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Tsunami engulfs Sri Lankan governance

Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, Australia

Ken Coghill

Department of Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, Australia

H.M.A. Herath

Department of Public Administration, University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka

The features of governance during the provision of relief immediately following the 2004 tsunami, the restoration of key services and facilities, and the longer term rebuilding of damaged/destroyed infrastructure, in the Galle District of Sri Lanka, are investigated in this case study. Interview data revealed that recovery attempts were significantly weakened by the lack of collaboration among key players at the central and the district level. In particular, at the district level, interactions among key stakeholders have lacked focus and were ad hoc. We argue that despite the growing recognition of the advantages of the integration of the actions of various state and non-state actors in such governance, government appears to be reluctant to move away from the existing `command and control mode' of governance. As a result, transaction costs of governance were excessive, and the resources allocated for reconstruction were either misused or left underutilized.

Points for practitioners Following a major disaster there is enormous goodwill, with willingness to overlook previous divisions and partisan interests. However, this is fragile and easily dissipated. It must be deliberately preserved and built on. Practitioners should seize the opportunity to build collaborative relationships and to reform administrative processes to facilitate the delivery of supplies and services, giving priority according to need. Advice to the political executive must emphasize the urgency and public interest in drawing on all available human, financial and physical resources through collaborative arrangements involving all sources, including the public service at each level of government, business and non-government organizations.

Key Words: collaboration • governance • Sri Lanka • tsunami

International Review of Administrative Sciences, Vol. 74, No. 4, 677-702 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0020852308098474


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