Essay on Public Bureaucracy (426 Words)
It was maintained earlier that public bureaucracy has come to be the dominant structure in developing countries. In the absence of other strong institutions, the role of public bureaucracy has been of crucial importance.
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(1) The most important functions are directed towards nation building and economic growth. “The importance of public administration in the emerging countries of Africa and Asia goes beyond directing the organisational process in economic and social fields.
It has the immense task of creating a national unity and national personality capable of surmounting the centrifugal force of tribal and regional rivalries and, on the other hand, instilling the ferment of change in traditional societies.”
Differences of race ethnicity language, religion, region and tribe often the return the unity, stability and progress of many developing countries. Therefore, it is the task of public bureaucracies to either eliminate or satisfactorily enmesh the sub-cultural differences. This task may prove to be more difficult than economic development.
(2) Another area in which public bureaucracies in developing countries may play a critical role, is the establishment of democracy. Most of these countries lack a genuine commitment to democratic values and process, despite the service they pay to them. In some countries like India, Israel and Mexico, democracy ranks with economic development as a major goal.
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The issue is important because bureaucracy is inherently undemocratic and a strong bureaucracy may be a threat to democracy.
(3) Eisentadt observes that bureaucracies in developing countries helped to maintain the framework of a unified polity as well as the capacity to absorb varied demands and to regulate them effectively.
Not only were they important instrument for unification and centralisation, but they enabled the rulers to implement continuous policy. In addition, they also served as important instruments for mobilization of resources taxes, manpower and political support.”
(4) In many of these countries bureaucracy performs the important function of political socialisation. In many cases, in addition to being administrative arm, it constitutes itself as an effective executive or part of it.
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It plays a part in setting up, determining and implementing political goals, and establishing major policy directives. In many developing countries, apart from the head of the executive, it is the only body capable of formulating clear political or administrative objectives.
(5) Bureaucracy is one of the main channels of political struggle in which and through which different interests are regulated and aggregated.
(6) Bureaucracy in most of these countries is also the major instrument of social change. It maintains service orientation to both the rulers and the major strata of society.