Culture, Administration, and Reform in Africa

Abstract

Research on public administration in Africa has been prescriptive rather than analytical. Solutions have been provided in search of problems. Little, if any, attention has been paid to the role of local administrative cultures. This article problematizes public sector reform efforts on the African continent by identifying the cultural realities in which administration is being pursued and how the practices differ from the prescriptions offered by consultants. A principal distinction is made between a “civic” and an “affective” cultural model. The conclusion is that any reform efforts in the future need to start from what is on the ground rather than trying to impose something from outside that does not match existing administrative practices.

Keywords:

• administrative culture
• public sector reform
• economy of affection

Notes

¹Most Anglophone countries had major reviews of their own. The most notable in terms of their political visibility were the Ndegwa Commission in Kenya, the Udoji Commission in Nigeria, the Mills-Odoi Commission in Ghana, and the Wamalwa Commission in Swaziland. Interestingly, the persons after whom these commissions were named were all senior civil servants who had been trained in colonial days and promoted to top positions following independence. They also had one other thing in common: they became founding members of the African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) in 1971.

²The six countries included are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hungary, Mexico, and Thailand.

³These figures include deputy and/or assistant ministers.