Civil Service Management and Administrative Systems in South Asia

Ishtiaq Jamil, Tek Nath Dhakal, Narendra Raj Paudel, Ishtiaq Jamil, Tek Nath Dhakal, Narendra Raj Paudel

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9783319901909
• eBook ISBN:
  9783319901916
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Asian Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book examines public administration in South Asia in the context of rapid changes and modernization of administrative traditions, thoughts, and practices. The existing literature has, however, not given adequate attention to these developments, at least in a single volume. The book describes both the shared administrative traditions of Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, and how far they have adapted their administrative systems to respond to contemporary administrative and governance challenges. The book studies how national civil service reforms have been carried out in each member state of South Asia and how the national civil service acts and different regulations are being implemented, as well as what are the critical factors associated with the implementation of national civil service acts and reform measures in the region.

© The Author(s) 2019

Ishtiaq Jamil, Tek Nath Dhakal and Narendra Raj Paudel (eds.)Civil Service Management and Administrative Systems in South Asiahttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90191-6_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction: Understanding Civil Service in South Asia

Ishtiaq Jamil¹ , Tek Nath Dhakal² and Narendra Raj Paudel³

(1)

Department of Administration and Organization Theory (DAO), University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

(2)

Central Department of Public Administration, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

(3)

Public Administration Campus, Central Department of Public Administration, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

Ishtiaq Jamil (Corresponding author)

Email: [email protected]

Tek Nath Dhakal

Narendra Raj Paudel

Keywords

Civil serviceRecruitmentPromotionTrainingAdministrative reformLocal governmentSouth Asia

End Abstract

This book is an introduction to the civil service system in Bangladesh , Bhutan , India , the Maldives , Nepal , Pakistan , Sri Lanka , and China .¹ All these countries, with the exception of China, are in South Asia—a region that is home to around 1.7 billion people. India has the largest population (around 1.3 billion), and the Maldives has the smallest (around 0.4 million). The region has huge variations in terms of population size, ethnicity, religion and religious divisions, language, and geography. Political and administrative history also varies: some countries were under British colonial rule (Bangladesh , India , Pakistan , and Sri Lanka ) but others (such as Nepal and Bhutan ) have never been colonies. In terms of politics and public administration, these countries mostly follow a Westminster model of government (though there are variations between federal and unitary forms of government). There is a certain amount of resemblance between the present civil service in the countries, with several having a legacy from the Indian Civil Service (ICS) established during the British colonial period. The ICS was considered the best administrative machinery amongst all decolonized nations because of its neutrality, impersonality, high ethical standards, dedication, and esprit de corps (Parasher 2003; Dwivedi and Jain 1988).

Challenges to public administration are huge, not only because of the diversity in South Asia, but also because the countries want to streamline public administration in accordance with recent trends towards globalization , democratic governance , and new managerial principles. On the one hand, public administration needs to be efficient in providing quality services and in order to be responsive to social demands; on the other hand, the quality of government must be upheld on the basis of neutrality and inclusive policies, with emphasis on the political participation of diverse groups. In these respects, public administration finds itself having to play different and often-conflicting roles. Sociocultural norms emphasizing collectivism often compromise neutrality in decision making. Affective culture, based on give and take, is quite common in South Asia and leads to patron-clientelism . In trying to find a balance between official and private life, public officials sometimes disregard rule of law. Getting business done in public institutions then becomes a matter of lobbying and corrupt practices. Cultural and colonial legacies have strong influence on the way civil servants and public institutions function in South Asia (Jamil et al. 2013). In the game of politics, a civil servant’s loyalty is rewarded through promotion and posting to lucrative posts; in fact, such loyalty is often deemed to be a more valuable attribute than professionalism and efficiency. Given the daunting challenges facing public administration in managing the affairs of governance, this book provides a comprehensive and comparative account and understanding of administrative systems in South Asia. It looks at various reforms undertaken to restructure the civil service and illustrates the development of local government in some of these countries.

Elitism has traditionally been a hallmark of South Asia’s civil service systems. With independence from colonial rulers and the introduction of democracy, there has been a call for more representative bureaucracy by reducing gaps (e.g., in decision-making power) amongst different services. Post-independence reforms and reforms under democratic regimes have therefore focused on reducing elitism, especially amongst different services within the civil service in order to make them more citizen-oriented and responsive to the needs of society. While elitism in some countries, for instance in Bangladesh , has been reduced through various reforms, policymaking positions are still dominated by members of the administrative service that was the most prestigious and powerful during the British colonial period. This indicates that the colonial legacy still persists, much to the dissatisfaction of other cadre services, especially those with members who possess specialist expertise and knowledge.

Along with reducing elitism in bureaucracy, another key issue is to increase representativeness in the civil service in terms of gender, religion, caste, regions, and ethnicity. The argument in support of this is that in a democracy, a more representative bureaucracy results in inclusive governance , which leads to the government enjoying greater legitimacy and acceptance in society. To enhance bureaucratic representativeness, different policies in the guise of affirmative action or a quota system have been introduced. Quota systems have led to more inclusion of women in the civil service, while certain ethnic, religious, and caste groups still have moderate representation. Women are primarily represented at the entry level, while higher positions are still generally dominated by men. In the case of Nepal and Sri Lanka , these higher positions also tend to be dominated by certain religious and ethnic groups. A pertinent question, then, is whether an unrepresentative bureaucracy necessarily leads to a civil service that is more elitist and detached from society (Jamil and Dangal 2009).

The book describes and discusses the composition of civil service, the role of public service commissions in the recruitment, promotion , and training of civil servants, and reforms initiatives undertaken by various regimes in South Asia, in order to make the civil service adaptive, effective, and efficient. The contributors to this book come from the South Asian counties that are under discussion. They are either academics or belong to the public administration in these countries. All the contributors have extensive experience in conducting research and writing about the administrative affairs and practices of their country, and they give readers an insider perspective on the development, dynamics, challenges, and barriers in the South Asian civil service systems.

The Concept of Civil Service

The British East India Company first coined the term ‘civil service’ to distinguish military and non-military personnel. When it was used by Britain in 1854, with the aim of recruiting government personnel through open and competitive examinations (except for the military and the judiciary branch), the term became popular worldwide (International Encyclopedia of Social Science ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction: Understanding Civil Service in South Asia
• 2. The Civil Service System in Bhutan
• 3. The Civil Service System of Bangladesh
• 4. Civil Service Management in India
• 5. Civil Service Management in Nepal
• 6. The Promise of Representative Bureaucracy and Citizen’s Trust in the Civil Service in Nepal
• 7. Civil Service Reforms in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Progress So Far, Implementation Barriers and Challenges
• 8. The New Statutory Civil Service in the Maldives: Towards a Decentralized Human Resource Management Model?
• 9. Public Administration in Sri Lanka: An Analysis of Evolution, Trends, and Challenges in Personnel Management
• 10. The Administrative System in Bangladesh: Reform Initiatives with Failed Outcomes
• 11. Reforms in the Administrative System of Nepal
• 12. The Local Administrative System in India
• 13. Public Administration in Sri Lanka: An Inquiry into Structure, Reforms, and Management
• 14. The Development of Public Administration in the People’s Republic of China: An Analysis of Administrative Reform
• Back Matter