Globalization and the Challenges of Public Administration

Governance, Human Resources Management, Leadership, Ethics, E-Governance and Sustainability in the 21st Century

Haroon A. Khan

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9783319695860
• eBook ISBN:
  9783319695877
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Public Affairs & Administration
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Uniquely combines research on human resources development with globalization

Covers Public Administration issues from a general perspectives so as to be suitable for global application

Tackles the unique challenges of public administration and governance in a globalized world 

© The Author(s) 2018

Haroon A. KhanGlobalization and the Challenges of Public Administrationhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69587-7_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Haroon A. Khan¹ 

(1)

Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, USA

 

End Abstract

This book is an attempt to understand the challenges of globalization and governance in the public sector. Many researchers make use of the term “governance” to describe the multitude of actors involved in the delivery of services. Although governance can be applied to different sectors of the society, for example, health care, education, and business, this book focuses on the governance of the public sector, the traditional task of public administration. The book analyzes the important aspects of public administration: human resources management (HRM), leadership, ethics and accountability, sustainability, and e-governance to understand the challenges of globalization.

Public administration can no longer be confined simply to a discussion of the government agencies, and their processes and procedures. Therefore, many researchers now use the term “governance” to understand the current dynamics of government. This book uses the terms governance and public administration interchangeably because the tasks of implementation require the cooperation of both the public and private sectors. To understand public administration, one has to consider the interplay of both formal and informal actors in the implementation of policies. Globalization implies the importance of the interaction between public and private sectors at both the domestic and global levels. Therefore, public administration faces enormous challenges in dealing with all the actors in delivering government services. Public administration does not exist in a vacuum. It has to deal with the environment, both internal and external, to implement the tasks of the government. Globalization is an important element for both the internal and external environment. Public organizations, both internally and externally, are influenced by global phenomena. For example, human resources management (HRM) in the public sector requires a broader understanding of the culture and values of diverse people. It requires sensitivity to the global pressure in recruiting and training people in a changed environment. The public leadership must understand the global challenges that can impact the organizations. The public leadership is under increasing pressure to monitor the changes in the environment and take appropriate action. Globalization causes the leadership enormous challenges and responsibilities. Leadership needs to monitor the changes occurring in the world and be prepared to take the appropriate decisions affecting the public. Leadership no longer enjoys the monopoly in the control of the situation. Several actors and the situational variables can have an influence on the events in any country in which the leaders become reactive rather than the active policy maker.

Globalization has presented new challenges of ethics and accountability by confronting organizations with complex and interdependent issues. Moreover, the issues of ethics are now being scrutinized by the world public rather than simply the people within a country. Accordingly, ensuring accountability is complex because the actors are no longer under the control of a particular country or government. The involvement of the multiplicity of actors makes it difficult to ensure accountability and have made the demand for global ethics a widespread phenomenon. One of the most crucial issues faced by present-day public administrators is to maintain environmental sustainability. In an attempt to address this issue, governments are responsible for building dams, bridges, infrastructure and providing for clean water and air. Therefore, public administrators can be viewed as responsible for implementing the rules and regulations sustaining the environment. Another important aspect of globalization is the use of technology to provide for government services. E-governance has become an important part of public administration and governments are responsible for developing an effective mechanism for e-governance. How to make e-governance accessible, and, simultaneously, participative and accountable, is one of the major challenges currently faced by public administrators.

The book deals with the challenges of HRM, leadership, sustainability, e-governance, ethics, and accountability. An emphasis on these challenges will contribute to a better understanding of the present-day problems of public administration. The focus on human resources, sustainability, and leadership, will give us enlightening insights into the other crucial problems faced by public administration since although these issues are not the sole issues of public administration, a thorough understanding of them will shed light on today’s most pressing problems. The decision of the United Kingdom on June 23, 2016 to leave the European Union (EU) is considered as a counter-movement against the processes of globalization. Immigration was viewed as one of the issues to have played a powerful role in voting to exit the EU. It is an important lesson for all countries. The election of Donald Trump as US president in 2016 based on a counter-globalization agenda makes the challenges particularly prominent. However, the impact pf globalization is so pervasive and widespread that any action towards counter-globalization may produce a negative result. It will be worthwhile to observe whether globalization can sustain in an environment of counter-movements.

© The Author(s) 2018

Haroon A. KhanGlobalization and the Challenges of Public Administrationhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69587-7_2

Begin Abstract

2. Governance, Public Administration, and the Challenges of Globalization

Haroon A. Khan¹

(1)

Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, USA

End Abstract

Governance and Public Administration

Researchers tend to use the term “governance” rather public administration, which is most often associated with bureaucracy. According to the advocates of governance, the tasks of government have become complex. As a result, with a focus on traditional bureaucracy, it is not possible to understand the complexities of the tasks of government. Salamon (2002) uses governance as a proxy term for Public Administration and Management, while Lynn et al. (2006) use it as a holistic theory of Public Administration and Public Management ; and Kettl (2003) uses governance as a concept with which to explore the internal processes and workings of the New Public Management (NPM). Governance includes all the processes and individuals in the execution and operations involved in the implementation of a policy. The chapter analyzes the conceptual definitions of governance and globalization. The chapter then proceeds to investigate the broader challenges of globalization: transparency, multinational corporations, the movement of capital, civil society, job security, and environmental degradation.

There are several definitions of the term governance (Pierre and Peters 2000). However, governance is also used to refer to the strategies of governments and non-governmental organizations aimed at initiating, facilitating, and mediating network processes, that is, network management, which is defined as “meta -governance.” Sørensen and Torfing (2009) define meta-governance as “governance or (self-) governance”, which includes institutional design and network framing, and the process management and direct participation

Marsh and Rhodes (1992) and Kickert et al. (1997), building on the work of Hanf and Scharpf (1978), use governance as a way to explore the workings of policy communities and networks. Kooiman (2003) argues for “social-political governance” as an overarching theory of institutional relationships within society. Kickert et al. (1997) and Rhodes (1996) defines governance as the machinery of “self-organizing inter-organizational networks” that function both within and outside government to provide public services

Rhodes (1996) defines governance as “self-organizing inter-organizational networks” and suggests that governments should enable networks like Public--Private Partnerships (PPPs). Governance is viewed as a more widely encompassing concept (Rosenau 2000). International organizations have been emphasizing good governance to improve the quality of life. Good governance also includes openness, transparency, and the control of corruption.

Bovaird and Löffler (2002, p. 4) emphasize the common elements of governance which include an acceptance that in modern public governance there are many stakeholders other than governments. This implies that governance deals both with the rules, formal and informal, that govern society and with the processes by which the rules are interpreted and modified. Halachmi (2003, p. 72) distinguishes between the terms governing and governance by emphasizing a number of distinctions between the two: governing is control and governance is steering; governing is state-centered and governance is polycentric; governing takes place in a recognized border while governance results from interactions within and across borders; and, finally, governance is multidimensional.

Governance is a broader term that covers all aspects of the society: economic, corporate, public, etc. This research focuses on the issue of governance in the public sector. In modern times, there are a multitude of actors who have an impact on policy. These actors can be local, national, or international in nature. So, the traditional reliance on the agencies and the bureaucrats may no longer be adequate in terms of executing the policies. Therefore, governance is a better terminology to understand the nature of the present-day administration. Frederickson (2002) asserts that governance is a way to reposition public administration as a pre-eminent discipline based on the new global realities. The basic task of public administration, therefore, is to implement policies. Based on the definition in Gordon (1986), public administration involves all the individuals, organizations, and processes involved in the implementation of public policies. This requires the cooperation of both the public and the private sector, as well as local, national and international actors. The organizational theorists have advocated for an open system because of its interaction with the environment, which is volatile and subject to constant change. The advocates of strategic management emphasize scanning the environment to analyze the opportunities and threats for the organizations. To execute strategic planning, public administration must take into account the socio-political, economic, and technological environment, which also includes the interaction with various actors. Thus, public administration as an open system requires interaction with all the actors, who have an impact on public policy implementation. Public administration deals with the governance of public issues. Under the process of globalization, the differences between the public and private, and the domestic and international spheres are becoming blurred. At the same time, globalization has led to a number of new challenges for public administration/public governance. Accordingly, this book does not differentiate between public administration and governance of the public sector.

Despite demands to reducing the size of the bureaucracy, its role is increasing rather than diminishing due to the rise in the numbers and range of the complex problems faced by the government. Olsen (2006) emphasized that the bureaucracy is no less important today than in the past. The importance of bureaucracy is crucial for transitional countries whether developing or the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Verheijen 2003). Peters (2009) explains that the bureaucrat now plays the role of a manager, a policy maker, and a negotiator.

The key point is that governance is no longer a simple, hierarchical activity; it now involves more complex interactions between the public and private sectors. Kooiman (2003) and Peters (2009) reiterate that the role of public administrator has never been easy; even when the role was clear the implementation of public programs posed a number of challenges.

The less-defined role of the public administrator in modern times has made their life increasingly difficult (Peters 2009). The...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontmatter
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Governance, Public Administration, and the Challenges of Globalization
• 3. Globalization and Human Resources Management in the Public Sector
• 4. Globalization and Leadership Challenges
• 5. Ethics and Accountability and the Challenges
• 6. The Challenges of E-Governance in Public Administration
• 7. Globalization and Sustainability
• 8. Conclusion
• Backmatter