r.p. ghimire(nepal)

Public administration in the context of good governance: locus, focus & boundaries of

reforms with special reference to nepal

Ram prasad ghimireU S Under Secretary

Ministry of general administrationKathmandu,nepal

May 29- June 1, 2011, Beijing Seminar on Asian Public Administration Reform 1

O Outline of presentation

• Background

• Global scenario

• National context

• Ecology of governance

• Trends of reforms & current situation

• Reforms through conditonalities: governance reforms program

• Recent initiatives & achievementsRecent initiatives & achievements

• Issues & challenges

• The way forward


• Findings/lessons learnt

background• BASIC TENETS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

HIERARCHY GENERAL RULES IMPERSONAL CHARACTER • HIERARCHY, GENERAL RULES, IMPERSONAL CHARACTER, FIXED JURISDICTION & PROFESSIONALISM

• CHALLENGE: FLEXIBLE & MARKET BASED FORM OF PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

• CONTEST• CONTEST• FASHIONABLE OR MORE MARKETABLE TERMINOLOGY

RATHER THAN A SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE• HIERARCHY PREVALENT EVEN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR• OBSTRUCTIVE USE OF RULE IS DISCREDITED & NOT THE OBSTRUCTIVE USE OF RULE IS DISCREDITED & NOT THE

RULE PER SE• PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION WAS NEVER MEANT TO REFER

TO PAPER WORK

• Good governance: topical issue in contemporary development discoursedevelopment discourse

• Administrative reality & ecological considerations

• Ethics as an integral part of public


administration• Ethics is like electricity

Global scenario• Paradigm shift

Administration• Administration• New public administration• Reinventing government• New public management & New public service• Post modern public administration

• governance• governance• Good governance• Democratic governance• Corporate governance• Global governance• E-governanceE governance

• Boundaries of reforms• Change in role, scope, values and orientation & shift in focus• Areas: Government organization, public sector organization,

ngo/cbo/civil society/media, private sectorGovernment organization: policy structure procedure and • Government organization: policy, structure, procedure and culture

• Public sector organization: financing mechanism, appointment/dismissal, authority, autonomy & accountability

• Ngo/cbo/civil society/media: recognition, participation and facilitation


• Private sector: role delineation, policy space, business environment, facilitation & regulation

National context• evolution

Pre 1950: Patronage• Pre 1950: Patronage• 1950-1960: Formation stage• 1960-1990: Loyal Administration• 1990 to date: divided bureaucracy

• Administration system• Administration system• British/indian legacy & American influence• Erosion of traditional values and system

• Management of public service• Civil serviceCivil service

• Constitutional and legal provisions• Issues and challenges

• Other public services• Security forces• Local bodies• Public enterprises • Teacher service

• Public service commission• Formation, mandate and public trust


EEcology of governance

• Post-conflict situation: protracted transition

• Contingent politics• Consensus tongue: the heart of majority Co se sus o gue: e e o jo • state of indiscipline and impunity• Divided and weakening bureaucracy• Embeddedness of executive authority in • Embeddedness of executive authority in

society: weak• Polycentric core executive: breeding

ground for corruption ground for corruption • Civil society elites: seasonal and partisan• Misused diversity• Foreign interventions with multiple vested


• Foreign interventions with multiple vested interests

Trends of reforms & current situation

• From commission to conditionalities for reforms• Administrative restructuring commission 1952Administrative restructuring commission 1952• Administrative restructuring planning commission 1956• Administrative reforms commission 1968• Administrative reforms commission 1975• Administrative reforms commission 1992• Governance Reforms program 2001- 2007• Governance Support Program I & II Ongoing

• Governance reforms program: reforms on condition• Objectives:

• Develop internal capacity within the government• Improve the efficiency of the civil service• Improve governance and reduce corruption • Enhance competence and motivation of civil service employees• establish processes for improving performance in key ministries

• Components• Components• 32 policy reforms

• 3 tranche conditions & 32 (6+19+7)policy reforms

• Assessment• Implementation status• Relevance


Relevance• Efficiency and effectiveness• Sustainability

current situation……..

• Constitution assumes a fairly competent civil service • Constitution assumes a fairly competent civil service • Constitutional mandates to public Service commission to

select the competent human resources• Access to information act and regulations: transparent

governanceGOOD GOVERNANCE ACT AND REGULATIONS• GOOD GOVERNANCE ACT AND REGULATIONS

• ROLE DELINEATION OF POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY

• TRANSPARENCY IN DECISION MAKING• PUBLIC HEARING, GRIEVANCE HANDLING AND PUBLIC INTEREST

LITIGATIONLITIGATION• PROVISION OF MOBILE SERVICE AND SERVICE CHARTER WITH

COMPENSATION PROVISION• PROVISION OF PERFORMANCE CONTRACT, CRITERIA FOR REWARD

AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS• TIME BOUND RESPONSE AND WORK CLEARANCEE E E LE E• PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND OWNERSHIP IN PROJECT

MANAGEMENT• COMPREHENSIVE MONITORING AND EVALUATION SYSTEM• CRITERIA AND CODE OF CONDUCT FOR POLITICAL ADVISORS


Current situation…….

• Civil service act and regulations • Civil service act and regulations • Make the civil service competent, vigorous, service

oriented and responsible• Vacancy fulfillment• Promotion and transfer• Promotion and transfer• Performance evaluation system• Opportunity for capacity and career development • Complaint redressal and grievance handling

mechanism• Monetary and non-monetary incentives• Service security • Code of conduct and disciplinary action• Leadership assessment system

performance incentive fund• performance incentive fund• Succession plan


Recent initiatives

• Vision for civil service• Vision for civil service• Responsible, professional and competitive civil service

• Directives & guidelines• Government decision making simplification• Service centre and service campaign• Service centre and service campaign• Grievance handling• Anti-corruption strategy/action plan etc.

• Recent initiatives for Civil service reforms• Talent hunt: persuasive partnership programsTalent hunt: persuasive partnership programs• Selection: curricula revision, review of medium of exam,

quest for inclusive civil service ( empowerment of target groups)

• Placement: strictly on merit basis• Development: training policy Establishment of personnel • Development: training policy, Establishment of personnel

training academy, scholarship guidelines, review in promotion system, transfer policy, leadership assessment system, job description guidelines with specific performance criteria


Recent initiatives …….

• Maintenance & Retention: in-built salary and benefits • Maintenance & Retention: in-built salary and benefits increment mechanism, review in performance evaluation system, provision of performance contract and performance incentive fund, piloting to build apartments for civil employees’, piloting to establish schools for the children of civil service employees, partial scholarship for civil service employees’ son/daughter for higher study special financial employees’ son/daughter for higher study, special financial assistance to the spouse of civil employees’ with critical disease, civil service awards, declaration of the best employee of the year, nodal officer to hear public grievances, gender focal points, study carried out to implement medical insurance scheme

• Post retirement scheme• Study carried out for the optimum utilization of

experience, ability and expertise of retired civil service employees

• Pension book distribution before retirement• Decentralization of pension distribution• Financial assistance to the retired employees for training,

research and orientation


evaluation of reforms

• Achievements• Achievements• Clear role delineation: Political & administrative

Authorities• More inclusive public service• Implementation of citizen charterImplementation of citizen charter• selection of competent human resources through

rigorous test and fair mechanism• significant improvements in capacity development• increased level of motivation and improvement in

performance culture with performance incentive fund

• cost and liability reduction through outsourcing• citizen empowered through improved access to

informationinformation• increased level of job security & welfare activities • improved service delivery through devolution and

performance contract system• Corruption control: Getting Momentum


Corruption control: Getting Momentum• Effective governance is recognized as a necessary

condition for the overall development of the country

evaluation of reforms…..

• assessment• Human resource management has undergone major

transformation as a result of various reforms and innovation

• Reforms programs gained fresh impetus in the 1990s and continued ever since

• Influence of NPM model is clearly visible and market values like quality and productivity, efficiency, discipline, innovation, integrity and accountability, service excellence and customer orientation are being increasingly emphasized

• However reforms are yet to be successful in solving many of the perennial problems of the public sector. Despite numerous efforts and progresses, the objective of achieving excellence in public service remains an unaccomplished agenda. Managers hardly have control

e e e t over management. • Most of the reforms measures seems to have been copied

without moulding into the socio-cultural reality• Bureaucratic politics is prevalent in shaping reforms

agenda


• Reforms agenda largely confined to civil service yet highly politicized

Evaluation of reforms …….

• Assessment• Assessment……• Human resource management reforms, including

the overall public sector reforms seems to have a focus on mechanistic approach rather than the organic one which lacked human faceorganic one which lacked human face

• The energetic and capable employees are looking for flexible work schedules, comfortable working conditions and greater autonomy, opportunities for training and development and performance related financial incentives However hrm by and related financial incentives. However, hrm by and large, is traditional in outlook and in operation

• Motivation and morale has not been improved significantly and level of frustration are mountingmounting

• Often the gap between policy and practice is too wide and reforms are mostly patchy rather than integrated and comprehensive


Major issues and challenges

• Building environment and Gaining support for public administration/governance reforms

• Strengthening public sector capacity to meet people’s expectations

• Managing political transition efficiently and effectively

• Ensuring people’s ownership in public service

• Enhancing credibility and image with efficient and quality service

• Managing workplace & workforce diversity• Nurturing ‘engaged employees’


issues and challenges……• Balancing trade union rights with manager’s right to

managemanage• Inculcating performance culture for results• Enforcing direct accountability to end the state of

indiscipline and impunity• Expanding outreach of oversight mechanism• Moving closer to the citizen to understand and act as per

their real need and expectations• Matching civil service structure and legal frameworks Matching civil service structure and legal frameworks

with the structure and type of governance system• Controlling corruption without hampering managers’

innovative initiations & operational autonomy• Improving the doing business environment and • Improving the doing business environment and

strengthening the contract enforcement mechanism• Creating conducive environment for economic

governance by putting macro economic policies in order


• Making the people feel the need of change and reforms

TThe way forward• Create civic pressure for reforms through

people’s empowerment and transparent governance

• Ensure that reforms agenda are realistic, empirically grounded and practical

• Empower civil service with the implementation of a comprehensive human resource development plan

• Promote competition for service delivery with Promote competition for service delivery with greater involvement of community, private sector and non-governmental organizations

• Simplify and digitize transactions with extensive use of information and communication use of information and communication technology

• Develop an integrated approach to human resource management

• Devolve appropriate human resource matters to


• Devolve appropriate human resource matters to line ministries

The way forward….• Make civil service employees and political authority

responsible and accountable with clear role delineation, responsible and accountable with clear role delineation, improved code of ethics and greater autonomy

• Bring out change in organizational culture with well planned and carefully managed efforts

• More courtesy and better quality services• More transparency faster and more reliable responsesMore transparency, faster and more reliable responses

• Delineate clear roles among the senior management, mid level managers and the front line managers for better accountability

• Professionalize human resource management through granting adequate freedom to manage financial and human granting adequate freedom to manage financial and human resources to the departments/projects

• Develop business plans of all ministries, departments & central level offices and devise human resource strategies during the process of business plan formulation

• Carry out evaluation of reforms from independent panel of • Carry out evaluation of reforms from independent panel of experts

• Design reforms agenda so as to serve national goals of peace, stability and economic growth

• Encourage the development partners to act more coherantly


• Tackle systems not organizations• Focus on enhancing public sector capacity

TThe way forward….• Prepare and implement a human resource management

guidelines for development projects with national guidelines for development projects with national priority

• Restructure and revamp training institutions including Nepal Administrative staff college and ensue that training program covers behavior & cognitive learning in addition to the job related knowledge & skills

• Promote innovation in human resource management• Crafting creative business plan and strategies

O z t e t t• Organizational restructuring• Creating social networks• Enhancing competitiveness• Job enrichment• Extensive use of technology• Extensive use of technology• Annual award for innovation

• Inculcate value driven governance culture to regain and retain public trust

• Devise appropriate strategies & timing for reforms


Devise appropriate strategies & timing for reforms and ensure effective leadership, management and coordination among the stakeholders

TThe way forward….• Expand performance based management system to

/more departments/offices• Introduce and implement strategic human resource

management plan in civil service in line with the changed values & structure of political governance

• Internalize economic concept in human resource • Internalize economic concept in human resource management

• Implement the motto ‘Training for all’• Inculcate a sense of a team spirit in civil service• Promote healthy and transparent communication with • Promote healthy and transparent communication with

simple appeal process• Establishment of human resource ministry• Complete the initiative & implement the policies

“ capability & commitment of senior management human “ capability & commitment of senior management, human resource sections and line managers is vital & development partners’ support counts a lot”

• Develop pools of leaders, young managers and critical mass for reforms


• Speed up governance reforms through strategic communication

Findings/Lessons learnt……• Public administration/governance reforms agenda in nepal so far

are mostly externally driven• Administrative reforms lack balanced approach since much focus

has been exerted on structural reforms without paying proper attention on culture and practice

• Capacity deficits continue to be a major problem • Bureaucracy is politicized and the policy bureaucratizedBureaucracy is politicized and the policy bureaucratized• Poorly implemented reforms agenda have created a sort of

‘reluctance’ on common people• Bureaucratic politics is the main impediment of civil service reforms • Reforms cannot be successful without creating conducive

environment and enhancing public sector capacity for its efficient environment and enhancing public sector capacity for its efficient and effective implementation

• Corruption control is still a daunting task• Prevalence of ‘democratic deficit’ has created crisis of confidence

between the government and citizen• Broad based economic growth remains unaccomplished agenda since

economic governance lack due priority• Protracted transition has caused crisis of governance and

governability in the country• With over centralization, poor institutional capacity and weak


,accountability enforcement mechanism, efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery is far below the expectations

Findings/Lessons learnt• Basic Tenets of Public Administration are still relevant• Like Administration, ‘management’ or ‘governance’ also have Like Administration, management or governance also have

contextual meanings• Public administration as such does not have negative

connotation• Scope of public administration was already wide at the time of

its genesis: ‘from womb to tomb’ its genesis: ‘from womb to tomb’ • Public administration still remains the pre-eminent locus & and

a responsible guarantor of the public interest• It continues to evolve adapting new methods & practices• Public administration/governance is under unprecedented • Public administration/governance is under unprecedented

pressure for reforms• Higher level political authority’s genuine commitment is

critical for successful reforms and the ecology and sequencing of reforms count a lot

• Internally driven Administration/governance reforms are in dire need of substantive technical support whereas externally driven reforms need to be more convincing and should fit into the context

• Patch work and half cooked agenda are rather counter


productive and, thus change in culture, structure and practice should move together

• Political instability & transition: collaborative communication

Thank YouThank You


r.p. ghimire(nepal)

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