Introduction

 MPPG 501 examines reforms aimed at improving the organization, management, governance and
service delivery in public sectors. Its fixation is with improving the way Government institutions work.
To this end, these reforms can also be viewed as aimed at improving public administration—improving
the service delivery capacity of government institutions. Appreciation of the fundamentals of Public
Administration is therefore critical, taking into context the contributions of icons such as Max Weber,
Woodrow Wilson, Hood, Osborne and Gaebler, Christopher Politt, Dunleavy etc.

 The public sector reform and governance discourse has vastly changed over the centuries, notably with
transitions from TPA, NPM, NPS, NPG, DPG-each transition constituting an own banquet of new
concepts and principles. Although these reforms have been diffusing to all countries across the world,
their pace and impact has generally varied from region to region and from country to country.
Appreciation of the forces that gave birth to TPA, NPM, NPS, NPG and DPG is therefore critical.

 Equally worthy appreciating are the ongoing global contestations on whether the changes from TPA to
latest NPG models should be described as ‘paradigmatic changes’ or mere cases of ‘old wine in new
bottles’. Notable debates can be gleaned from Dunleavy (2005)’s “New Public Management Is Dead-
Long Live Digital-Era Governance” which courted a scholarly response from Jouke de Vries (2009) in
the form of an article “Is New Public Management really dead”. Vries argue that while NPM is in
trouble, it is still not really dead. Parts of NPM are still very much alive. It is too early to speak in terms
of a third –order change (third wave). What are the emerging scenarios in African public sectors? Do
they support or rebut these arguments? Is TPA really dead in African public services?

 Equally important is the need to situate and interrogate the push for Public Sector Reform and
governance within the interactive milieu of local and global dynamics. For instance, the emergence of
pro-reform political leadership in many Anglo-American style democracies in the 1980s such as
Margaret Thatcher who “sought to perform radical surgery on the civil service…; Ronald Reagan who
sought to drain the swamp”…. And Brian Mulroney of Canada who sought to “give pink slips and
running shoes”-provided the push for the transition to managerialism (Guy Peters and Donald Savoe,
1994: 418). The NPM ideology was forcefully articulated by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler (1992) in
their book Reinventing Government. It should be noted that NPM went by various names such as
“managerialism” (Pollitt, 1999) ---“new public management” (Hood, 1991), “market–based public
administration” (Lan and Rosenbloom, 1992), “entrepreneurial government” (Osborne and Gaebler,
1992). As a neoliberal managerial doctrine, NPM emphasized downsizing of staff, contracting out of
service provision, disaggregation, removal of state controls on pricing systems and decentralization of
functional units and management (Hood, 1991; Kettle, 2005). Note the visibility of international
organizations such as the WB and IMF in public sectors!

 The onset of the second millennium witnessed a rethinking on NPM approaches- hence emergence of
New Public Governance, New Public Services and Digital Public Governance. Concepts and principles
such as co-design, co-production, open government, network governance, green procurement, green
economy, reform sustainability, public-private-community partnerships, e-governance, and e-
engagement are now key elements of the 21 st century public governance discourse. Which scholarly
writings have provided the push for NPS, NPG, and DPG? There is growing emphasis on citizen and
stakeholder participation in national processes-policy formulation and implementation, budgeting.
Governments are expected to forge networks with businesses in road construction, agriculture,
manufacturing, service provision. The notion of government as the sole provider of public services has
since been discarded. The role of the State is to create conditions conducive for
networks/partnership/co-production.

 Equally important is the need to situate and interrogate the performance of public sector reforms within
the interactive milieu of African settings. PSRs are state-driven processes. They are formulated,
adopted and implemented by States. The nature of State politics and governance/leadership styles
invariably influences the public sector climate, pace and performance of PSRs. Decisions on what
reform values and goals to pursue, what specific reforms to adopt and what governance frameworks to
put in place are responsibilities of States. The issue is complicated by the fact that mere existence of
requisite frameworks (laws, codes of conduct, institutions, policies, etc) is not the panacea for effective
implementation of PSRs. Oftentimes legal and policy frameworks are “more honored in breach than in
observance” (UNECA & APPAM 1991:7) Political-will matters! So as we review these reforms, we
 should be attentive to questions of this nature: How are factors such as the nature of leadership, state
politics, and governance styles in Africa influenced the implementation and performance of public
sector reforms? What are the emerging challenges? How do we measure the success of public sector
reforms? Are there inspiring success stories of public sector reforms in Africa?

21st century contexts of public sector reforms and governance: Global Perspectives
These major developments/dynamics have a direct bearing on public sector reforms and governance. How are
public sectors responding to these dynamics and developments?

1. Digital and globalised world

 “runaway world” (Anthony Giddens 2000)—a fast changing world—a world in a rush-
public sectors under pressure to make fast decisions; incorporate e-government and e-
governance systems and practices-services
 Public officers increasingly operating under the ‘goldfish bowl’ of the social media world)….
social media scrutiny-cyber crimes---cyber bullying etc.
2. Climate Change and the COVID-19 ‘new normal’
 Government institutions [health, education, tourism, industry] reconstituting their operations
to cope with climate-change-induced disasters and Covid-19 new normal.
3. African Visions, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Good Governance.
 Public sector effectiveness is viewed as key to the realization of the above.
 What Visions have been adopted in African countries? Which SDGs are expected to be
achieved? What are Good Governance Indicators (GGIs) and how are they relevant to the
public sectors?
4. Fiscal stresses
 unsustainable budget deficits; escalating public debt situations; declining revenue
collection capacities (tax revenue collection capacity in African countries around 3-5%
compared to 40% in developed world]
 limited space to maneuver- public sectors expected to make do with minimum resources
 Public sectors under pressure to cut costs by reducing wage bills, outsourcing of service
provision, freezing posts and encouraging early retirements, privatizing or liquidating
loss-making SOEs
 Reductions in sectoral service delivery.
5. Surging corruption levels and declining confidence in Government institutions.
 Cases of corruption worsening across the world [Check world corruption index Reports]
 Corruption becoming a global pandemic- claims of State captures- holding in captivity
apex institutional decision-making processes(Gupta case in SA)
 Anti-Corruption Commissions and Public Protectors struggling to cope
 a growing culture of ‘wealth at all costs’. “Public office holders and public servants who
do not appear to have prospered from carrying public positions are treated with scant
respect” (ECA 2005: 22).
6. Global rethinking on the role of Government and approaches to public sector governance
 Government is no longer viewed as the sole provider of public services.
 Public sectors are expected to network and form partnerships with private players in areas of
service provision.
 The emphasis is no longer on just ‘less government’ but ‘better government’.
 Transitions from Weberian models of public administration (TPA), NPM(managerialist
public administration), NPG(governance-based public administration), NPS(public value or
service-driven public administration) to Digital Public Governance (paperless public
administration)
 New governance models grafted into public sectors in response to changing models-
reinventing Government/entrepreneurial Government (Osborne and Gaebler), network
governance, co-production, co-design, open government, public-private-community
partnerships, e-governance, public value, e-engagement, green procurement, green economy,
governance sustainability etc
 How these transitions or ‘paradigmatic changes’ (as some scholars call them) have
transformed public governance approaches are issues for scholarly research?
 Each model brought a new view of Government and accompanying management principles.

Public Sectors, Significance, Public Sector Reforms

Public Sectors
  Public sectors are those parts of the economy whose operations/activities are directly owned or
controlled by government and whose operations are expected to be driven by public motive.
 Public sectors operate as inter-locking systems of the executive, legislature, judiciary and ancillary
state bodies.
 These inter-governmental structures operate on the doctrine of ‘separation of powers’ and ‘balance of
powers’….public motive, political neutrality ….collective responsibility.
 Public sector decisions are arrived at through political process: parliamentary debates, cabinet
deliberations, public consultations, bargaining, interest accommodation…persuasion…..coercion.
 Public officials operate in a “goldfish bowl” (Nigro and Nigro, 1984,9)-ie subject to public scrutiny and
myriad controls through constitutions, legislations, policies, executive directives and
 Regulatory bodies mediate, control and regulate relationships between organizations and their
suppliers: eg Public Procurement Regulatory Boards, Ombudsman (Public Protector), Anti-Corruption
Commissions, Audit Offices, and parliaments.

Significance of Public Sectors

 Public sectors account for significant fractions of the economy [public employment, public
expenditures/SOEs]
 Public Sector performance therefore directly bears on economic growth and social welfare
improvements.
 Major government policies/programmes/projects implemented through the public sector
 Key basic services and goods [social services. economic opportunities (employment, contracts,
funding) and natural resources (land, water)-mostly allocated through government ministries and
agencies.
 Public decisions/laws are binding to all---taxes apply to all.
 Prospects for re-engagements/investments are largely determined by the way public sector conduct of
business is perceived. What is the business climate in the public sector? Is Government open to
business? How long does it take secure investment/business approval? Is there a culture of respect for
private property?

Public Sector Reforms

Variously defined
 “the art and science of making the public sector machinery work.” …. deliberately changing the
interlocking structures and processes within the public sector that define how financial and physical
resources and people are deployed and accounted for” (World Bank 2012).
 “measures directed towards strengthening the way the public sector is managed”(Schacter 2000:3)
 “measures aimed at modernization of the state in Africa” (ADB 2005:7).
 a cocktail or raft of policy measures aimed at capacitating public sector institutions. These emphasize
capacity building initiatives.
Key public sector reform initiatives:
o Decentralizing management
o Disaggregating
o Civil Service Reforms (CSRs)
o Incentivisations
o Public Enterprise Reforms (PERs)
o Performance management,
o Performance contracting/ outsourcing
o Public procurement reforms
o Results Based Management
o Corporate governance/
o Anti-corruption initiatives
o Public-Private Partnerships
Reflect! How have these reforms been implemented in public sectors? What specific forms have they taken?
What are the structural and situational challenges?

Sampled public sector value considerations

 Public motive/interest: public institutions operating in the public interest are accountable, transparent,
accessible, credible, protective, responsive, representative and responsible.
 Professionalism and efficiency: What is efficiency? What are the manifestations of an efficient and
professional public institution? What reforms are being adopted to promote efficiency and
professionalism in public sector institutions?
 Political neutrality: A highly contested issue in African public services. Issues: How can senior service
employees who are appointed by the political executive observe political neutrality? Conflation of
politics and administration.
 Institutional accountability: What are the indicators of an accountable public institution? To who are
public institutions expected to be accountable? What reforms are being adopted to promote public
accountability?
 Predictable legal systems: rules known in advance, a reliable and independent judiciary and law
enforcement mechanisms
 Institutional Transparency: What are indictors of a transparent public institution? How can institutional
transparency be promoted?
 Inclusive/participatory institutions and processes: there is now more emphasis on active citizen
participation in public decision-making and production processes-hence emphasis on co-design…co-
production. How can we promote inclusive practices in state institutions?
 Representativeness: accommodates the values and interests of all segments of the population,
minorities, disabled, youth, elderly, women etc

Reflect: What specific reforms have been adopted to institutionalize or mainstream these values?
What are the emerging challenges? How can these challenges be sustainably addressed?