DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATIO

An Introduction: Idea of Development Administration evolved with

the emergence of developing countries post WWII but it is not
con ned to the situations in developing nations alone. In mid
1960's Indian Journal of Public Administration publication has the
references to this concept, however, the United States of America
started its use in the early 1960’s.

Later, administrative experiences from various developing

countries such as concerns regarding improvement of
administrative capabilities so that they may utilizes the foreign
assistance in a more rational manner, were grouped together as
'Development Administration'.

De nitions by Scholars:
Some of de nitions by various scholars of Development
Administration:
• Development Administration is a "goal oriented" and "change-
oriented" administration. It is concerned with maximizing
innovation for development - Edward Weidner

• Development Administration refers to organised e orts to

carry out programmes or projects initiated by those involved
in serving developmental objectives - Fred Riggs

• Development Administration has come to mean the

engineering of social change. We sees it is a directional
process which is intended to make things happen in a certain
way over Intervals of time - Martin Landau

With the added implication attached to it, its meaning has

expanded over the years and now it is di cult to de ne precisely
the concept of Development Administration. At best, one can
attempt to explain what it implies and includes as per the current
usage of the term.
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ELEMENTS OF DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION(DA)

1. Change-Orientation: A Development Administration would be

dynamic and not ‘static'. Change means the movement of a
system or a structure from one point to another while the reverse of
'change' would be status-quo or inertia. Change is an inbuilt
philosophy of Development Administration. This change is a
strategy for increasing the coping ability of an Administrative
system in relation to its external environment as well as a
mechanism to activate its internal structures.

2. Goal-Orientation: Development Administration is 'goal-oriented'

administration (as de ned by Weidner). So, here we, can ask
ourselves these simple questions:
• Is an administrative system not necessarily goal-oriented?
• Do we not de ne administration as a collective human activity
that is designed to achieve certain speci c goals?
And Answer would be - Yes, it is true that all administrative
systems are goal-oriented but its dominant focus on the
question of goal-achievement in a more systematic manner make
Development Administration distinct from general Public
Administration. So, Development Administration is that aspect of
Public Administration which is dominantly goal-oriented.
Weidner points out all these goals are progressive in nature.

3. Progressivism(developing steadily): All goals of Development

Administration are progressive in nature.There appears to have a
broad consensus on the nature of progressiveness of these goals
in most of the 'developing' societies.
In political systems, progressivism would imply greater
participation of the people in governmental a airs.

However, Development Administration is an administration

designed to achieve progressive political, economic, social and
cultural goals. Observe gure 1:
Figure 1: PROGRESSIVE GOALS
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4. Planning: Though it is not prerequisite to Development
Administration, it is the most useful tool to the whole process of
goal-oriented change.

In this case, Weidner opines that planning may or may not be a

necessary condition for Development Administration. But planning
facilitates maximum possible utilization of human and material
resources. And it is very helpful in poor countries, where such
resources are scarce.
It also helps in the maximum utilization of time and other resources
in order to achieve certain goals within a given period, thereby
making the whole process of development e ective. Example -
most of the developing countries like India have adopted
socioeconomic planning i.e., Five year plans in India(though
discontinued). Today, even developed nations like UK and France
have 'indicative' planning.

5. Innovativeness: A development administrative system has to

create a creative and innovative organisational environment unlike
dogmatic and traditional administration. The Development
Administration must stress upon identi cation and adoption of new
structures, methods, procedures, policies, plans, programmes and
projects which would help to achieve the developmental objectives
with the greatest possible facilitation.

6. Flexibility in Organisational Procedures: No bureaucracy or

administration can function without an adequate set of rules
whereas a totally "rule-oriented" administration may start treating
rules as ends rather than as means. A dogmatic approach will lead
to straight-jacketed and in exible system.
An optimum exibility equips an administrator with required
autonomy to handle certain unique and signi cantly distinctive
administrative situations while accountability for any such decision
made shall remain with the administrator. Though there is the risk
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 of misuse of any discretionary powers, yet this little inevitable risk
should enable the ideal notions of creativity and innovation to
becomes a reality.

7. High Degree of Motivation: Motivated personnel at all levels

are key to achieve progressive goals of a development
administrative system. A high degree of commitment and
enthusiasm to achieve the progressive goals is needed. Their
narrow vested interests or comforts should not act against the
highest interest of the organisation and the society.

8. Client-Orientation:(or bene ciary-orientation) A development

administrative system aims at providing maximum bene ts of its
services and products to the very people for whom the
organisation is designed.
So, it is "people-centered" administration which accords primacy
to the needs of its bene ciaries and tries to tune its programmes,
policies and actions to these needs.

9. Participation: The Progressive political goals of Development

Administration will involve participation of the people or
bene ciaries in the formulation and implementation of development
programmes. The role of the bene ciaries is of utmost importance
in identifying goals, formulating plans, designing action strategies,
implementing projects and evaluating performance.
In India, the block level and district planning are gaining increasing
importance in Development Administration.

10. E ective Integration: Integration brings together host of

groups and authorities for the achievement of common
developmental goals. The truth is, Development Administration
requires a high degree of coordination or integration otherwise, the
development results are likely to be adversely a ected.
Coordination is necessary at various levels, among di erent
organisations and units, among various positions and functionaries
and among the resources available for the achievements of goals.
Lack of coordination means wastage of resources and mitigation of
e ectiveness.
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DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE
DEVELOPMENT
(Table in video)

Both the phenomena are interdependent: any society experiencing

notable development in its political, economic, social and culture
systems(DA) is likely to a ect in a matching manner, its
administrative system and conversely a well-organised and
competent administrative system(AD) is likely to direct the process
of all-round development of society in a competent manner.

These twin processes are so much interlinked that it is di cult to

assert as to which would be more prominent and which would
precede the other.
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DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION AND TRADITIONAL
ADMINISTRATION
The term traditional administration is synonymous to 'general'
administration and even revenue and law and order administration.
The distinctions between the two are :

Traditional Administration Development Administration

1 The objectives are simple
2 Limited scope of operations
3 Simpler
4 Smaller in size
5 Less innovation and creativity
6 Stresses upon stability
7 Rule-orientation is valued
Bureaucratic and authority-
8
oriented
Does not rely as much on
9
planning
The performance of general
10
administrative functions
The Administrative systems in
11 developed countries focus on
general administration
The objectives are multiple and
variegated
Vaster scope of functioning
More complex in its parts and
procedures
Larger in size
More innovative and creative
Dynamic in its functioning
Flexibility is considered a
virtue
Participatory style of
administration
Administration of planned
change
Primarily developmental in
character
The administrative systems in
developing countries are
basically developmental in
orientation
However, today modernized techniques and technologies have
been adopted in general administration and sophisticated
planning has become an integral part of their functioning;
innovativeness and creativity in its operations are being valued
immensely; people's cooperation in taxation and law and order
administration is encouraged; and exibility has become their
procedures. Thus, to attempt an absolute distinction between
general administration and Development Administration would be
untenable and unrealistic.

Further, the colonial administration mostly engaged in performing

traditional administrative functions is an over-simpli ed assertion
because even the colonial bureaucracies e.g., in India were
engaged in developmental activities like health, educations,
railways etc. Even a Planning and Development Department was
set up in the Government of India before Independence.
On the other hand, In those newly independent countries, there
are the crises of stability, nation building, internal security and
national integrity which requires strengthening of law and order.
Time, energy and resources have to be distributed between the
developmental and the non-developmental activities.
Thus, the fact is both are interdependent and changes in one lead
to changes in the other.
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