Culture, Development, And Public Administration In Africa

by Umeh,Ogwo Jombo

• ISBN13: 9781565492004
• ISBN10: 1565492005
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-03-31
• Publisher: Lynne Rienner

Summary

* The first text that integrates a cultural context into the study of public administration programs * Covers the whole of southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe * Written jointly by an African professor of public administration and an American political scientist Despite extensive theoretical consideration over the past several decades, the discipline of public administration still suffers from an inability to meet on-the-ground administrative challenges in developing countries. In the past, public administrators have relied upon Western organizational models considered rational and efficient. But in neglecting various social and cultural aspects of any non-Western country, development proceeds in fits and starts. Using southern African nations as an example, the authors argue that emerging societies are poor today thanks to the overreliance on non-local models. Practitioners must consider local cultures--languages, symbols, customs, and rituals--in developing effective administrative practices. They must absorb the experiences of people who know first-hand the dynamics and conditions in these countries. Otherwise, neither citizens nor leaders will manage their affairs and development processes effectively. Written particularly for undergraduate and graduate students in public administration, political science, and comparative and development public administration, but also for policymakers, managers, administrators, and individuals who seek to understand the challenges of organizing and managing development, this book helps foster a culturally sensitive understanding of public administration in a global context.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD by Professor Jong S. Jun	xi
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xiii
ACRONYMS	xv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION	1	(24)
Challenges in Contemporary Africa	2	(5)
African Public Administration in Transition	7	(1)
The Need for Interpretive Approaches	8	(3)
Profiles of the Nations of Southern Africa	11	(11)
Botswana	13	(1)
Lesotho	14	(1)
Malawi	14	(1)
South Africa	15	(2)
Swaziland	17	(1)
Tanzania	18	(2)
Zambia	20	(1)
Zimbabwe	20	(2)
The Organization of the Book	22	(3)
CHAFFER 2: CHARACTERISTICS OF ADMINISTRATION IN DEVELOPING NATIONS	25	(26)
Past Uses of the Term "Administration"	25	(3)
Some Key Characteristics of Administration	28	(6)
Technical Skills	29	(1)
General Management Skills	30	(1)
Analytic Management Skills	31	(1)
Organization Flexibility Skills	32	(1)
Political Maneuvering Skills	32	(2)
Communication/Public Relations Skills	34	(1)
The Limits of Comparative Administration	34	(8)
Incorporating the Influence of Political Forces	38	(2)
Imitative or Indigenous?	40	(1)
Shortages in Administrative Skills	40	(1)
Emphasis on Non-Productive Activities	40	(1)
Discrepancy Between Image and Reality	41	(1)
Contending Theories of Development	42	(4)
Some Common Themes in Development Public Administration	46	(4)
Building Administrative Capacity	47	(1)
Citizen Participation	48	(1)
Decentralization	48	(1)
Responsiveness and Accountability	49	(1)
Equity	50	(1)
Summary	50	(1)
CHAFFER 3: THE INTERPRETIVE DIMENSION OF ADMINISTRATION: CULTURE AND ITS IMPACTS	51	(20)
The Case for an Interpretive Approach to Administration	51	(2)
Public Administration in the Non-Western Context	53	(2)
Conceptualizations of Culture	55	(5)
Culture and Public Administration	60	(2)
Interpreting the Cultural Components of Administration in Africa	62	(3)
The Role of Economy of Affection	65	(6)
CHAPTER 4: THE SADCC STUDIES	71	(34)
The SADCC Methodology	72	(2)
The SADCC Management Events Codebook	74	(7)
Research Findings of the SADCC Studies: A Meta-Analysis	81	(21)
Next Steps	102	(3)
CHAPTER 5: THE INTERPRETIVE FRAMEWORK AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION	105	(26)
Culture and Administration in Africa	106	(2)
Bringing Culture In: Theory	108	(2)
Bringing Culture In: Administrative Practice	110	(3)
On the Importance of Local Government	113	(4)
Reinterpretation of the SADC Management Events	117	(11)
Uncertainty Avoidance	118	(2)
Individualism-Collectivism	120	(1)
Masculinity-Femininity	121	(1)
High Cost of Irrationalism	122	(1)
Tyranny of Time	122	(1)
Inefficient Homo Economicus	123	(1)
Discussion and Wrap-Up	123	(5)
Implications of the Interpretive Approach Toward Cultural Understanding	128	(3)
CHAFFER 6: BRINGING CULTURE BACK INTO THE MIX: SOME REFLECTIONS	131	(12)
On the Problem of Methodology	133	(1)
Globalization and Culture	134	(2)
Economic Development and Culture	136	(3)
Democratization and Culture	139	(1)
Decentralization and Culture	140	(1)
Culture and Assessing Development Public Administration	141	(2)
CHAPTER 7: EPILOGUE: POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA	143	(20)
New South African Government	144	(7)
Role of External Circumstances	149	(1)
Role of the African National Congress (ANC)	149	(1)
Role of the Minority White Regime	149	(1)
The Madiba Factor	150	(1)
Change Agents	151	(2)
The Reconstruction and Development Program	153	(2)
The Ncholo Report	155	(3)
Bidding for the Olympic Games	158	(3)
Culture and the Legacy of Apartheid	161	(2)
REFERENCES	163	(19)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS	182	(1)
INDEX	183