Public administration in developing countries helped facilitate modernization but struggled with a lack of trained civil servants after independence. International organizations worked to establish training programs for civil servants in underdeveloped nations. Public administration in developed countries is characterized by specialized bureaucracies that provide extensive government services and face challenges from incoherence between agencies and overbearing politicians.

1. Self-Instructional
Material 25
Development of the
Discipline
NOTES
1.7 ROLE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN
DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Indevelopingcountries,publicadministrationhasactuallyfacilitatedmodernization.The
public administration mechanism in these countries has been established by various
economic development theories, innate colonialadministration structuresas well as the
geopolitical impactofthe ColdWar.
Asa repercussionofdecolonization,in some ofthe newlyindependentcountries,
the military, which was once regarded as the perfect example of discipline and
modernization, tookcharge ofthe leadership functions,therebyimprovingthe strictand
dictatorial manner of administration. In manydeveloped countries, the administration
has become a sort of bureaucratic class, which extracts rent and invests and indulges in
politics to pacify the critics. This has naturally affected the economy adversely, with
localmarketsvanishingandconsumerdemanddwindling.
Public administration in developing countries
Less-developedcountrieshave hadtofacethe opposite problem withtheircivilservices.
FollowingtheSecondWorldWar,manyless-developedcountrieswontheirindependence
evenbefore developingadequate administrative structures orformal bodiescomprising
trained civil servants. Very few colonial powers possessed adequately trained local
administrators. India inherited a worthwhile administrative structure and a partially
Indianizedcivilservice fromthe British.However,thesamewasnotthecase inPakistan,
whichhadalsogainedindependence.Whenthe Belgiansdepartedfrom the Congo,they
did not leave them any trained staff. Needless to say, for a couple of years, there was
total chaos and lawlessness.
Notallpoliticalleadersofthenewlyindependentnationspossessedthe capability
ofmeetingtheexpectationsoftheirsupporters,despiteinheritinganefficientadministrative
mechanism. The civil servants who were left behind by the colonial powers, did not
alwaysfindthenewfundamentalanddrasticpoliciesandleaderscompatible.Thiscaused
many of these civil servants to quit and leave, making matters worse. To add to the
issues, the local civil servants were usuallynot half as competent.
With a dearth of adequate and competent personnel, there was a fall in the level
of efficiencyas well as moralityin administration. Some of the maladies of the newly
acquiredindependentcountriesincludedpartiality,corruption,discrimination,tribalism,
as well as ineffective and inept civil services. In several countries, the incompetencyof
the civil service played a significant role in bringing about militaryrule. The political
failure and incapabilityofthe elected leaders was yet another factor.In countries where
the civilpowerwasbeenunable todeal withthe issuesrelatedtoindependence,military
rule was often the onlyoption left.
Subsequently,the United Nations(UN)joinedhandswiththe governmentsofthe
developed countries, tobegincreatingtrainingprogrammesto equipcivilservantsfrom
the underdeveloped countries with the required knowledge and confidence. The first
beneficiarywasBrazil,whereaschoolofpublicadministrationwasestablished.Soon,in
1953,anAdvancedSchoolofPublicAdministrationwasestablishedinCentralAmerica.
Many other international organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-
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2. Self-Instructional
26 Material
Development of the
Discipline
NOTES
operationandDevelopmentandtheWorldBank,lenttheirsupportto institutionswhose
objective was to train administrators in underdeveloped countries. Examples of such
institutions are: the Arab Planning Institute in Kuwait, the Arab Organization of
AdministrativeSciencesinJordan,andtheInter-AmericanSchoolofPublicAdministration
in Brazil, and so on. Civil servants ofthe underdeveloped countries were also trained at
institutes such as the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands, the Institute of Local
Government Studies, England, and the International Institute ofPublicAdministration,
France.
The interest in providing training to the underdeveloped nations reduced in the
late 1970s as the international agencies assumed, and wronglyso, that these countries
wouldtaketheinitiativetoshouldermore responsibilitiesontheirown.Also,thetraining
programmes took on a more general and academic form, which resulted in a severe
paucityoftrained‘specialized’administrators,inthefinancialandplanningfields.However,
attempts were made to rectify these insufficiencies by the British Council and other
such organizations in the early1980s.
Public administration in developed countries
The distinctive characteristics ofthe developed countries are:
 Well-developedeconomy
 Superior technologyand infrastructure
 High GDP and net income per capita
 Highdegreeofindustrialization
 Superiorstandard oflivingofthe people
Whena state is developed and modernized,a positive and significanteffect on its
social,politicalandculturalenvironmentisinevitable.Thispositiveimpactalsoshowsup
initspillars,thatis, the executive,judiciary, andlegislature.
The administrative historyofthe UnitedStatesofAmerica is dotted withchanges
andreforms,owingtoindustrialization,the twoworldwarsandthe studiesconductedin
the sciences, social as well as behavioural.
General features
The government organizations have specific functions to perform.The largeWeberian
bureaucracies are involved in different specialized functions. Let us look at some of
their general features:
 Eachrole requiresinternalspecializationwithinit.
 People are selected on the basis of merit.
 The processoflaw makingand decision-makingis rational.
 The government agencies/institutions touchall aspects ofthe citizens’ lives.
 Politicalpower isdirectlyrelatedto legitimacy, more sobecause public affairisa
matter of popular interest.
Theissuesandchallengesfacedbythepublicadministrationofdevelopedcountries
is far from simple.
(i) There is incoherence between the various service-providers and regulatory
bodies. (This issue is more rampant at the local level where the concerned
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3. Self-Instructional
Material 27
Development of the
Discipline
NOTES
authorities chart out their own programmes and run them along with the
nationallyfundedprogrammes.)
(ii)Politiciansareoverdominating,especiallyinmattersofthebureaucracywhere
specializedskills/knowledgeisrequired.
The majority of the developed states, mainly European, are referred to as
administrative states. The bureaucracyin each of these states fulfils specific functions.
As the author ofPublic Administration, Concepts and Theories, Rumki Basu explains,
thepublicadministrationinsuchdevelopednationsfulfilsregulatoryfunctionsand,atthe
same time, ensures that law and order is enforced, revenues are collected and the
country is secure and protected from aggression of anysort.
The various services provided bythe public administration include educational
and health-related services, as well as cultural, insurance and housing-related services.
Unemployment benefits as well as facilities for communication and transportation are
also offered. Public administration plays a significant part in stimulatingthe growth of
the economy by efficiently operating the nation’s industries and putting in place loan
disbursementmechanisms.
The challenges faced bythe developed countries today are mostly economic in
nature. Theireconomies, especiallygovernment services, feel the pressure ofeconomic
depression. The proposed reforms involve close supervision and administration of the
resources of the state. The public administration ofthese nations has been criticized by
the citizens and commoners for withdrawing some aids. The regulatory function of
public bodieshasalsoreceivedflakforfailingtocheckcertainmajordisturbances.With
time and relevant improvements, the role and challenges ofpublic administration shall
yet again undergo some level of transformation.
ACTIVITY
Prepare a report on the state of public administration in your country.You may
refer to the Internet for information and statistics.
DID YOU KNOW
Ancient Indian administration is by and large considered synonymous with
Kautilya — the most celebrated figure of Indian administrative history. His
celebrated work Arthashastra is the most important work on public
administrationinancientIndia.
1.8 SUMMARY
In this unit, you have learnt that:
 Public administration, on the one hand, is an organized activity on the part of a
groupofpeople, havingbeen authorized onbehalfofthe ultimate sovereign, and
the voters, to administer and exercise direct control over their activities. On the
other hand, it is a subject matter of study, teaching and research in colleges and
universities.
CheckYour Progress
7. State two
similarities between
public and private
administration.
8. Enumerate the
differences in
administration style
in private and
public
administration.
9. What was the
Minnowbrook
Conference?
10. State one
achievement of the
Minnowbrook
Conference.
11. List some
challenges faced by
public
administration in
developed
countries?
12. What are the general
features of a
bureaucracy in a
developed country?
7488299644 I.C.S IAS BPSC
Institute of Civil Services