Politics of Administrative Reform in African Countries: Who Are the Key Actors and What

Politics of Administrative Reform in African Countries: Who Are the Key Actors and What Are the Determinant Factors of Success?

Baraka, Pakinaz.Ph.D

Abstract

There is a strong consensus in the international development community on the

need for civil-service reform in developing countries. Many African countries have undergone major steps in reforming their public services. However, reform policies in these countries have been facing several stumbling blocks. This study attempts at analyzing the contextual factors that led to the slow progress of administrative and civil service reform in the African state focusing on the impacts of the historic legacy of colonialism on theAfrican administrative apparatus.

In addition, the paper reviews two significant schools of administrative reform to explain the characteristics of public administration under three distinctive phases of reforms that took place in African countries. The paper attempts at identifying the key actors and stakeholders in African administrative reform . It draws the attention of scholars, political leaders, and the think tank to the importance of understanding the relationships taking place between them. It claims that the interplay between these stakeholders shape reform policies in developing countries. For these policies to succeed there is a need to strike a balance in these relationships. Finally, the paper concludes with highlighting the major challenges facing African administrative reform and outline some strategies for the success of reform policies.

Key words:colonialism,civil service reform, bureaucracy, African administrative reform, New Public Management,Development theories,Dependency Theory, international aid.

BIO-DATA

Dr.Pakinaz Baraka is an assistant professor at MisrUniversity for science & Technology, the faculty of management & economy, and adjunct faculty to the school of business,economics & Communication, the AmericanUniversity in Cairo. Recently, she has returned from her fulbright grant on ‘civic Education project’ as a visiting scholar affiliated to the school of education, the university of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,PA,U.S.A. Dr.Baraka has her Ph.D from the Faculty of Economy & Political Sciences, Cairo University, the Department of Public Administration, a Master degree from the American University in Cairo in Public Administration, in addition to a Master degree in Education from Manchester University, the United Kingdom. As a professional, she assumed several positions in banking and investment, beside working as a consultant to usaid funded projects in egypt in the field of decentralization and local governance.