Assignment On

In recent years do you notice any shift of focus in the philosophy and
practice of public administration in Bangladesh? If you do, list them
and analyze their impact on the society and public administration.
Course Title
Public Administration Theories and Debates
Course Code: PA 511

Submitted to
Dr. Ferdous Arfina Osman
Professor
Department of Public Administration
University of Dhaka
Submitted by
Farah Raihana Munia
MSS 1st semester
Roll: SK-042-090

Submission Date: 17/12/2020

Public administration is considered as a sub-division of the broader concept of
administration. Public administration means governmental administration and the
management of the affair and activities related to government. According to
Woodrow Wilson, ‘Public administration is the detailed and systematic execution of
public law.’
According to L.D. White, ‘a system of public administration is the composite of all
the laws, regulations, practices, relationships, codes and customs that prevails at any
time in any jurisdiction for the fulfilment or execution of public policy.
According to Felix A. Nigro, ‘public administration is a cooperative group effort in
a public setting; covers all three branches-executive, legislative, judicial and their
interrelationships; has an important role in the formulation of public policy and thus
a part of the political process; is different in significant ways from private
administration and is closely associated with numerous private groups and
individuals in providing services to the community.
Public administration is undergoing a great change in the 21 st century. There has
been paradigm shift in public administration. From traditional public administration
to new public management a great shift of change have been taken place. Through
new public management so many changes have been taken place in public
administration of Bangladesh.
In traditional public administration was not effective and efficient enough. It was
more rigid and rule bound. Governments were too large. Then after independence in
1980s new public management was emerged to in reaction to the old public
administration and it has been a great change in the philosophy and practice of public
administration in Bangladesh. Then reinventing government, new public service
have been a shift of focus in public administration. The culture of public
administration is changing to be more creative, flexible, problem solving as opposed
to process oriented, rule bound rather than necessity.
New Public Management (NPM)
New public management is a broad concept and very complex term used to describe
the wave of public service reforms throughout the world since 1980s. It is a
management philosophy to modernize the public sector and it seeks to ensure the
effective public service delivery. NPM is a new public managerial reality, with all
its deficiencies we need it for the greater interest of the public sector for its (public
sector) efficiency and long-term sustainability. (Terry Scot, 2006)
It is a major shift from traditional administration with greater emphasize paid to
economy, effectiveness and efficiency. Npm has brought so many changes and
innovations in the public administration of Bangladesh. Npm has both positive and
negative impact on the society and public administration.
Impact on the society and public administration
Positive impacts
The npm focuses on the entrepreneurial government. It is a participatory
management and community owned governance where citizens are considered as
active consumers and public servants are as public managers. NPM has a great
impact on the society and public administration. The NPM philosophy has been
largely based on a new right agenda of privatization, deregulation, marketization,
and a small state. (Lane 2000). Because of the emergence of npm public service has
improved and performance have improved. Privatization has ensured greater welfare
service than before. New agencies and new systems have been emerged.
One of the impact of npm is the empowerment of citizens and it ensures more
autonomy for the public sector managers. As a result public managers got flexibility
in their work. They have their own workplace and work on their own, bargain and
so on. They are more involved in policy matters. Civil servants have become
responsive to the customers. The performance of the public sector managers have
improved and the customers are satisfied more than before. The public service
delivery has become more effective and efficient than before. Npm has also
introduced citizen’s charter to enhance accountability. Various types of development
projects are taken to ensure greater public service delivery.
The emergence of npm has made a shift in the values of public sector such as
individualism, efficiency which is replaced from traditional values such as
universalism, equity etc. Because of npm there were changes in administrative law,
changes to the role of government which is ‘steering’, serving as catalyst to unleash
market forces.
In public administration npm is connected to the public choice perspective.
Government is viewed from the standpoint of markets and customers by public
choice. It serves to decrease the size of government and make it less costly. Because
of npm there are new implementation of new techniques in public administration. It
has become a normative model for public administration and public management.
These has positive impact on efficiency and short term economy. The impact of npm
on society and public administration reflects by contracting out public services,
users’ fees, less consumption of manpower in the public sector, meritocracy in the
public sector, professionalism, performance standards, market based salary
structure, devolution of authority to local elected bodies, e-government etc.
Npm use the management techniques of private sector to introduce a system of
government administration in public administration. The emergence of npm has
brought major changes in process, procedures, and systems in government system.
NPM has ensured e-government system, A2i system to ensure faster delivery
service. People are getting services without going out. It has saved their time. They
do not have to wait days for getting their services now. It has a great positive impact
on rural areas people.
Reinventing government is also a shift of focus in the philosophy and practice of
public administration in Bangladesh in npm. It was invented by Osborne and
Gaebler. It expanded in a slow paced society and in an age of hierarchy. It ensures
steering government rather than rowing in the society.
Because of reinventing government communities are able to solve their own
problems in their own and they are getting empowered to solve their problems rather
than delivering services. Through reinventing government customers are driven by
mission and vision and it also meets the needs of the customer. The institutions are
more responsive to customers now and they are careful about the customer needs
and quality service delivery. It concentrates on earning money rather than spending
it.
Because of npm there has been changes in the governance system. The concept of
good governance system has emerged in public administration. Because of good
governance the government system in public administration has become more
accountable, transparent, responsive, and effective and follows rule of law,
participatory oriented, takes care of the basic needs of the citizens.
New public service is rooted in democratic theory which expands the accountability
of officials to citizens where they serve and answer to citizens than steering society.
It is considered as the third alternative for the observed dichotomy between the old
public administration and the new public management. Here government act as a
player and seek solutions of the problems from private, non-profit groups and
organization. The public servants are responsive to the citizens. To understand each
other interests they engage citizens with one another and adopt a larger sense of
community and social interests.
To move towards the expected goals specific action steps are developed and roles
and responsibilities are established. As a result all parties work together and create
opportunities. They also work together for collaboration, participation and
community. Government become open and responsive. It works to serve citizens and
creates opportunities for them.
Negative impacts
Though the changes have brought positive impact on the society and public
administration of Bangladesh, it has negative impact also. These changes, new ideas
of role of the government and managerial innovation of npm has both positive and
negative impacts. It has also created new problems of fragmentation and
coordination. The role of government in npm created entreprenueal spirit into public
sector and it also has negative effects on equity and social cohesion.
To bring the changes and introduce the new systems in Bangladesh public
administration and to the people of the society, to examine the systems a big amount
of resources were wasted and many developing recommendations were not
implemented properly.
Though it was thought that the e-government system will reduce the hassle of the
people but ultimately it has failed to introduce to the all the users and service
providers especially rural people. They are not familiar with the system properly and
they don’t know the usage of it yet. They are not getting enough access from the e-
government system.
Though constitution of Bangladesh has provided all the elements of good
governance but it has negative impact also. Because of good governance corruption
in the public officials, nepotism, misuse of power, inefficiency of bureaucracy these
problems and lack of the concept of good governance has negative impact on society
and public administration in Bangladesh.
Public managers are less interested to know customer feedback as they know their
salary won’t be based on the service delivery system. So many customers are not
satisfied and public service delivery is not effective and efficient enough. Besides
because of corruption, lack of institutional capacity, lack of performance control,
resistance from senior bureaucrats, technical incapacity, and state incapacity many
changes of npm have failed.
It is not easy to survive with changes. Though there have been so many changes in
recent years in Bangladesh public administration, the changes have created both
negative and positive impacts on the society and public administration. Though
Bangladesh could not implemented the npm and its changes successfully like other
countries but it has brought a visible change in society and Bangladesh public
administration than before. It has become much more flexible, accountable than
before.
We can say that Npm has reshaped public administration and brought public sector
more innovative delivery system through restructuring and private sector
involvement. The philosophy and practice of public administration in Bangladesh is
now much more effective than the traditional public administration and it has
possible because of the changes and innovations in public sector.
_______________
References
1. Khan, & Age. 2020. Evolution of public administration and Bangladesh | The Asian
Age Online, Bangladesh.

2. Islam Md Shariar, 2018. ("New Public Management-based Reform in Bangladesh: A

Review of Public Administration Reform Commission

3. Nigro &Nigro, 1965, Modern Public Administration

4. ("New Public Management-based Reform in Bangladesh: A Review of Public

Administration Reform Commission", 2020)