Country Case: Relevance of the country’s reform experience for Saudi Arabia

There is considerable debate about whether public sector reform has taken universal

trajectories across the world. The purpose of this paper is for each student to

examine public sector reform in a single country to allow for a broader discussion

of similarities and differences. Students will prepare a paper of about 2500 words,

which considers the main components of a reform program, the importance of

context, and some reflection on the issues of benchmarking reform and convergence

or divergence in relation to ‘new public management’ or another model.

It is expected that you will focus on the major design decisions in a country other

than Australia where significant reforms have taken place during the last two

decades. Countries internationally have undertaken a series of changes to modernise

the state including management, privatisation, contracting out, downsizing,

accountability, transparency, decentralisation and changes to public service

conditions (several of which can be seen as part of new public management). Other

reforms (sometime termed post-NPM) have emphasised public governance,

leadership development, and collaboration. A list of readings and sites on Moodle

provides a starting point The final outcome of this exercise is an essay that should

include specific sections (or reference to), such as:

• Introduction

• Key concepts and developments in public management reforms

• Outline of the debate in the literature regarding convergence/divergence in public

sector reform

• Developments in your selected country case study

• Contextual issues affecting reforms (e.g. why and how the reforms occurred)

• Discussion of how your country case study provides evidence for the convergence

or divergence thesis

• Conclusion

These will provide the basis for the assessment criteria, as well as overall

presentation.

Public Administration Country Case Study With suggestion below:

• Key concepts and developments in public management reforms Overview of

relevant aspects.

• Outline of the debate in the literature regarding convergence/divergence in public

sector reform Christopher Pollitt has written several articles and chapters on the

subject.

See the issue of Public Management Review, Vol. 3,No. 4, December 2001 for

articles by Pollitt and others.

Also Pollitt and Bouckaert, Public Management Reform. Google Pollitt

convergences for further sources.

See also recent chapter by Pollitt on context.

• Developments in your selected country case study Overview of reforms plus an

analysis of specific reforms as appropriate.

• Contextual issues affecting reforms (e.g. why and how have the reforms

occurred?)

Usually factors within one country (but international influences may be important).

• Discussion of how your country case study provides evidence for the convergence

or divergence thesis Note that context may be stronger than the diffusion of reform

ideas or fashions from outside countries.

• General comments and presentation.

Program

1. Reform basics

SLIDES Reform Overview

2. Patterns of change

SLIDES Patterns of Reform

Questions:

What trends are affecting reform?

Where is your country in the reform cycle?

What are the explanations for reform?

3. Comparisons

SLIDES Comparative Administration Reform

Questions

What are the key dimensions of reform?

What are the features of administrative tradition associated with your public

service?

Discussion and comparison of different traditions will occur in groups, and then by

the class as a whole. Painter and Peters (on Moodle) provide background.

Major Source on reform Christopher Pollitt and Geert Bouckaert, Public

Management Reform: a comparative analysis, 3rd (or earlier editions) Oxford

University Press (on short-term loan). Includes profiles of 12 OECD countries.

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