Building administrative capacity for development: limits and prospects

Fifty years of capacity building: Taking stock and moving research forward1

“…Capacity building deserves its fair share of empirical studies in true peer‐reviewed tradition. Consistent with the new pragmatism, such publications may be entrenched in various epistemological perspectives. In the literature of capacity building, there is a consensus on the need to tailor projects according to context (Andrews et al., 2017; Armstrong, 2013; Haque et al., 2021; OECD, 2006; World Bank, 2009). The question is: how do we conceptualize and operationalize the context and, in particular, where, when, how and why does it matter?…”

“…Capacity building has been granted a pivotal role in development discourse and practice (An et al., 2017; Chrysostome et al., 2019; De Grauwe, 2009; Eger et al., 2018; Haque et al., 2021; Lusthaus et al., 1999; Ricks & Doner, 2021; Wignaraja, 2006). The focus of the concept of capacity, which dates back to the 1960s, has shifted from individual capabilities in the 1970s, to organizational capabilities in the 1980s and 1990s, and in recent years to getting a community's, a state's or a society's institutions right.…”

“…Table 1 shows how broad and malleable the concept of capacity is, both inside and outside development studies and public administration (An et al., 2017; Haque et al., 2021; Williams, 2021). It also points out the double feature of capacity: it can be an input and an output.…”

Sobre implementação de políticas públicas: uma revisão sistemática da literatura e agenda de pesquisas

“…Na literatura mais recente, estudos tentam avançar em direção às conexões das fases de implementação e avaliação de políticas (Lima & D'Ascenzi, 2019); nas vicissitudes decorrentes de problemas não previstos na formulação e que se tornam obstáculos a serem contornados no momento da implementação (Silva & Melo, 2000); ou na proposição de modelos de análise expandida pautados no dilema entre controle e discricionariedade de agentes implementadores no nível de rua (Tummers & Bekkers, 2014;Bonelli et al 2019;Nothdurfter & Herman, 2018;Thomann & Van Engen;Thomann, Van Engen & Tummers, 2018;Lima-Silva et al, 2020). Ainda de acordo com os avanços da literatura mais recente, o debate sobre a fase de implementação de políticas públicas tem se desenvolvido em torno de questões emergentes em pesquisas no campo da administração pública e da gestão social, tais como burocracia de nível rua e sua relevância para a efetividade do processo de implementação (Oliveira, 2012;Lipsky, 2019;Lotta, 2019), capacidades estatais e percepção de desempenho de políticas implementadas (Evans, 2003;Pires & Gomide, 2016;Gomide, Machado & Albuquerque, 2021;Haque, Ramesh & Puppim de Oliveira, 2021), coordenação de redes, descentralização de políticas e governança pública (Gontijo, 2012;Jaccoud & Vieira, 2020;Bichir, 2020).…”

Exposing the Unfinished Business of Building Public Administration in Late Democracies: Lessons from the COVID‐19 Response in Brazil

“…A key issue is what should come first, an effective state that manages the democratization process or a democratic system that builds a functional public administration that is responsive to the wishes of the people (Carbone and Memoli 2015). In the case of late democracies, the latter strategy has been often followed, and scholars note that subsequent capacity building in low‐ and middle‐income countries has been a tough challenge (Farazmand 2009; Haque et al 2021b). They often have not built strong mechanisms of good governance in government effectiveness, rule of law, and control of corruption (Tarverdi, Saha, and Campbell 2019), nor overcome inadequacies in technology, trained staff, and resources to invest in health, education, and other public services (El‐Taliawi and van der Wal 2019).…”