Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Administrative Reforms and Decentralization : India and Indonesia

Hatti, Neelambar LU and Hoadley, Mason LU (2015) In Social Science Spectrum 1(2). p.68-86
Abstract
The paper compares the broad outlines of decentralization taking place in India, dating from the last decade of the past century, with that of Indonesia in the first decades of the present one. It focuses on the generally acknowledged least successful of reforms, namely that of public administration. Public administration tends to reflect the respective country’s prevailing norms. The paper opens with the more important contrasts between India and Indonesia with reference to governmental structure, respective colonial heritage, and focus of decentralization efforts. The crux of the paper is whether administrative decentralization furthers, hinders, or is neutral with regard to bureaucratic reform. Assessment of successes and failures leads... (More)
The paper compares the broad outlines of decentralization taking place in India, dating from the last decade of the past century, with that of Indonesia in the first decades of the present one. It focuses on the generally acknowledged least successful of reforms, namely that of public administration. Public administration tends to reflect the respective country’s prevailing norms. The paper opens with the more important contrasts between India and Indonesia with reference to governmental structure, respective colonial heritage, and focus of decentralization efforts. The crux of the paper is whether administrative decentralization furthers, hinders, or is neutral with regard to bureaucratic reform. Assessment of successes and failures leads to discussion of continued, if not higher, levels, of corruption/dysfunctional behaviour at all levels in the civil service. After disposing of misconceptions of the Weberian bureaucratic system inherited from the colonial past, possible improvements are postulated. Not surprisingly these originate from application of New Public Management (NPM), with a couple of new wrinkles. Such reform depends upon general public engagement. In comparison with India’s spontaneous mass demonstrations, hunger-strikes, and highlevel public condemnation of mega public corruption, this is conspicuous by its absence in Indonesia, where concentration has been on an anti-corruption court supplemented by experiments with a fledging evaluation system to monitor local progress on decentralization. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
decentralization, administrative reforms, India and Indonesia, administrative reforms, decentralization, India, Indonesia
in
Social Science Spectrum
volume
1
issue
2
pages
19 pages
ISSN
2454-2806
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f30c6f75-3e7f-45fd-9149-22a8c2fdef59
date added to LUP
2017-08-23 11:54:56
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:34:02
@article{f30c6f75-3e7f-45fd-9149-22a8c2fdef59,
  abstract     = {{The paper compares the broad outlines of decentralization taking place in India, dating from the last decade of the past century, with that of Indonesia in the first decades of the present one. It focuses on the generally acknowledged least successful of reforms, namely that of public administration. Public administration tends to reflect the respective country’s prevailing norms. The paper opens with the more important contrasts between India and Indonesia with reference to governmental structure, respective colonial heritage, and focus of decentralization efforts. The crux of the paper is whether administrative decentralization furthers, hinders, or is neutral with regard to bureaucratic reform. Assessment of successes and failures leads to discussion of continued, if not higher, levels, of corruption/dysfunctional behaviour at all levels in the civil service. After disposing of misconceptions of the Weberian bureaucratic system inherited from the colonial past, possible improvements are postulated. Not surprisingly these originate from application of New Public Management (NPM), with a couple of new wrinkles. Such reform depends upon general public engagement. In comparison with India’s spontaneous mass demonstrations, hunger-strikes, and highlevel public condemnation of mega public corruption, this is conspicuous by its absence in Indonesia, where concentration has been on an anti-corruption court supplemented by experiments with a fledging evaluation system to monitor local progress on decentralization.}},
  author       = {{Hatti, Neelambar and Hoadley, Mason}},
  issn         = {{2454-2806}},
  keywords     = {{decentralization; administrative reforms; India and Indonesia; administrative reforms; decentralization; India; Indonesia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{68--86}},
  series       = {{Social Science Spectrum}},
  title        = {{Administrative Reforms and Decentralization : India and Indonesia}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/30001175/12_38_1_PB.pdf}},
  volume       = {{1}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}