
its
proper
functions;
or,
worse
still,
overlapping
and
robbing
the
con-
stitutional
authorities
of
normal
duties,
could
finally
annihilate
the
democratic
legitimate
structures
and
functions,
imposing
upon
the
countries
a
technocracy
difficult
to
control
within
the
boundaries
of
responsible
govern-
ment.
The
Cabinet
is
considered
in
this
paper
as
the
key
institution
of
a
modern
and
efficient
public
administration.
As
such,
the
Cabinet
is
not
properly
used
in
most
Latin
American
countries,
although
it
is
at
this
level,
and
with
the
solidarity
of
all
ministers,
that
the
prin-
ciples
of
communication
and
coordination,
fundamental
to
development
administration,
could
be
most
efficiently
enacted
and
put
to
work.
The
administrative
reform
should
try
to
strengthen
the
Cabinet
and
the
ministerial
authority,
as
the
best
way
to
ensure
the
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