Political and Bureaucratic Commitment to Civil Service Reforms in Ghana

Abstract

This paper describes and analyses the variations in the degree of effectiveness in the implementation of civil service reform programs in Ghana, 1987 to 2001. The study focuses on two very similar reform programmes, that is, the Civil Service Reform Program (CSRP), 1987- 1993 and the Civil Service Performance Improvement Program (CSPIP), 1995- 2001. It seeks to explicate the major determining factor in accounting for the variations in the implementation effectiveness of the reform programs by employing a multiplicity of primary and secondary evidence based on government reports, journals and published research findings. The key findings of this study are that a combination of variables such as the program design, financial and human resources, implementation structures, and the participation of stakeholders and their support were identified to have influenced the effectiveness of the implementation of the civil service reform programs. However, the level of political and bureaucratic commitment was identified as a critical element in explaining the variations in the implementation effectiveness between the two civil service reform programs. It draws some important implications for the effective design and implementation of critical reforms in the African civil service organizations.