State of public administration in South Asia and challenges associated with socio-cultural and political scenario

Abstract

This study primarily focuses on the hierarchical bureaucratic structure of public administration in South Asian countries and the socioeconomic challenges faced after colonial period. Along with the end of colonial period, post colonial development model was on rise and it argued that state alone is the agent for socioeconomic transformation of the newly formed modern states. However, the role of private sector was found to be crucial for the economic development. A market-oriented administrative reform during 1980's was emphasized and the concept of New Public Management (NPM) evolved which was successful in western developed nations such as USA, Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. But NPM could not yield much success in South Asian countries. Fred Riggs model of prismatic society brilliantly explains the reason and suggests that various sociocultural and political scenario need to be considered while adopting and implementing these models. The major challenges associated with public administration in South Asian countries are rigid hierarchy, corruption, dysfunctional bureaucracy. Similarly, public administration in South Asian countries is characterized by formalism, heterogeneity, and functional overlaps that are the reflection of societal and political culture that prevails due to poly-communalism and poly-normativism.