Problems Of Bureaucracy

In Pakistan
Submitted By Syed Zuhair Hussain Naqvi BSPA 3rd Year Roll#57 Submitted to Sir Hassan Abbas

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Contents

Prologue to Bureaucracy Role of Bureaucracy Universal Problems of Bureaucracy Problems And Recommendations for Pakisatan Bureaucracy (i)Tackling Over-Centralization (ii)Reducing Corruption and Increasing Accountability (iii)Personnel Management (iv)Modernizing Civil Services Conclusion

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Prologue to Bureaucracy: According to Max Weber (1864-1920), bureaucracy is an institutional method for applying general rules to specific cases, thereby making the actions of government fair and predictable. Max Weber gave this definition in the initial state of this field but the problem for leaders of governing human systems that grew larger and more complicated with each passing year and today the term bureaucracy has at least four separate meanings: 1. The totality of government offices or bureaus that constitute the permanent government of a state; that is, those people and functions that continue irrespective of changes in political leadership. 2. All of the public officials of a government. 3. A general invective to refer to any inefficient organization encumbered by red tape. 4. A specific set of structural arrangements. Bureaucracy is sometimes called the fourth branch of government. While technically under control of the executive branch, it sometimes seems to function as if it had a will, power, and legal authority all its own. Role of Bureaucracy: The existence of bureaucracy is a necessary condition to run the affairs of the state. Now it depends on the structure of the government as to what type of role it wants to assign to bureaucracy. There is no denying the fact that bureaucracies are doing good work too within their allotted ambit but then you need to see the difference in the role and orientation of bureaucracy among the developed and developing worlds. Let us look at the role of bureaucracy in both the developed and especially the developing countries vis--vis policy formulation in order to identify why our country has performed so poorly in the delivery of services. The main function of bureaucracy in any part of the world is to implement the policies of the sitting government with full commitment and devotion. The basic idea behind the formation of bureaucratic structures was to provide permanent government in the sense that bureaucrats kept running the system for the larger benefit of the people, as they were and are civil servants. Political executive in the form of politicians could come and go but the bureaucrats stayed on to look after the working of the governments. So their job has never been the formulation of policy. They do help the political leadership in policy-making but never make policies themselves. It is within the sole domain of the politicians to formulate policies as their mandate stems from their being elected representative of people. Undoubtedly, the political class has abandoned its role of policy formulation and bureaucrats have taken over this role by filling in the vacuum. Universal Problems of Bureaucracy: Most people regardless of their state, culture or form of government complain about following main problems of bureaucracy: Efficiency implies to the ratio of valued resources used to valued outputs produced, the smaller that ratio, the more efficient the production. If the valued output is a provision of health facility, [for example], then whatever process uses the least money or the least time to produce a satisfactory health facility is the most

3|Page efficient process. People reports that the measures taken by the bureaucrats to facilitate masses takes too much time and money to accomplish because of corruption and red tapism. Arbitrariness refers to officials acting without legal authority, or with that authority in a way that offends our sense of justice. Justice means, first, that we require the government to treat people equally on the basis of clear rules known in advance. Red tape--complex rules and procedures required to get anything done. You have to make sure that all the rules of the organization are being followed--you do that by filling out forms--everything is in black and white. There isa paper trail--you can prove you did everything the way you were supposed to. Red tape can be used as a weapon against programs that aren't popular with the administration or the heads of agencies. E.g.: you may have to fill out so many forms,it's just simpler not to participate in a program. The program will cease to exist if no one uses it. Duplication--two or more agencies seem to be doing the same job Imperialism--the tendency of agencies to grow without regard to their costs or benefits. If an organization was established to "promote the public good", how do you know when it's achieved its goal? Waste--spending more than is needed for a product. There is little or no incentive for government employees to reduce costs for the agency--they won't get a bonus or be able to keep for the organization the money they saved. There are often regulation/red tape regarding who products must be bought from-eg: from suppliers in a particular congressional district or only from US manufacturers. Restrictions are imposed for political gain, but it results in higher costs for the government. Private businesses have more of an incentive to buy for the lowest price. Whistle-blowers who try to point out problems risk losing their jobs or being labeled a "trouble maker" and being given bad assignments in the hopes that they will just quit or be passed over for promotions. They aren't benefited for doing good like they would be in the private sector. Slowness--Dramatic change within the bureaucracy is rare because there are so many points along the way where different people are involved in the decision-making process. People on different sides of the issue may pressure the bureaucrat to support or oppose particular policies. Difficulty implementing programs--if the goals of the program designed by parliment are not specific enough,or if the goals are complex. Complex goals take a long time to complete, so it may actually look like the organization is doing nothing. Often agencies aren't staffed enough to complete all the tasks they are given. eg: employing only 20 or 30 inspectors to monitor the transportation of hazardous waste all over the country. eg: reducing the number of officials working for the EPA will mean that companies will be able to pollute and won't be caught. Programs may look nothing like they were envisioned to look when they are implemented by others-can change along the way. Incompetent/inefficient/ineffective employees Personnel policies have changed. Appointments to the bureaucracy used to be made in an attempt to reward local supporters or help build up local party organizations--they were needed for nominating candidates and getting out the vote on election day.

4|Page Presidents could select people that were at least somewhat supportive of their policies; they could use jobs in the bureaucracy as a reward for supporting their politics. Problems and Recommendations for Pakistan Bureaucracy: TACKLING OVER-CENTRALISATION: Over-centralization of powers and functions has consistently undermined any serious attempts at civil service reform. Combined with cumbersome rules and procedures and a rigidly defined hierarchical structure, centralization prevents the bureaucracy from effectively managing a public sector that has expanded considerably since the 1970s. Even the recruitment or transfer of clerks and other low-level support staff cannot take place without the approval of the secretary or at times even the minister, distracting senior officials from more vital tasks of implementing government policy. While centralization is said to reduce costs and improve service delivery, it has made the bureaucracy less responsive to public concerns and priorities. In fact, rigid centralised procedures undermine service delivery, contributing to a corresponding increase in public dissatisfaction with the bureaucracy. Rules and procedures should be revised to reduce hierarchical rigidity and encourage delegation Reducing Corruption and Increasing Accountability: Bureaucratic corruption take s several forms, including abuse of discretionary power, misuse of regulatory authority, as well as institutionalized and participative practices. Although government contracts, for example, are awarded through open tenders and other apparent open processes, the lack of transparency in executive authority and decisions make these procedures easier to manipulate. Low salaries and pensions and inadequate welfare programs for civil servants have also encouraged widespread corruption, while at the same time lowering morale and increasing inefficiency. Bureaucrats argue that low salaries are not the only factor contributing to high level of corruption, but there is far greater acceptance of corruption and abuse of authority not only in bureaucracy itself but in society in general. To reduce corruption there should be strong evaluation system through annual confidential reports (ACRs) Personnel Management: 1. Enhance civil service performance and revive a spirit of public service by: a) Increasing salaries and pensions, particularly for those at the bottom of the hierarchy, providing better housing, transport and health insurance for all government employees, and subsidised school-ing for their children; b) Conducting regular training, including refresher courses, at all levels of the bureaucracy; c) Improving standards of inst ruction at training in-stitutions to inculcate professional skills as well as norms and practices that reward integrity and professional commitment; d) Providing competitive compensation and benefits to attract qualified and motivated instructors;

5|Page e) Linking an officers performance during training programs with promotions, thus no longer using successful completion as the only yardstick; f) Establishing and strictly abiding by new criteria for secretariat appointments to include professional expertise, diversity of experience, demonstrable leadership in public institutions, and ability to tackle challenging assignments; g) Modifying Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) to include tangible, performance-oriented criteria instead of subjective evaluations of officers characters; Modernizing Civil Services: Modernise civil service systems and processes and enhance inter-agency coordination through egovernance technology by: a) Making compliance with standards set by the E-Government Directorate (EGD) mandatory for major federal government projects; b) Instituting compulsory training in basic information technology processes for all government employees in BPS-5 and above; and c) Giving the EGD greater financial and organizational autonomy by converting it from a cell to an attached department of the ministry of information technology. Conclusion: Epoch of mismanagement, political manipulation and corruption have rendered Pakistans civil service incapable of providing effective governance and basic public services. In public perceptions, the countrys civil servants are widely seen as unresponsive and corrupt, and bureaucratic procedures awkward and exploitative. Bureaucratic dysfunction and low capacity undermine governance, providing opportunities to the military to disrupt the democratic transition and to extremists to destabilize the state. The civilian government should prioritize reforms that transform this key institution into a leaner, more effective and accountable body. General Pervez Musharrafs eight-year military rule left behind a demoralized and inefficient bureaucracy that was used to ensure regime survival. There was a dramatic rise in military encroachments as retired generals were appointed to key civil posts, such as the chairmanship of the Federal Public Service Commission, the premier agency for recruitment and promotions. The military regimes poorly conceived devolution of power led to further administrative confusion and the breakdown of service delivery at the district level, the key administrative unit of governance. The decision to vest revenue and law and order functions in nazims (mayors), elected indirectly and on a non-party basis, led to greater collusion between unscrupulous district officials and corrupt police. The civil bureaucracys ills, however, predate military rule. Archaic rules and procedures and a rigid hierarchical authority structure have undermined its oversight of a public sector that has expanded considerably since the 1970s. Low salaries, insecure tenure, and obsolete accountability mechanisms have spawned widespread corruption and impunity. Recruitments, postings and promotions are increasingly made on the basis of personal contacts and political affiliation, instead of on merit. The civil services falling standards impact mostly Pakistans poor, widening social and economic divisions between the privileged and underprivileged. With citizens increasingly affected by conflict and militancy, including millions displaced by fighting in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the governments ability to ensure law and order and provide services such as education and health care will be vital to winning the hearts and minds of the public, and

6|Page restoring links between the citizen and the state. Bureaucratic procedures and practices, formal or informal, play a key role in public perceptions of the governments functioning. The international community too can help improve governance by supporting civil service reform, expanding training programs, and providing technological support and expertise to modernize methods of administration. However, the U.S., EU and other donors should refrain, absent political reform, from supporting bureaucracies such as the FATA secretariat, where unchecked powers and the absence of financial oversight make corruption more likely. They must also condition aid on measures to institute greater accountability and transparency. Indeed, with hundreds of millions more dollars committed for Pakistans development, for example through the U.S. Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Act 2009, comes increased risk of corruption and waste, particularly if the money is directly channeled to inefficient and unaccountable institutions. If international development funds yield few tangible results, under-mining local expectations, the hearts and minds of the Pakistani public will likely be lost rather than won.