Perspectives on Improving Institutional Capacities of Third World Administrative Systems with Special Reference to Africa

Abstract

From the introduction:

"In spite of elaborate efforts made across social science disciplines to fully comprehend the nature of Third World development since World War II as most of these 'new' states became independent, only modest progress has been made. Yet, policy advocacy could not wait for the reaching of better or more comprehensive understanding. Hence, policy advice in diverse areas ? economics, political organization, and the management of the development process ? has been preferred in rapid succession without any real paradigm shift or the expected social transformation of the new states.

"This paper examines the different perspectives on strategies for raising institutional capacity in Third World countries, with special reference to Africa. The reason for selecting institutional capacity is that it encompasses all facets of the development process and represents an area in which the artisans' attempts at producing strong, productive, and responsive administrative systems continue to be an elusive goal. A recent publication of the United Nations notes rather wryly that 'generally, the results of administrative reform programs (in the Third World) have fallen short of expectations.'