International Review of Administrative Sciences current issue

Obituary: Guy Braibant

Timsit, G. — 2008-09-29

Administrative reform in China's central government -- how much `learning from the West'?

Christensen, T., Lisheng, D., Painter, M. — 2008-09-29

The prevailing interpretation in the scholarly literature is that public sector reform in China during the period of marketization has been driven primarily by internal, contextual factors rather than being under the sway of particular global reform models or theories such as New Public Management. The aim of this article is to move beyond arguing from inference that `Chinese characteristics' continue to be dominant and to inquire into the manner and extent of external influences on central government reform actors. We assume a `multi-causal' model in which both internal and external factors are present. From a survey of the literature on the reforms, we conclude that, while there are some `unique' features, most of the themes (and even the results) of modern Chinese reforms are not unique and have parallels in Western countries. Moreover, aside from the similarities in the content and substance of administrative reforms, the patterns and styles of reform in China and in the West in the past 20 years show marked similarities and parallels. Thus, external reform ideas and influences are being diffused through reform processes. Further empirical and theoretical analysis is required to establish the more specific nature of scanning and dissemination, or other forms of diffusion; the kind of learning that is taking place; and the impact that any imported models or templates actually have on reform proposals and outcomes in particular reform episodes.

Points for practitioners • Whereas many scholars tend to believe the lip service the Chinese leaders pay to the `uniqueness' of China's public sector reforms and their `Chinese characteristics', their leaders have been very eager to `learn from the West'. • Emulation and learning at a global level are key aspects of contemporary public sector innovation and reform, even between jurisdictions that are seemingly very different from each other. • The development of sophisticated mechanisms for scanning and selective learning are key requirements for a rapidly developing public sector such as China's.

A cultural ecology of New Public Management

Pillay, S. — 2008-09-29

During the 1980s, new public management (NPM) evolved as a universal model of reform and governance in public sector management. However, in practice, there have been significant differences between countries that have been successful in NPM reform and those that have not. Drawing on institutional theory and frameworks of national culture, this article is aimed at exploring the applicability of NPM in a particular cultural context. In particular, the study analyses the applicability of NPM in the developing economy of South Africa. Using Hofstede's construct of national culture and institutional theory, social units within South Africa are explained. A cultural theory is presented whereby NPM is depicted as a culturally dependent strategy. The present study proposes a cultural theory that takes into account the differences that exist among the cultures of various countries. It is suggested that the successful implementation of NPM requires complementarities between the reform strategies that are adopted and the particular cultural characteristics of the country in which they are implemented.

Points for practitioners This article is useful to practitioners in attempting to understand the importance of congruence between reform strategies and practices and national culture. In particular, the study makes a contribution to policy entrepreneurship in recognizing that efficiency and institutional perspectives must be complementary and congruent if success in reform is to be achieved.

EU agencies: what is common and what is distinctive compared with national-level public agencies

Barbieri, D., Ongaro, E. — 2008-09-29

The number and relevance of EU agencies have rapidly increased over the years: EU agencies nowadays constitute an important part of the EU institutional landscape. The article investigates the EU agencies through categories of analysis well established in studies of public management focused on the phenomenon of agencies at the country level: structural disaggregation, autonomy, and contractualization. It emerges that EU agencies are relatively homogeneous, an aspect that differentiates European agencies from the highly heterogeneous world of national-level agencies. The main features of the EU agencies are examined, the `European type' of agency is identified and defined, and the way the EU agency model differs from country-level agencies is analysed. Research agendas on the reform of the European Union might benefit from systematic investigation of EU agencies: theoretical frameworks drawn from the public management field can provide a significant contribution in this respect.

Points for practitioners EU agencies are no longer `residual' organizations: they are a significant component of the functioning of the EU system and policy networks. By investigating the features of such agencies through the conceptual lenses of public management, and through comparison with the (much more investigated) national-level agencies, the article provides an outline of EU agencies in terms of structural relations with the other EU institutions, autonomy, and modalities of steering and control. Reforms of the EU through the establishment or revamping of agencies could benefit from the systematic consideration of such features.

Public sector benchmarking: a survey of scientific articles, 1990--2005

Braadbaart, O., Yusnandarshah, B. — 2008-09-29

This article assesses the past 15 years' evolution of Public Sector Benchmarking (PSB) research. We do so with a database of 147 peer-reviewed articles published between 1990 and 2005. Over this period PSB evolved into a mature and strongly international field of research. A theoretical and conceptual rift runs through the literature, with those advocating PSB as a tool for managed competition on one side, and those promoting benchmarking as a voluntary and collaborative learning process on the other. A first challenge facing future PSB researchers is that of closing the gap between the managed and voluntary benchmarking perspectives; a second challenge concerns empirical tests that capture the effects of different benchmarking regimes on the performance of public sector providers.

Points for practitioners Benchmarking is widely advocated as a tool for enhancing the performance of public sector providers. This article reviews the academic literature on benchmarking. This literature suggests that public sector benchmarking can fulfill its promise if only policy-makers pay sufficient attention to benchmarking design, particularly the development of appropriate accounting systems and the balancing of collaborative and competitive elements. Dos and don'ts for PSB innovators are discussed in the concluding section. An extensive reference list is appended to the article.

Supreme Audit Institutions and their communication strategies

Gonzalez, B., Lopez, A., Garcia, R. — 2008-09-29

In the past, Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) rarely publicized their work. In the 1990s, a few began to publish booklets and brochures for popular consumption and to establish ties with the media. These days, SAIs are concerned about communication. A communication policy completes their cycle of accountability, justifies their existence, is an essential component of their independence and efficiency and brings about measures which assess the impact of their work.The aim of this article is to analyse the latest communication strategies developed by SAIs in order to publicize the results of their activity and to provide the public with an overall vision of what they do. The study, based on a questionnaire sent out to European Union SAIs, highlights the fact that these bodies undertake wide-ranging communication activities involving a close relationship with the media and the use of Internet websites.

Points for practitioners This article explores the most recent developments in European Union SAI communication strategy. Based on survey research, the study concludes that SAIs maintain a close relationship with the media and have been able to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the Internet to publish their results and to provide users with an overview of their work. For SAIs, this analysis allows them to be graded in terms of their relationship with the media and how they use Internet websites. Hence it will be possible to establish criteria leading to improvements or maintenance of their relative situation.

Women and family-friendly policies in the Korean government

Kim, S. — 2008-09-29

This paper discusses the desires and realities of women and family-friendly policies in the Korean government. The implementation of policies for gender equality during the past two decades has increased the ratio of women in the civil service. As the number of women in the government has increased, family-friendly policies have been provided for civil servants to balance work and personal life. Family-friendly policies are expected to positively affect the civil servants and government performance. However, the family-friendly policies are not effectively implemented because they are not properly bundled, and civil servants are reluctant to take advantage of these policies under male-centered organizational practices. To aid civil servants in balancing the role requirements of work and family, government organizations should create family-friendly work environments by not only instituting various proper family-friendly programs but also by promoting a supportive culture. Several efforts for establishing such a supportive culture are suggested.

Points for practitioners To aid civil servants in balancing the role requirements of work and family, government organizations should create family-friendly work environments by instituting various family-friendly programs and by promoting supportive work—family culture. Only providing family-friendly programs without promoting cultural change is insufficient. Several efforts are essential to establish a supportive work—family culture. First of all, the organizational leaders should be aware of the positive effects of family-friendly programs on employees' attitude and behavior and organizational performance. They need to make civil servants believe that their careers will not be negatively affected by using family-friendly benefits through providing them with counseling and education on family-friendly programs and work—life balance. They should also make every effort to reduce the male-centered organizational practices and to support the work—family concerns of the civil servants.

Kazakhstan: modernizing government in the context of political inertia

Knox, C. — 2008-09-29

Kazakhstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. Since then it has witnessed a remarkable economic transformation under the leadership of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Pursuing a policy of `economy first and then politics', Kazakhstan is under growing pressure to engage in political reforms which include a modernization agenda to improve public service provision. Recent constitutional reforms have received a lukewarm reaction from the international community that Kazakhstan is keen to become part of. At the same time a progressive agenda of public services reform is well under way rooted in new public management and a desire to become much more customer focussed in their orientation. This article examines the parallel themes of political reforms and public services modernization in Kazakhstan.

Points for practitioners This article offers two key points for practitioners. First, it describes the detail of public sector reforms taking place in a developing country which secured its independence approximately 16 years ago, and the significant progress since then. Second, it poses questions about the political context in which administrative reform can take place. Has the existence of a highly centralized and autocratic form of presidential leadership resulted in a top-down imperative which has helped the pace of public services modernization in Kazakhstan?

The common good as an invisible hand: Machiavelli's legacy to public management

Rochet, C. — 2008-09-29

Public management has been dominated by the quest for efficiency and has left us with fundamental ethical questions that remain unresolved. It is argued that Machiavellian thought may provide us with concepts and tools applicable to ruling societies confronted with uncertainties and change that are (1) in line with the most recent insights into institutional evolution and (2) appropriate to solve complex decision-making problems. The common good — a central concept of Machiavelli's thought — appears to be an invisible hand that lowers the transaction costs and acts as the keystone of complex public affairs thinking. This analysis is illustrated by a comparative case study of the two management projects of infrastructure crossing the Alps, the AlpTransit in Switzerland, and the Lyon Torino Link. It concludes with a proposal to upgrade the research program in public management that allows effectiveness (legitimacy of the ends) and effectiveness in its implementation.

Points for practitioners The mainstream of public management theories and reform has been dominated by the quest of efficiency as a Holy Grail. I argue that theses reforms didn't deliver with their promises and left us with fundamental ethical questions unresolved: doing things right do not answer to the question of doing the right things. The main reason is a profound misunderstanding of the very nature of the ongoing change process that makes any kind one size fits all recipes inappropriate. Such a sea change occurred in the Renaissance era and Machiavelli bequeathed us a comprehensive understanding of how to rule a public body in a changing and uncertain world. I explain Machiavelli's misunderstood legacy and apply his teaching to analyzing two huge management projects of public infrastructures. I conclude on what has to be upgrade in the research programmes in public management to confront with the challenges of our era that call for a back to basics of classical political philosophy

Chronicle of the IIAS

Loretan, R. — 2008-09-29