Culture, Development, and Public Administration in Africa

by Ogwo Jombo Umeh, Greg Andranovich

Overview

* The first text that integrates a cultural context into the study of public administration programs
* Covers the whole of southern Africa: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
* Written jointly by an African professor of public administration and an American political scientist

Despite extensive theoretical consideration over the past several decades, the discipline of public administration still suffers from an inability to meet on-the-ground administrative challenges in developing countries. In the past, public administrators have relied upon Western organizational models considered rational and efficient. But in neglecting various social and cultural aspects of any non-Western country, development proceeds in fits and starts.

Using southern African nations as an example, the authors argue that emerging societies are poor today thanks to the overreliance on non-local models. Practitioners must consider local cultures—languages, symbols, customs, and rituals—in developing effective administrative practices. They must absorb the experiences of people who know first-hand the dynamics and conditions in these countries. Otherwise, neither citizens nor leaders will manage their affairs and development processes effectively.

Written particularly for undergraduate and graduate students in public administration, political science, and comparative and development public administration, but also for policymakers, managers, administrators, and individuals who seek to understand the challenges of organizing and managing development, this book helps foster a culturally sensitive understanding of public administration in a global context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781565492011
Publisher:	Kumarian Press, Inc.
Publication date:	04/28/2005
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.42(d)

About the Author

Greg Andranovich is Professor of Political Science at California State University, Los Angeles, where he teaches in the public administration program. His research is in urban and regional policy making, and comparative public administration; his publications focus on issues of economic growth and development and collaborative processes.

Ogwo Jombo Umeh is Professor and Chair of the Department of Public Affairs and Administration at California State University, East Bay. His research is in comparative and development public administration and focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, democratic governance, organizational management and public policy. His publications focus on comparative administration and democratic governance issues.

Table of Contents

1) Introduction; 2) Characteristics of Administration in Developing Countries; 3) The Interpretive Dimension of Administration: Culture and its Impacts; 4) The SADCC Studies; 5) The Interpretive Framework and Public Administration; 6) Bringing Culture Back into the Mix: Some Reflections; 7) Epilogue: Post-Apartheid South Africa

Editorial Reviews

"Offers the reader an overview of the continent, with a particular focus on the countries of the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference. Succinctly, they provide us with a list of the critical issues confronting the administration of those countries, with a particular focus on the range of skills required for the major tasks at hand, constraints, and opportunities. The stress on methodology is particularly well placed in a critical study of culture and a book that wants to avoid dependence on Western models."

"Essential reading for students wishing to get a handle on comparative and development administration. Provides readers with a comprehensive, analytically informed, and conceptually sound view of public administration that should open an important window to the reality of developing society."

From the Publisher