The organization and management of ministries of education in small states
| Published date | 01 January 1991 |
| Date | 01 January 1991 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.4230110109 |
| Author | Mark Bray |
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, Vol. 11,67-78 (1991)
The organization and management
of
ministries
of
education
in
small states
MARK BRAY
Universiry
of
Hong
Kong
SUMMARY
Until recently, the literature on public administration has been almost exclusively based on
the concerns and features
of
medium-sized and large states.
Few
studies have addressed the
special features
of
public administration in small states. This paper helps to redress this situa-
tion by focusing on Ministries of Education in small states. It is mainly based on
a
Common-
wealth survey
of
15 countries in the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the Indian Ocean, Asia and
the South Pacific. Among the questions addressed in the paper are ones
on
the range
of
functions undertaken by Ministries
of
Education and on such personnel matters as job defini-
tion and recruitment. The paper also examines issues
of
management in the highly personalized
environment found
in
small states.
INTRODUCTION
For many years, the literature on public administration has been dominated by
the concerns and features of medium-sized and large states. Much of this literature
is of limited usefulness in small states, where it is more difficult to achieve economies
of scale and professional specialization, and where it is impossible for bureaucracies
to be impersonal. However, it is only recently that these facts have begun to be
recognized. Most small states continue to operate with bureaucratic models inherited
from larger states, and comprehension of the types of adjustments which might
be desirable remains limited.
This paper begins with a review of the broader literature on public administration
in small states, but then turns to the specifics of the education sector. The paper
presents some findings of a survey in
15
Commonwealth countries.
THE
LITERATURE
ON
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
IN
SMALL STATES
The literature on public administration in small states first began to develop in
the mid-1960s. This was the period in which significant numbers of small states
began to achieve sovereignty. Questions were raised about the role and voting powers
of such states in the United Nations, various branches of which undertook specialist
studies of small states (e.g. Rapoport
et
al.
1971).
However, this particular episode of interest in small states within the United
Nations was not longlasting. No action was taken to modify voting rights, and
concern about the special development issues confronting small states gradually sub-
sided. A few important publications on the administration of small states did appear
Dr Bray is a Senior Lecturer in The Department
of
Education, University of
Hong Kong,
Pokfulam
Road,
Hong Kong.
027 1-2075/9
1/01
OO67-12%06.OO
0
1991 by John Wiley
t
Sons, Ltd.
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