SUMMARYPublic administrations are mostly hybrid in nature with a combination of characteristics of different paradigms and models. In the first part of the paper, I use the notion of paradigms to explain a form of hybridity in public administration. The concept of paradigms in public administration is helpful in identifying a typology of the ideal types and their characteristics based on the main paradigms and models of public administration: the patronage system, the traditional public administration, the new public administration, and other emerging models such as public value management, responsive governance, and new public service. In the second part of the paper, through the trajectory of Bhutan's public administration history, we observe that its public administration exhibits characteristics that sit across the various paradigms and models of public administration. Thus, in doing so, the paper makes a significant contribution in applying the ideal type typology to explain how hybridity in public administration occurs in practice.
Monarchical rule is said to have become anachronistic in a modern age of legal rational orders and representative institutions. And yet, despite successive waves of democratization having usurped their authority across much of the globe, a select few monarchs remain defiant, especially in small states. This stubborn persistence raises questions about the application of Huntington's "King's Dilemma" in which modern monarchs are apparently trapped in a historical cycle that will ultimately strip them of meaningful power. Drawing on in-depth historical research in three small states that have sought to combine democratic and monarchical rule-Tonga, Bhutan and Liechtenstein-we argue that, contra Huntington, monarchs in small states are neither doomed to disappear nor are they likely to be overwhelmed by the dilemma posed by modernist development. The lesson is that the size of political units is a critical variable too often overlooked in existing studies. Modern monarchs, Samuel Huntington famously argued, face a fundamental dilemma. 1 On the one hand, to promote social, cultural and economic development monarchs must centralise power. On the other hand, such reforms create a new cadre of elites whose political participation threatens to undermine their authority. By delaying modernist reform in favour of traditionalism the monarch can retain authority. But, stymieing progress increases the risk of popular revolt. As a result, Huntington argues, a peaceful transition from absolute monarchy to an electoral regime is virtually impossible. The modern monarch is caught in a perpetual trap that
Bhutan has reported a total of 2596 COVID-19 cases and three deaths as of September 15, 2021. With support from India, the United States, Denmark, the People’s Republic of China, Croatia and other countries, Bhutan was able to conduct two rounds of nationwide vaccination campaign. While many countries struggle to overcome vaccine refusal or hesitancy due to complacency, a lack of trust, inconvenience and fear, escalated in some countries by anti-vaccine groups, Bhutan managed to inoculate more than 95% of its eligible populations in two rounds of vaccination campaign. Enabling factors of this successful vaccination campaign were strong national leadership, a well-coordinated national preparedness plan, and high acceptability of vaccine due to effective mass communication and social engagement led by religious figures, volunteers and local leaders. In this short report, we described the national strategic plan and enabling factors that led to the success of this historical vaccination campaign.
Networks are increasingly being used a models to capture elements of governing neglected by the bureaucracy and market models in public administration and management. However, extant literature on networks uses the concept in a narrow manner, and tends to mostly focus on formal networks. Informal networks have not received adequate attention. In this paper I argue that it is equally important to focus on informal networks, in addition to the formal networks, in public administration and management. Based on a comparative case study of diabetes care in Australia and India, this paper develops a typology of diabetes network in these two countries with the type of network (that is, formal and informal networks) on one side of the matrix and the type of health professional (that is, professional and non-professional) on the other side. Mapping the prevailing diabetes care of the two countries onto the matrix reveals that diabetes care in Australia relies mostly in the formal network quadrants, that is, health professionals and voluntary and community groups. And diabetes care in India relies on the informal network quadrants, that is, non-health professionals and personal communities. While the paper discusses some of the reasons why each of these countries rely on a particular type of network for diabetes care, the main finding of the paper is that infusing aspects of the formal and informal networks results in improved health outcomes for people with diabetes as well as reducing the increasing costs of diabetes care. The field of public administration and management can certainly draw on the experiences of diabetes care by using both formal and informal networks to improve outcomes as well as to minimize expenses. AbstractNetworks are increasingly being used a models to capture elements of governing neglected by the bureaucracy and market models in public administration and management. However, extant literature on networks uses the concept in a narrow manner, and tends to mostly focus on formal networks. Informal networks have not received adequate attention. In this paper I argue that it is equally important to focus on informal networks, in addition to the formal networks, in public administration and management.Based on a comparative case study of diabetes care in Australia and India, this paper develops a typology of diabetes network in these two countries with the type of network (that is, formal and informal networks) on one side of the matrix and the type of health professional (that is, professional and non-professional) on the other side. Mapping the prevailing diabetes care of the two countries onto the matrix reveals that diabetes care in Australia relies mostly in the formal network quadrants, that is, health professionals and voluntary and community groups. And diabetes care in India relies on the informal network quadrants, that is, non-health professionals and personal communities.While the paper discusses some of the reasons why each of these countries rely on a particular type of network for diabe...
Bhutan has implemented two bold performance management reforms within the last decade. These reforms are based on the business and neoclassical economics models focusing on outputs and strict performance measures. The first of these reforms, performance management system, was implemented as one of the main components of the Position Classification System (PCS) reforms in 2006. The second reform, Managing for Excellence (MaX) was introduced in 2017. Both these reforms have sought to improve the performance of the public sector in Bhutan. However, the implementation of the performance management system faced major challenges. This commentary describes the two performance management reforms, and briefly examines some of the challenges in their implementation.
The scope and intensity of policy transfer has increased in recent years as developing countries have drawn on public sector reform programmes based on new public management practices originally designed in western democracies. However, there is mounting evidence that to be successful, reform programmes must be adapted to local contexts. This article demonstrates that national government control of policy transfer can enable localisation which in turn enhances the effectiveness of public reforms. Analysis of the Position Classification System – which sought to enhance accountability, efficiency and professionalism in the civil service in Bhutan – highlights two conditions that enable domestic control of the policy transfer process: strong internal motivation for engaging in policy transfer and the establishment or adaptation of institutions to manage processes of policy transfer. We conclude that when these conditions apply, a developing country can engage in successful voluntary policy transfer and retain control of the process.
Reform agendas that include bureaucratic and market characteristics have shaped the form and characteristics of public servants. These experiences are mostly relevant to Western developed countries, and the experience outside these nations, however, has been quite different. Reforms in developing countries have had quite different trajectories and impacted on public servants in unique ways. Through the examination of the trajectory of reform in Papua New Guinea (PNG), this chapter demonstrates how "place" shapes notions of the public servant, where place refers to the political and cultural context. In PNG's case, modern forms of public administration have been layered over its traditional institutions and culture: big man and wantok systems. Exploring the example of PNG demonstrates how place shapes the public servant through its administrative and sociocultural contexts providing some insight into this relationship.
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