Ethiopian Public

Administration, Governance
and Ethics

Diplomacy and International Relations

Program

Prepared: Fisseha Zelalem(PhD)

Presented: THM
Ethiopian Civil Service University (ECSU)
 Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Understand the characteristics of civil service professionalism;
• Explain the concepts and selected pillars of governance;
• Explain the basic features and fundamental principles of the FDRE
Constitution;
• Apply the principles of FDRE Constitution;
• Apply selected principles of public Administration;
• Assess the major causes and consequences of corruption and
evaluate tools for combating corruption in the public sector;
• Assess the existing governance structure of Ethiopia;
• Evaluate selected change management tools in the delivery of citizen
cantered public service delivery;
• Analyse the principles of ethical behaviours and social responsibilities
Contents
• Unit one: Introduction to Public
Administration
• Unit Two: Constitution
• Unit Three: Governance
• Unit Four: Public service Delivery and
Change Management
• Unit five: Ethics and Corruption
• Unit six: Professionalism
Credit Hour and ASSESSMENT
• Cr Hrs.=7 ECTS
• Assessment
Final grade will be determined on the
basis of:
• Individual analytical paper (`20%)
• Group Assignment and Presentation (20%
• Mid exam 20%
• Final Examination (40%)
 Unit 1
Introduction to Public
Administration
 UNIT ONE: INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Unit Level Outcomes
After completing this unit, students will be able to:
 Define public administration;
 Identify the types, forms and
systems of government;
 Distinguish the characteristic
feature of public and private
administration;
 Distinguish the differences and
similarities of politics and public
administration;
 Understand the history of Ethiopian
public administration;
 Understand the institutional setting
of public administration;
 Explain the pillars of public
administration;
 Analyze the features of public
administration in developed and
developing countries; and
 Analyze the environment of public
administration.
Unit Contents
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Public administration defined
1.3 Evolution of public administration
1.4 Politics and public administration
1.5 The characteristics and pillars of public
administration
1.6 Distinction between public and private
administration
1.7 The environment of public administration
1.8 The institutional setting of public
administration
1.9 Types, forms and systems of government
1.10 Public administration in developed and
developing countries
1.11 Public administration in Ethiopia
1.11.1 Early development
1.11.2 Ethiopian public administration
during the Dergue era
1.11.3 The current Ethiopian public
administration
1.12 Public administration and local government in
Ethiopia
1.13 Public administration reform in Ethiopia
 Learning outcomes

After completing this unit, students are expected to:

• Define public administration;
• Distinguish the characteristic features of public and private
administration;
• Recognize the differences and similarities between politics and
public administration;
• Explain the pillars of public administration;
• Be aware of the institutional setting of public administration;
• Identify the types, forms and systems of government;
• Analyze the features of public administration in developed and
developing countries;
• Examine the environment of public administration; and
• Appreciate the history of Ethiopian public administration
Guiding Questions

• What do you think will happen to public organizations

if public administrators are negligent about the
environment in which they operate?
• List the qualities of a public administrator? Which of
your list must come first? Why?
• What do you think are the challenges of continuous
growth in size and complexity of Government activities?
• What kind of tasks can be carried out more properly
through private administration, and what tasks can be
accomplished more appropriately within public
administration?
• What do you think should public administrators do for
better management of public sector organizations?
Evolution of Public Administration

• The origin of public administration as an academic discipline is

traced to the publication in 1887 “the study of public

administration” by Woodrow Wilson.

• While the art of administration has been practiced for centuries, it

has not been widely written and documented until recent years.

• professional attention to the field was almost entirely lacking until

the end of the 19th century.

Evolution of Public Administration

• The first systematic approach used was studying public

administration through law, which was devoted to the
legal organization of public authorities, their legal forms
of action and the limits of their power.
• Later on, attention has been also given to administrative
system primarily concerned with the nature of
administrative institutions and administrative
functions.
• Rapid technological developments created large scale
social dislocation that made state intervention imperative
and desirable.
• The scientific management movement gave great impetus
to the study of public administration.
Evolution of Public Administration

• The gradual evolution of the concept of welfare state had

decisively shifted the philosophy of state function
everywhere from traditional laissez faire to that of social
welfare.
• The welfare movement has tremendously enlarged the
scope of government functions and public administration
has become the chief instrument of social welfare.
• The movement of administrative reform which took place
in the early years of the 19th century in USA to look for
remedies of the then problems encountering the civil
service had also contributed .
• Generally, the expansion of government functions gave
raise for public administration as an activity to become
highly diversified, complex and specialized.
1. Definitions

What is Public
Administration?
1. Definitions

Administration is
• A cooperative human effort
• An obvious part of a government

Public Administration
• Deals with the machinery and procedures of government
activities
• Species of administration which operates within a specific
political setting
• A channel through which policy decisions made by the political
decision makers are carried out
1. Definitions
Definitions from the literature:
• L.D White: “Public administration is detailed and
systematic execution of public laws. Every particular
application of law is an act of administration”
• D. Waldo: “Public administration is the art and science of
management applied to the affairs of the State”
• H. Simon: “By public administration is meant in common
usage the activities of the executive branches of the
National, State and Local Governments”
 1. Definitions
Public Administration is what government does:
• It is public administration that has been providing social
services such as health and education
• Offering economic infrastructures like road, electricity,
communication service
• taking care of the poor paying for health care and retirement
pension for citizens in many countries
• The ‘Public’ aspect of public administration gives the
discipline a special character.
• It can be looked at formally to mean ‘government’.
• So, public administration is government administration, the
focus being specifically on public bureaucracy.
1. Definitions

Political Legal

Managerial Occupational
1. Definitions
How can we define Public Administration
from a political perspective?
Political: Public Administration is …
• A phase in the policy-making cycle
• Implementing/interpreting the public interest
• Doing collectively that which cannot be done
so well individually
1. Definitions
How can we define “Public Administration” from a
legal perspective?
Legal: Public administration is …
• created and bound by law
• the law in action
– the execution of a public law
– every application of general law is an act of administration
– Ethiopia: Constitution of 1995
• regulation
– rules and regulations
– redistribution
1. Definitions
How can we define “Public Administration” from a
managerial perspective?
Managerial: Public administration is ...
• a management specialty
– middle management: Execution and
Interpretation
• an art and a science
– judgment, panache and common sense
– technical skills
1. Definitions
How can we define Public Administration from an
occupational perspective?
Occupational: Public administration is …
• an occupational category
• whatever public employees do: All public
employees are administrators
• public administration is a profession
– body of academic and practical knowledge
– measured by serving the needs of society
– code of ethics / appropriate sanctions
The definitions reveal that public administration has the following important features.

Hence, Public Administration is about …

• decision making and planning
• formulating objectives and goals
• gaining public support and funds
• directing and supervising employees
• providing leadership
• determining work methods and procedures
• functions performed by government executives and
supervisors
Cont’d
Public administration …
• is the action part of the government
• is the means by which the purposes and goals of the
government are realized
• is part of executive branch of government
• is related with the activities of the state
• carries out the public policies
• realizes the aspirations of the people as formulated
and expressed in the laws
 Politics and Public Administration Dichotomy

• Woodrow Wilson, the father of modem public

administration, considered politics and administration
as separate processes and attempted to conceptually
distinguish between the two areas of study.
• Frank Godnow another exponent of the dichotomy
approach who observed that "politics has to do with
policies or expressions of state while administration has to
do with the execution of these policies".
• This distinction is made between policy making(realm of
politics)and policy execution (realm of public
administration)
Dichotomy
Politics and public administration are differentiated
on the basis of their institutional locations.
• The location of politics is identified with the
legislature and the higher echelons of
government where major policy-decisions would
be made.
• the location of administration is identified with
the executive arm of government-the
bureaucracy.
Dichotomy-Effect of politics on administration
Politics affects administration in different ways.
• Administrative officials are subjected to the overall control of the
political executive (cabinet and ministries and the legislature,
Parliament). This greatly affects the administrative process within
public organizations.
• They are also responsible for the administration of policies and
the activities of civil servants and other public officials working
under their control.
• Administrators constitute the civil servant and the administrative
executive branch. They are responsible for policy implementation.
They report to the political executives.
• This means that the administration of the country is held
accountable to the electorate through its politically elected
heads(Political executive vs administrative executives).
Difficulty to differentiate politics from administration
• From the above points, we can see that public administrators
should know the relationship between politics and public
administration.
• Administrators are career officials (civil servants) and are not
expected to be involved in partisan politics or exercise their own
individual political interest within their office( professionals have
to be free from politics).
• Politicians, on the other hand, are interested in policy making and
realizing the interest of the electorate. They give order to the
administration and control their work.
• Therefore,
– it is sometimes difficult to differentiate politics from
administration.
– policy implementation and policy formulation are highly
interrelated
Reflective questions

• What are the major explanatory factors

for the evolution of public administration?
• What is administration? What is public
administration?
• What are the differences and relationships
between politics and public
administration?
PA- can be seen from its:

Role Scope

Characteristics Pillars

Environment
Properties
What is the role of Public Administration?
Role of Public Administration
• Basis of government
• Instrument of change in the society
• Plays vital role in the life of the people
• Instrument for executing laws, policies and programs of the
state
• Stabilizing force in the society
• Instrument of national integration in a country
• Responsibilities in terms of nation-building and shaping the
future society
 Properties
What is the scope of Public Administration?
Scope of Public Administration
• Executive branch of government
• Formulation and implementation of
public policies
• Human behavior, cooperative group effort
• Production of public goods or services
• Distinctive from private administration
 Properties
Public administration in terms of Nature
Nature of Public Administration
• Serving the public
• Based on law, rules and regulations
• Public inspection
• Public censure or legislative scrutiny
• Complexity and network of allied organizations
• It is identified by Promoting ‘public-ness’
 Other Concerns of the Discipline
• Policy sensitivity – it is identified by the innovative and timely policy formulation
which necessitates a new preparedness within the administrative set-up.
• Implementation Capability -effective policy implementation is going to test the
coping capacity of the government in today’s complex situations.
• Shared understanding of social reality – the construction of administrative reality
has to be based on understanding the diverse interests and shared understanding of its
actors such as the women/men at the top, the middle managers, the employees and the
citizens.
• Administration as a learning experience: PA must be
– proactive
– adaptable to changes,
– open to new insights,
– innovative,
– risk-taking, and
– has to be learning organization.
• POSDCoRB, summed up by Gullick, denotes Planning, Organization, Staffing,
 What are the pillars of Public Administration?
Pillars of Public Administration
• Three E’s or the three pillars of public administration:
efficiency, effectiveness and economy.
• Efficiency refers to the utilization of resources and involves the
relationship between inputs and outputs.
• Effectiveness deals with the extent to which the agency
achieves the goals or objectives of the organization or program.
• Economy means acquiring resources at the lowest cost while
maintaining the objectives of the organization or agency
(Akram Kahn, 1988).
– Many have argued that the fourth pillar stands for equity or
social equity
– fairness, justice, and equality
 The Environment of Public Administration
• Public administration exists in a peculiar socio –
economic, demographic, technological and political
environment that affects its behavior and performance.
• Thus, public administration has always to keep on with
close scrutiny and be aware of what is going on or what
exists in both the internal and external environment.
• THE ENV’TS ARE:
1.Internal environment: This may include the organization
itself and groups and individuals within the organization,
the material, financial, and other resources available for
the organization and so on.
 CON’D

2. External environment which is outside the control of the administration but having
major impact in shaping the features and determining the success or failures of the overall
objectives that public administration wants to achieve.
• The external environment can be generalized as demographic, political, economic, natural,
social, technological and international forces, each of which reflected in many ways.
• Politically-the type of government and the resultant constitution, policies, laws and directives;
national and international political trends and changes; bilateral and multilateral agreements and
policies.
• Demographically-population trends and changes, the size, density, location (geography), age, sex,
race, occupation and other statistical elements of the population.
• Economically-national economic trends and level of growth and development; the global market
and economic situation as well as the extent of mutual economic assistance and cooperation.
• Naturally-e.g. environmental issues such as pollution, energy shortages, wasting of natural
resources.
• Socially-societal beliefs, values, attitudes, cultures, and lifestyles; public expectations and
demands.
• Technologically-ability or access to use the type of technology e.g. such as in communication and
production.
• Internationally-E.g. Oil policies of OPEC practically influence the operations of
much organization in other countries which depend on oil as their main source of energy,
multinational business firms.
 Reflective Questions
• What are the major characteristics and
pillars of public administration?
• What are the implications of these
pillars and characteristics of public
administration for contemporary public
administrators?
The Distinction between Public and Private Administration
Purpose
 public administration is to serve the public; public satisfactions are

the ends that public administration must serve.

 By contrast, business administration is basically oriented toward

earning profit for the business proprietors.

Law, rules and regulations
 Public administration has to operate strictly according to law, rules
and regulations. Adherence to law brings in a degree of rigidity of
operation in the public sector. There is always the fear of audit or
accountability that acts as a constraint on performance.
 On the contrary, business administration is relatively free from such
constraints of law and regulations. There are of course general laws
regulating business, but individual business firms have considerable
flexibility to adapt their operations to changing situations
 Con‘t’d

Discrimination or Partiality
 In public administration, any show of discrimination
or partiality will evoke public fault or legislative
disorder.
 Hence, the administrators are to be very consistent
and impartial in their dealings with the public.
 In business administration, discrimination is freely
practiced due to competitive demands.
– E.g. Price discrimination, market segmentation
 Cont’d
Complexity
 Public administration, especially at higher levels of
government, is exceedingly complex. There are many
pulls and pressures, many minds have to meet and
discuss, consultations go on in several rounds of
meetings before decisions are taken. Activities in one
department have consequence that spread over several
other departments.
 By contrast, business administration is, generally
speaking, much more well-knit and single minded in
operation. There is much less complexity in
organization and operations. The pressures are
 Cont’d
Environment
• Public administration inevitably operates within
political environment. It is the political context of
public administration which makes it necessary for it to
lie down and adhere to elaborate rules and regulation
and comply with time-consuming procedures.
• Private administration decided the course of action
on the basis of cost-benefits analysis – at least, this is
the belief-but in public administration the ultimate test
is political-This is how the government remains
close to the people and citizens get maximum
satisfaction.
 Others
• Nature of functions – PA is big and diversified, no private organization
can match public administration in the range, variety and scale of function.
• Accountability - There is noticeable emphasis on accountability in public
administration than in private administration (follows from the political
environments subject to public control and scrutiny).
• Efficiency - Public administration is less efficient than private administration.
• In the case of private administration, the criterion of efficiency is(It is profit).
On the other hand; it is difficult to evaluate efficiency in a government
organization(governmental organizations do not work for profit. So, the basic
aim of governmental activities is not to maximize profit, but to promote
community welfare.
• Legal safeguards - Public administration is less efficient than private
administration functions as it operates strictly in accordance with legal
safeguards. This implies that the government official, much more so than his
private counterpart, operate within a framework of general and specific laws
limiting his freedom of individual action.
 Cont’d
• Service and cost - In public administration, there is an intimate relationship
between the service rendered and the cost of service charged from the public. Here
expenditure exceeds income.
• On the other hand, in private administrative income often extras expenditure,
otherwise there would be no profit.
• Consistency of treatment - Public administration should be consistent in
procedure and uniform in dealing with the public, Private administration can and
very often does practice discrimination in selling its services.
• Anonymity (secrecy)- The public official bears the impress of anonymity. He
acts in his official capacity, and is protected from harm or criticism by the well-
known convention of ministerial responsibility for all his acts so performed.
• External financial control - Public administration is subjected to external
financial control. It is the legislature that passes the acceptance, authorizing the
executive branch to spend money.
• Monopoly - Many activities of public administration are monopolistic in nature;
and absence of competition has endowed it with many special features.
 Cont’d
• Social prestige - It may be pointed out that the public administration
carries, perhaps, a great social prestige than his private counterpart. This is
because of the greater opportunity of serving the people that the public
service offers.
• Personnel practices - The personnel practices in the government are
elaborate and rigid, and are even designed to serve multiple goals
thereby adding to the complexity of the task.
• In Ethiopia, for instance, the public personnel practices are based on merit
and treat disadvantaged sections in the society in a special manner.
• On the other hand, private administration enjoys a much larger measure of
initiative and flexibility in regard to its personnel practices.
• Wide publicity- Actions and deeds of public administration are exposed
to the public notice to a degree which people in private sector can never
imagine to have. The media is ever interested in getting even the
smallest details about the public officials. Public administrations verily
operate within a glass house and its activities are all open to the public.
 Summary of the differences b/n Private & Public Administration

No Criteria Public Administration Private Administration

1  Serves the general public, welfare  Serves private owner, profit.

Purpose

2  According to the law, rules and regulation  Relatively free and flexible
Mode of to adopt
operation
3  Continuous gaze by public  Not so by the public but by
Control the owners

4  Impartial and even handed (equal to all)  Openly discriminatory

Public (unequal)
relations
5  Complex, many pulls and pressures, many minds involved  Well-knit and single minded
Involvement operation

6  Needs political direction, at the core of public  Needs less of that, profit is at
Politics administration the heart of business
administration
 Reflective Questions

• What major criteria are used to make

distinction between public and private
administration?
• What are the external and internal factors
that public administrators should know?
• Why is it important for public
administrators to understand and analyze
the external and internal factors? Which
one do you think is more important? Why?
 The Institutional setting of Public
Administration

State, Government and Society as a

General Setting
 Introduction
• Public administration operates in a given state, run by a
government and serves a defined society.
• Society is a broad grouping of people who live in a common
environment and have common traditions, institutions,
activities and interests.
• State refers to a set of institutions that possess the means of
legitimate coercion exercised over a defined territory and its
population or society.
– composed of people living together,
– a defined territory having an international recognition,
– a government which is responsible for the administration of
its people and sovereignty.
• Government refers to the body having the responsibility of
exercising power.
Intro
• Powers of government are often divided into
three sets:
1. The legislature (whose role is to make the
law);
2. The executive (sometimes referred the
government) which is responsible for
implementing the law;
3. And the judiciary (responsible for applying
and interpreting the law).
 The Government and its Machineries

• National states are organized in many ways.

But In modern States, there is
1. Executive Branch
• It is the branch of government that administers laws, and
implements the rules of the legislators.
• It includes the political apex such as:
– the president in the USA,
– Cabinet in the Great Britain and
– Ministerial Council and other institutions under the supervision of
Prime Minister (who make up the government).
• Is charged with the execution of the laws, foreign relations
and direction of military affairs, budget and personnel
matters and the general supervision of public Administration.
Executive Branch
• This branch functions through executive
department like ministers, commissions, agencies,
authorities and other institutions.
• This branch of government includes:
• Political executives: those politically appointed
ministers and
• The prime minister
• And non-political (administrative) executives (civil
service): those permanent public servants working
in the bureaucracy.
2. The Legislative Body

• In many countries, the legislature is the

body whose primary role is to make laws
based on the country's constitution.
• This body is usually the parliament, which
could be bicameral (two chambers) or
unicameral (a single chamber).
• The legislature is often the highest organ
of power of the state.
 Legislative Branch –role
• The principal forum for deliberating, debating, and passing
laws in a representative democracy
• Investigation of actions and decisions of government
officials
• Approval of national budgets
• Conducting hearings on pressing issues, interest groups,
political parties, general public (electorate), etc
• Confirm executive appointees to courts and ministries.
• Legitimizing government policy
• Legislators must work within the democratic ethics of
tolerance, respect, and compromise to reach agreement that
will benefit the general welfare of all the people. Not just
their political supporters.
 3. The Judiciary
• Independent and professional judges are the foundation of a fair,
impartial, and constitutionally guaranteed system of courts of
law known as the judiciary.
• This independence mean judges can make lawful decisions not
decisions based on personal preferences.
• In democracies, independence from political pressures of elected
officials and legislatures guarantees the impartiality of judges.
• Judicial rulings should be impartial-based on the facts of a case,
individual merits and legal arguments, and relevant laws.
• Without any restrictions, these principles ensure equal legal
protection for all.
• The power of judges to review public laws and declare them void or
not void, in wish of the nation's constitution, serves as a fundamental
check on potential government abuse of power…… even if the
government is elected by a popular majority.
 Reflective Questions

• What are the three bodies of the government?

• Can you mention, perhaps, the fourth one?

• How do you explain their roles,

responsibilities and power relationships?

 Types, Forms and Systems of Government

• There are three major types of government. These are:

• Monarchy (rule by one person) – is a type of government
headed by a hereditary, lifelong ruler. His power may be:
Absolute; Limited by a constitution, or merely symbolic.

• Aristocracy (rule by an enlightened few) – is a type of

government in a society with rigid class distinction.
Aristocracy represents the highest ranks and is largely
identical with nobility.
• In some communities, certain groups (few people) develop
a somewhat superior standing by virtue of their
ancestry, long time residence, wealth, contribution to
business and industry, professional status
• Democracy(rule by all the people) – is a type of
government with majority rule (i.e. people rule themselves
either directly or indirectly via electing their
representatives to form a government on their behalf)
FORMS OF GOV’T
Unitary (Unitarism) Federation Confederation
(Federalism) (Con-federalism)

Better to handle central Responsibilities are Allows regional

Comparative and streamline national clearly demarcated diversity.
advantage issues and problem between national and
efficiently regional governments

Bureaucracy problems Without the existence Relative inability to

Comparative to meet demands in of developed culture, execute national
disadvantage remote areas. problems may emanate policies without a
Difficult to implement from ethnic, religion, central government
policies uniformly linguistic and
throughout the nation economic diversity.
Think- pair- share
• Discuss the concept and advantages
of Decentralization
 Decentralization under the federal form of government

• Decentralization refers to the transfer of legal, administrative, and political

authority to make decisions and mange public functions from the central
government to different gov’t agencies, subordinate units of government
semiautonomous public corporations, functional authorities, autonomous local
governments, or non-governmental organizations.

Decentralization has been undertaken for

• Organizational effectiveness ( due to relatively high levels of employee
motivation and productivity, smooth communication b/n various levels of
organization)
• Making public administration more responsive to the citizens – (sensitive and
responsive to the needs and views of the citizens & whose personnel &
programs represent their interests &serves their needs).
• Promotion of national development ( facilitating national development by
providing local self-government for its villages and rural districts.
Forms of decentralization

•
 Decentralization – summary
• Decentralization depends on the following three characteristics of the
decisions made at lower levels of the organization:
• Frequency of decisions – the greater the frequency of decisions
made at lower levels of an organization, the greater the degree of
decentralization in that organization.
• Breadth of decision – the broader the scope of decisions made at
lower levels of an organization, the greater the degree of
decentralization.
• Extent of control over Decisions – the extent of controls exercised
over the decisions made at lower levels of an organization is an
important measure of the degree of decentralization.
– E.g. An organization that permits a sales manager to approve
customer credit up to Birr 10,000 is much more decentralized,
other things being equal, than the organization that permits
approval by the sales manager of only Birr 2000 credit.
• In conclusion, decentralization is the transfer of at least three
things: (1) power and authority, (2) resources, and (3) functions
and responsibilities from higher levels of government to the lower
units.
Conclusion
Advantages of Decentralization

Allows for more rapid decision making

• Allows for the development of professional managers
• Allows for the effective use of top- management resources
• Realizes the participative management process in the organization,
• Creates a competitive environment among the decentralized units
• Allows for improved controls and performance measurements
• Local needs and problems are best handled by local people who
are familiar with the local conditions.
Local Government Administration

• Local government- is a part of government dealing with local matters

concerning the residents of a particular area.
• Local government undertakes its work through local councils and financed
by a mix of local taxes. For example, local government administration in
‘Ethiopia includes: municipal administration, Woreda administration,
Zonal administration.
• Local governments have the following functions to carry out
1. Rulemaking at the local level
• The most common rule making body at the local level is the elected
boards or councils. These local legislative bodies normally make rules
(commonly referred to as ordinance- decree, regulation, order ) that apply
to the local matters over which the central government has delegated
them the authority to rule.
Local gov’t
2. Rule application at the local level
• There are great variations in how local rules are carried out and by whom.
• The chief executive at the local level may be a traditional chief entitled to
his post by his place in the kinship system.
• A manager elected by the people or by the rule-making council;
• a city manager hired by that council, or
• a civilian or military administrator appointed by the national government
can lead local governments and apply local rules.
3. Rule adjudication at the local level(negotiation )-arbitration
• No question of local government is more sensitive than the resolution of
disputes. For example, when crimes are committed, when reputations are
degraded, or when contracts are violated, local governments must resolve
these.
Systems of Government
 Comparison between parliamentary and presidential systems
Issues Parliamentary System Presidential System
For the party instead of the individuals Members of legislature are not beholder to
Voting The candidate has no his own position their parties at all times.
rather it is the party’s position

More flexible (easy to pass laws) because Relatively not flexible because every party
Efficiency the government is composed to the member may oppose their parties proposal
majority seats. as regard to pass laws.

The public is relatively y assured to get Members of legislature may cross party-
Party performance what it had been promised lines after election and vote with the
opposition party after promises had been
given to the public.

Stability More of unstable Relatively stable

Members of parliament wear two hats; There is strong basis for check and balance
Separation of they are both legislatives and executives, on every level of government.
power therefore, the power of each branch is
unchecked in each case.
• In a parliamentary government system,
executive and legislative structures are so
interlocked and policy processes so fused
that it is virtually impossible to differentiate
their activities.
• This is because the majority party in the
legislature forms the executive branch of the
government, headed by a prime minister.
Reflective questions

• What is decentralization?
• What are the major forms of
decentralization?
• Why has decentralization got much
attention in this era of public
administration?
• What are the challenges of
decentralization?
Public administration in developed and developing countries

1. Public administration in developed countries

• Differences in terms of the following important features of administrative
systems. In developed countries:
1. The bureaucracy is marked by a high degree of specialization.
2. Recruitment of personnel is generally based on merits.
3. Laws and political decisions are largely rational. Public policy making is
effectively made by professional public administrators.
4. Administration has become to take all-encompassing functions that
affect major spheres of the lives of citizens.
5. There is high correlation (association) between political power and
legitimacy (legality) and there is an extensive popular interest and
involvement in public affairs.
6. incumbents of political or governmental offices are generally considered
as lawful or reasonable holders of those positions, and transfer of power
and positions tend to occur in accordance with prescribed rules and
procedures.
roles and challenges of public administration in developed countries

1. viewed in their particular socio-economic and cultural context.

– For example, PA in developed societies is extremely affected by the development of
modern science and technology, and communication networks.
– Relative autonomy of institutions in developed countries has also its own (special)
administrative problems, reflected in terms of lack of coherence among numerous
service and regulatory organizations or agencies.

Generally, developed countries (especially in Europe) are typical examples

of what is known as the "administrative state"; and the bureaucracy
in these states mainly perform three types of functions:
1. Regulatory and preventive functions-enforcing laws, collecting
revenue, and protecting the state against external aggression.
2. Service functions-providing services like education, health, culture
and recreation, social insurance, unemployment relief, housing,
transportation, and communication.
3. Entrepreneurial (commercial) functions-operating industrial
enterprises, loaning funds and so forth in order to maintain or increase
economic growth and development of their respective societies.
Public administration in developing countries

• The following points are indicative of general administrative patterns

currently found in developing (third world) countries.

1. The basic pattern of public administration is imitative (copied) rather

than indigenous (original). All developing (third world) counties tried
to introduce some version or style of the bureaucratic model of
administration from developed countries.

2. The bureaucracies are deficient (lacking) in the requisite skills necessary

for development programs, trained administrators with management
capacity, developmental skills, and technical proficiency are
extremely in shortfall.
Public administration in developing countries

3. Emphasis to non-productive orientations is another tendency

(trend) of the bureaucracies of these countries. Much
bureaucratic activity is channeled towards the realization of
non-developmental goals.

4. Thus, there is always a surplus of employees in the public

services.

5. Extensive (huge) discrepancy or disagreement between

form and reality, which Riggs has called it "formalism", -It
mean bureaucrats pretend as if they make things they ought
to be done while the reality tells different from what they
say.
However, ……..expectation from developing gov’t

• Regardless of the aforementioned limitations of the current administrative

patterns of developing countries, It is the state to bear or shoulder the
principal responsibility of achieving developmental goals.

• In other words, in addition to severe handicaps like shortage of capital, skilled

manpower, and lack of developmental infrastructure that they inherited from
colonialists, the Third World governments are confronted with rising
expectations of the people they have to administer.

• Besides, Third World governments have been expected to deal with curtailing
social dislocations such as mass rural-urban migration, sever
unemployment, riots (social unrest) and community clashes.

• With such challenges and confrontations, public administration still becomes

the main agency of socio-economic changes; changes not only in terms of
formulating and implementing long-term plans, but also in the context of
establishing modern institutions or organizations equipped with the
necessary skills.
 Reflective questions

• What are the strengths of developed

countries’ public administration?
• What are the drawbacks of developing
countries’ public administration?
• What lessons can developing countries
learn from developed countries in order to
improve their public administration
system?
• How can these lessons be learned?
-

Public administration in Ethiopia

 Discussion Questions

How could you define Public Administration in the Ethiopian

context?

What special features could you find in your definition?

3. Recent Genesis of Ethiopian Public
Administration

Monarchical Socialist Current

Era Era Situation
3. Recent Genesis of Ethiopian Public
Administration

Ethiopia's public Administration:

• Prime mover in promoting development
• Operational arm (Apparatus) of the government
• Many achievements
• Much still to be accomplished
Cont’d
Early Development
• Period Zemene Mesafint: dark age
• Emperor Tewodros: reformist tendency
– Creation of national army
– Restraining church’s privilege of tax exemption
– Land reform
• Yohannes IV
– Border conflicts
Cont’d
Early Development - Menelik II
• Aimed at creating an orderly and efficient
government
• Introduction of modern administration
• Appointed nine ministers on October 25, 1907
– Minister of Justice, Defense, Interior, Trade and Foreign
Affair, Finance, Agriculture, Pen, Public works and
Minister of Palace Administration
Cont’d
Early Development - Menelik II
• Founded foreign mission in Addis Ababa
• Issued Guidelines
– Warned ministers against any form of corruption
– Promised salary to the ministers
– Urged to employ people who are diligent and sympathetic
to the poor
• Land, legal system and system of inheritance
• Changed existing system of appeal
Cont’d
Early Development – E. Zewditu
• Council of ministers continued to operate during the early
days
• Weakened slowly due to power struggle between different
factions
• Lately, the government was run by the empress, Ras Teferi and
Fitawrari Habtegiorgis
• Advisory council was formed a year after the ministers were
removed
Cont’d
Early Development – H.Selassie
• The ministerial system was reconstituted
• The emperor modernized the civil service:
– Established more and more schools
– Modernized legal system, health system and administrative
apparatus
– Legislation was issued reforming the taxation system
– Customs department was reorganized
– Civil servants hired, budget allocated, offices built
– Ministries were given legal power through constitution
Con‘t’d
Early Development – H.Selassie
• Modernization interrupted by Italian invasion
• Government had a number of accomplishments
• Problems of the monarchial regime:
– Not working for citizens (working against public interest)
– cronyism
– discretionary interventions
– prevalence of political clientelism
– Focusing on individual and group interests of the nobility
Ethiopian Public Administration Dergue (Socialist Era)

• Emphasis on the socialist (central-planning) ideology

• politicization of the civil service
• requirement on all civil servants and political appointees to
undergo re-education to acquire the proper socialist orientation
Cont’d
• During the Military rule
– meritocracy was eroded
– pay differences were minimized and pay increase was
totally abandoned
– the civil service institutions were taken as a relief point for
the ever growing jobless citizens
Cont’d
• institutional, manpower and statutory adjustments were not
addressed
• implementation of new decisions within the context of old
regulations
• eviction of skilled and experienced civil servants and their
replacement with new recruits and political supplicants
Cont’d
• Running the civil service party functionaries led to
– downplaying of merit and professionalism
– corruption, inefficient service delivery and increased
neglect of due process of law in matters of public concern
– gross failure in delivering the "public good”
Ethiopian Public Administration the current situation

• The civil service in the country

– has only 100 years of age
– mainly engaged on keeping peace and enforcing law and
order in the country
– hardly contributes in fighting poverty and backwardness
– Its legal frameworks and regulation were developed in the
mid 1960s
Cont’d
• The civil service at the end of the military
regime was characterized by
– Poor structure, lack of skilled manpower and
inappropriate working systems
– Corrupted staff, officials and systems
– Centralized, inefficient
During Transition
The Transitional Charter
– a commitment to a peaceful resolution of conflicts
– the recognition of the right of nations, nationalities and
peoples
– full respect of human rights
– right to engage in unrestricted political activity and
– a commitment to holding national and local elections
 After 1994 – The Constitution
Key changes how government is organized and operate I
Reconstituted the Ethiopian state on a federal basis
– Institutionalized the sovereignty of the people as the ultimate
source of power
– Established a democratic system of government based on
periodically held free and fair elections
– an independent judiciary
– Guarantee the protection of citizen’s basic human and
democratic rights
After 1994 – The Constitution
Key changes how government is organized and operate II
– Sovereignty and the right of self determination of nations,
nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia
– Gender equality
– Separation of state and religion
– Division of power between the federal and regional
governments . . . etc
 Reforms
• The civil service in the country was evaluated by a task force
• Nationwide civil service reform programs were designed
– To renovate the backward government civil service
– To have the civil service transparent, responsive, accountable,
ethical, and free of corruption
– To enhance the economic and social development of the
country
Public Administration and Local Government in
Ethiopia

• The process of decentralization exhibits the following

features:
– Disperses power, both geographically and institutionally
– Creates new responsibilities for inexperienced actors
– Can disperse scale economies (expertise) groups
– Introduces more levels into the state
– Creates a tension between local autonomy and national
standards
– Can increase administrative costs
Reforming Public Administration in Ethiopia

• Public administration is a continuous

process
• Good government = efficient and
effective civil service
– Civil service is machinery
• that governments rely on to design, formulate and
implement its policies, strategies and programs
• that helps government to discharge all routine
government functions
Ethiopian Civil Service
Challenges
– shortage of skilled manpower
– high turnover within the public service
– demanding situations to ensure development and good
governance
– attitudinal problems within the civil servants
– institutional capacity problem
– lack of improved systems and procedures
– rent seeking behavior and practices
Issues that trigger continuous change in
Ethiopia
• National values
• Changing roles and functions of the State
• Environmental change
• Resource availability
• Rigidities
• New technologies
 Discussion Questions
• What specific challenges and opportunities
could you identify with the new Regional set-up
(decentralization) of Ethiopia in recent years?
• How can the country benefits from these
opportunities and which challenges do you think
will continue in the future?
• What remedies can you see for the problems?
 Rent Seeking: A Challenge for Ethiopian Public
Administration

• Critical challenge which impede the democratic and

developmental endeavor
• Rent seeking in the entire system
– The behavior of an individual, company, or government
attempting to make a profit without making a product,
producing wealth, or other-wise contributing to society
– Rent is income obtained when parties are excluded from
otherwise accessible transactions
Cont’d
• Forms of rent-seeking behavior
– lobbying
– decision making that promote self interest and personal
gain
– bribery and corruption (petty and grand)
• Rent-seeking public officials
– developmental state
– influenced by the role of government in the economy
 Discussion Questions
1. How do you evaluate the fight against rent seeking in Ethiopia
at present time?
2. What do you think are the most critical tasks of the Ethiopian
leadership to sustain developmental thinking in the entire
public administration echelon across the country?
3. Why do you think it is said that developmental states’ officials
and professionals are prone to rent seeking behavior and
practices?
Future Government
The Future of Government: FAST

• Government must be flatter I

– Citizen engagement
• Reduce distance between governors and the governed
– Administrative efficiency
• Reduce hierarchies between top management and the
frontline operators (use management tools)
The Future of Government: FAST

• Government must be flatter II

– Decision-making processes
• Provide information where it is needed
– Intergovernmental and cross-sectoral collaboration
• Create networks between government, private and civil
society
The Future of Government: FAST
• Government must be agile(alert)
– flexibility in regulatory and legal structures
– Organize and re-organize itself as may be required
– Have highly skilled manpower
• Government must be streamlined( effcient and rational)
– Have an optimal civil service size
– Using shared services, labor and other resources
The Future of Government: FAST
• Government must be tech-enabled
– Policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and processes
must be redesigned to align with the dynamics of the
networked world.
– Information infrastructures must support new modes of
collaboration, information and intensive governance.
Thank You!