The Management of the Public Sector : Reshaping a New Public Sector in the Context of Development , Technology and Competitiveness : The Possible Challenges for Developing Countries in Terms of the Political Economy of Public Policies

Abstract

This paper draws on a series of articles written by a cross section of academics including the economic Research Working paper series of 2005 as outlined by the African Development Bank. It is proposed to break down this presentation in a series of five articles. On the other hand these papers do not pretend to capture all of the subtle nuances of the complexity of the title of the paper. In the first part of the five part series, an overview of public sector management in Africa will be undertaken on the basis of situating the subject matter for purposes of greater understanding and intervention by governments. The second paper will encompass the political economy of public policies in terms of their distortions to agricultural and food markets. In the third paper the authors will review the challenges of technology, globalization, and competitiveness from international perspectives as challenges for developing countries. The fourth paper will discuss the possibilities of reshaping and engineering a possible new public sector for developing countries by reviewing the work of Stephan, F. Jooste’s working paper of 2008. The fifth paper of the series will attempt to look at public sector management reforms in Africa. The final or sixth paper will focus upon public sector management reforms in Africa and in so doing will focus on the lessons learned. In crystallizing this series of six articles, it is hoped to synthesize the views of the various papers written by a set of different authors and to this end draw into the discussion the views of the authors, their experience and observations over time as public servants in the Republic of South Africa.