THE BUREAUCRACY

AND GOVERNANCE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

3.Identify the nature and role of the

bureaucracy in governance
4.Identify the critical indicators of
bureaucratic arena in governance
5.Explore ways of enhancing the
role of bureaucracy in governance
 Bureaucracy Arena
The bureaucratic arena refers
to all state organizations
engaged in formulating and
implementing policy as well
as in regulating and
delivering services.
Pressures that have been placed
on public agencies:

to become leaner;

more efficient;
bring services closer to the
people
 Lack of economic and social
progress in some countries has
also led to many calls for
improving the managerial
efficiency of bureaucracies.
Bureaucratic Rules

Bureaucratic Performance

Socio-Economic Development
 Determinants of bureaucratic
performance:

 Influence
 Meritocracy
 Accountability
 Transparency
 Access
To what extent are higher
civil servants a part of the
policy-making process?
(the influence indicator)
To what extent is there a
merit-based system for
recruitment into the civil
service?
(the meritocracy indicator)
To what extent are civil
servants accountable for
their actions?
(the accountability
indicator)
To what extent are there clear
decision-making processes in
the civil service?
(the transparency indicator)
To what extent is there
equal access to public
services?
(the access indicator)
 AC Framework

INPUT CONVERSION OUTPUTS OUTCOME IMPACT

Information Mobilization Goods Increased Sustained

Support Allocation Services income well-being
Resources Utilization More
opportunities
Structure Low-level
Fiscal pollution
Leadership Less noise
Legal
Processes
Integration
Coordination
Participation
Decentralization

Feedback
 INTEGRATION

Integration of services and

efforts provides programs and
projects various entry points
by which community
acceptance can be more or
less ascertained.
 Integration……

Means providing comprehensive

goods and services to the
people, as well as means,
instrumentalities and processes
required to deliver them.
 Two dimensions of Integration

The ranged of activities

encompassed by the
program

The number of delivery

channels it uses
 INTER-AGENCY COORDINATION

Is the process wherein each agency

retains its identity, its objectives and
functions, as well as its
responsibilities, but willingly
surrenders small part of its
individuality in return for the
advantage of working together with
other agencies, thereby securing
better services for all concerned.
 COORDINATIVE CAPACITY

Is the central element of inter-agency coordination.

Coordinative capacity is the

ability of programs or units to
harmonize efforts of other
agencies towards the
achievement of program
goals.
 Indicators of Coordinative Capacity

Perception of commonality of
goals

Leadership

Authority

Mechanism for coordination

 Inter-organizational relations (IOR)

Another element of integration

which involves the sharing of
resources among different
organizations to improve quality of
delivery of goods and services to
clients.
 Facilitating IOR

Awareness of inter-
dependence

Standardization

Presence of interdependent
organizations
COMMENTS/REACTION:

How do you propose to

enhance the role of
bureaucracy in governance?