PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE:

Governments Serving Citizens

The role of public administration in governance is a continuing topic of discussion

and debate. The current worldwide reassessment of the functions of the State and

of public officials and civil servants arises from two major sources: one is

globalization and its impacts on what governments must do to adapt and respond

to rapidly changing international economic, social, political and technological

trends; the other is increasing dissatisfaction among citizens in many countries

with the functions of government and the services that public administrations

provide.

Globalization – the movement toward greater interaction, integration, and

interdependence among people and organizations across national borders – is

increasing transactions among countries in trade and investment and in the

international flows of capital, people, technology, and information.1 It is evident in

the growing levels of international political interaction and widespread social and

cultural interchange that have occurred over the past quarter of a century.2

Globalization has brought both benefits and challenges to countries around the

world.3 Globalization offers new economic opportunities but also imposes new

political, social, technological, and institutional complexities, especially on poorer

countries, that governments must address in order to stimulate more equitable

economic and social development. In order to benefit from more open and

widespread economic interaction, governments must support an economic system

that promotes and facilitates the ability of business enterprises to compete

effectively in international markets and of people at all economic levels to earn a

decent livelihood.

Over the past two decades, in the wake of pressures of globalization and

technological innovation and more widespread access to communications, citizens

In many countries began demanding more of their governments. These rising

expectations, too often, have led to growing dissatisfaction with or lack of trust in

government. In its review of government reinvention experiences in nine countries,

the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted that

“a growing disenchantment with government performance” increased pressures for

reform in Europe.4 But such widespread public dissatisfaction with government is

seen in other regions of the world as well.

The World Economic Forum’s tracking of public opinion in 14 countries –

Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria,

Russia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States – found a strong

deterioration in public trust in government between 2001 and 2005 in all but a few

of the countries. In only six of the 14 did more than half of the citizens trust

government.5

In Latin America, only 49 per cent of the population surveyed by Latinobarόmetro

approved of the government in 18 South and Central American countries in 2005;

trust in the elite that led the country was only 33 per cent.6 The survey of 176,554

people in Latin America found that in only five of the 18 countries did more than

half of those surveyed believe that elections were “clean.” Only about half of the

respondents believed that the State enforces laws effectively. About 72 per cent of

those surveyed did not trust the government to know how to spend tax money; 66

per cent of the region’s inhabitants expressed little or no confidence in the

judiciary; and only about 30 per cent thought that the government had made

progress in reducing corruption in state institutions.

Surveys of more than 21,500 people in 12 African countries showed widespread

discontent with the performance of governments in that region.7 Asked how well

the government performed in creating jobs, 60 per cent of the respondents said

“fairly badly or very badly;” about 62 per cent were dissatisfied with government

performance in keeping prices stable; 63 per cent did not think government did a

good job in narrowing income gaps. Half of the citizens surveyed believed that

government did badly at reducing crime and 48 per cent believed that it did not

effectively fight corruption in government.

Dissatisfaction with government is not restricted to national governments. In

Europe, public opinion surveys point out that in 2005, only 51 per cent of the

people interviewed by Eurobarometer had confidence in the European Parliament,

only 46 per cent trusted the European Commission, and only 40 per cent were

satisfied with the European Council

As all of these surveys imply, too often, government is seen by citizens, the media,

and sometimes by public servants and political leaders themselves, as plodding,

inefficient, bureaucratic, change-resistant, incompetent, unresponsive or corrupt.

Citizens often complain that governments provide services that are inadequate,

inappropriate, inferior or too costly of their hard-earned tax payments. Frequently,

people see government officials to be acting in their own interests rather than

responding to the needs of citizens. In many countries, the claim that “we are from

the government and are here to help you” is met with popular derision. Surveys

and opinion polls confirm that the public wants improvements in the ways in which

governments serve citizens, that is, a public administration that delivers better

services and extends their reach and coverage more effectively and efficiently.

Citizens expect improvements in the capacity of the public service to deliver more

and better services at lower cost.