Quality of Governance and Ethical Public Service Delivery (PSD) in Developing Countries

Abstract

The article reviews different conflicting values that often put donor organizations on a collision course with the recipient countries. It focuses on public values and relates the topic to the broader value framework of quality of governance. It also discusses some of the problems that exist in several developing countries such as the absence of established acceptable ethical norms and when there are, they are ignored with impunity. It looks at the role of rampant poverty in breeding corruption, and the fact that public service institutions are weak. The cases of Nigeria (still a developing nation) and South Africa (an emerging economy that might join the BRIC group) are briefly reviewed. They present two insightful case studies to analyze the clash between public values and quality of governance in PSD with the two countries adopting different strategies. Although the article focuses on public service delivery (PSD), it also looks at public values in the broader value framework of quality of governance as one of the major obstacle for an efficient cross-national public service delivery. The ethical and cultural dimensions of Alternative Service Delivery are discussed both at global, national and local levels.