Higher Civil Service Research Articles

Knowledge, Influence and Accountability: A Study of Political‒Administrative Relations and Civil Servant Influence on Two Rural Swedish Citizen Dialogues

One of the current challenges of democracy is the increasing complexity of governing and, consequently, increasing civil servant influence at the expense of elected representatives. This is also affected by what politician–civil servant relations look like and by contextual aspects, although knowledge about the extent and impact of this influence is selective. Thus, this paper examines civil servants’ influence in evidently complex and resource-intensive processes by conducting a study of citizen dialogues in two rural Swedish municipalities. Expectedly, traits of this context can be recognised throughout the results. The findings point to the position of the involved civil servants as important to the level of civil servant influence in these processes. They further suggest that process complexity may contribute to amplifying already high civil servant influence. However, they also confirm expectations about civil servants’ dispositions towards political legitimate processes, which appeared to dampen the impact of the skewed influence. I conclude that, with these contextual preconditions, the studied form of process can potentially increase civil servant influence. I also argue that, given the size and form of this study, this highlights the need for further studies in local rural contexts and local politician–civil servant relations.

Welfare Elites and State Reconfiguration Evidence from the Transformation of French Social Security

AbstractStudying the transformation of France’s social security system between 1970 and 2020 reveals a recomposition of the power of unelected governmental elites. The institutionalization of a group of “welfare elites” characterized by a new sociological profile (social background and career paths) has led to a reshaping of policy governance (“Iron Triangle”). These High civil servants have carried out a program of “sustainable social welfare,” reinforcing state interventionism in health and social insurance policies. In the context of this program’s implementation, they have developed the role of custodians of state policies. This strengthening of the French state’s capacity sheds new light on the question of its reconfiguration.

Bureaucratic policy work and analytical capacities in central administrations in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain: The results of a comparative survey

Policy analytical capacity is a pivotal source of good governance. Although this capacity can be acquired by decision makers in various ways, it is clear that the internal stock of analytical capacity is strategic in terms of supporting policymaking. This stock can be concentrated in specific types of organisational roles (like policy professionals), but it can also be considered a constitutive component of ordinary bureaucratic work. This paper adopts this latter perspective to analyse the characteristics in terms of policy work and analytical capacities of high-level bureaucrats of the central administrations of the Old Southern Four: Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The data were collected through a large online survey involving more than 1000 high civil servants. The empirical evidence offered shows the high differentiation in terms of policy work and analytical capacities that characterise the four analysed central bureaucracies and confirms that, despite the expected similarities among the four countries, differences are striking and concern almost all dimensions of analysis. Moreover, Spain has a higher stock of policy analytical capacities. Thus, adopting a policy work perspective can be a fruitful lens for analysing whether and how administrative reforms are capable of penetrating the micro dimensions of administrative behaviour. Points for practitioners The paper offers the first comparative analysis of the policy work and the analytical capacities of the central administration in Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The results show that, despite the many similarities among the four countries, there are significant differences in terms of ways of working and the held analytical capacities of the high level servants. The offered data show a specific map of policy analytical skills that can be used as a point of departure for designing improvements in high civil servants’ training.

Workplace incivility and intention to quit among Civil Servants. The moderating role of gender

Objective - The objective of the investigation was to examine the correlation between workplace incivility and employees' viewpoints by intention to quit and to investigate if gender buffers the link and the variations in workplace incivility tolerance between female and male civil servants. Methodology/Technique – The study respondents were comprised of 375 civil servants that filled out a self-administrated survey. Hypothesis testing uses the SmartPLS version 3.3,7. Finding – The outcomes showed that workplace incivility was significantly correlated to the intention to quit, and gender is not supported as a moderator of the incivility-intention to quit correlation. Conclusively, there was a substantial difference in workplace incivility between men and women. Surprisingly, men sensed even more extreme degrees of workplace incivility than women. Novelty – This study might be worthwhile evidence that workplace incivility has a positive effect on the intention to quit among civil servants, and the relationship was not moderated by gender. The higher civil servants perceived workplace incivility the higher the intent to quit the organization. The study might be worthwhile evidence for administrators to pinpoint, avert, avoid, avert and manage negative attitudes in the work environment more efficiently. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: M12, M19. Keywords: Workplace Incivility; Gender; Intention To Quit, Civil Servant Reference to this paper should be referred to as follows: Gadi, P.D.; Rena, M.N.; Ngyak, G.N. (2022). Workplace incivility and intention to quit among Civil Servants. The moderating role of gender, GATR-Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Review, 10(2), 104–113. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2022.10.2(4)

‘Leaders, not Lords’: Führertum, Democracy and Nazism in the Weimar Republic

Abstract This article examines the use of the concept of Führertum (leadership) in Weimar Germany. From a historical perspective, scholars tend to analyse the discourse on leadership through the lens of Nazi dictatorship. Yet the picture changes if we take the end of the old monarchy as the starting point. In particular, this article analyses how democrats and liberals developed their own ideas on Führertum. It argues that this concept was in vogue in Weimar because it signified a deviation from the hierarchical order of the traditional Obrigkeit and the established societal authorities of monarchical institutions. A leader had no subjects, only voluntary supporters. In this sense, ‘leadership’ seemed to correspond to popular sovereignty and had populist, even democratic, connotations. This article draws on publications of both well-known political theorists and amateur authors such as high school teachers and civil servants. In Weimar, the term Führertum was used by a variety of political groups and led in multiple ideological directions. Simultaneously, this political contingency facilitated political communication between Nazis and democrats. I argue that seemingly participatory and ‘democratic’ definitions of leadership eventually invited democrats to take part in the ‘national community’ of Nazi Germany. Specifically, this article shows how authors of interwar media believed they were rediscovering democratic ideas in the Nazi Party and how their understanding of democracy influenced their reactions to constitutional changes such as the Enabling Act of 1933. Paradoxical as it may be, discourse on leadership allowed many democrats to identify with Nazi ideology.

PENGATURAN KENAIKAN PANGKAT PEGAWAI NEGERI SIPIL PENYESUAIAN IJAZAH (Sesuai Dengan Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 12 Tahun 2002 Tentang Kenaikan Pangkat Pegawai Negeri Sipil)

Abstract
 The ability of the Civil Servants can be improved, one of which is through promotion according to the level of service and adjustment of the diploma obtained. In the general explanation of Government Regulation Number 12 of 2002 concerning Amendments to Government Regulation Number 99 of 2000 concerning Promotion of Civil Servants explained the promotion is an award given for the work performance and dedication of the concerned Civil Servants to the State. in addition, promotion is also intended as an encouragement to Civil Servants to further improve their work performance and service. Based on the background of the problem, the formulation of the problem in this study is as follows: how to regulate the promotion of Civil Servants based on diploma adjustments in accordance with Government Regulation Number 12 of 2002 concerning Promotion of Civil Servants and whether constraints in promotion through diploma adjustment are appropriate with Government Regulation Number 12 of 2002 concerning Promotion of Civil Servants.
 The type of research used in this study is normative legal research, meaning that the study in this study is based on legal philosophy, legal principles, and applicable legal norms relating to the regulation of promotion of civil servants based on diploma adjustments. This research used a statute approach, a historical approach and a conceptual approach.
 The conclusion of this study is the regulation of the promotion of Civil Servants based on diploma adjustments, given to Civil Servants who obtain Higher Learning Certificates / Diplomas that are higher than the diplomas used when applying to become Civil Servants. For example, candidates for Civil Servants when appointed as high school / senior high school civil servants, with rank / class II / a, after + 5 years of work obtain a S1 diploma, if adjusted for the diploma be the rank / class III / a Civil Servants. To obtain a higher rank / class of civil servants / or a level higher than the previous rank / class can be carried out if the diploma obtained is in accordance with the Job Job occupied by the civil servant, there is a formation in that place, has permission to study for those who continuing education and having fulfilled a minimum of 3 (three) years in service.
 Keywords: Promotion, Civil Servants and Diplomas

Structural Impediments to Policy Learning: Lessons from Colombia’s Road Concession Programs

ABSTRACT Although learning is the foundation of improved policymaking, little is known about policy learning in transportation programs. To address this knowledge gap, this article explores how two structural factors – (1) restricted information dissemination through centralized decision-making structures and (2) high senior civil servant turnover – affected policy learning in Colombia’s road concession programs. Using a case-based research design, our analysis indicates that centralized decision-making structures and high senior civil servant turnover impeded policy learning in Colombia’s first three road concession programs. Conversely, the absence of these factors in the fourth program led to policy learning and improved programmatic outcomes.

Attaining Autonomy in the Empire: French Governors between 1860 and 1960

This article builds on the concept of linked ecologies to present a study of the occupational careers of French colonial governors between 1830 and 1960. We consider empires as the by-product of social entities structuring themselves. Specifically, we analyse the process of empowerment of this emerging group with respect to other professional groups within the imperial space and the French metropolitan space. Using data on the career of 637 colonial governors between 1830 and 1960, we examine how variations in the recruitment of these high civil servants actually reflect the empowerment of this social entity. We rely on optimal matching technique to distinguish typical sequence models and identify ten common career trajectories that can be grouped in four main clusters. We further compare the share of each clusters in the population of governors over time and show that the rise of the colonial cluster during the Interwar period corresponded to the peak of the administrative autonomy in the colonial space. We argue that this process is consistent with the empowerment of the governors’ corps, which is embodied by a common career within the colonial administration and a collective identity as a group.

Karl August Varnhagen von Ense – „szara eminencja” dziewiętnastowiecznej niemieckiej publicystyki politycznej

Karl August Varnhagen von Ense – an “éminence grise” of German Political Journalism in the 19th Century Karl August Varnhagen von Ense (1785–1858) was a German diplomat, biographer and archivist-collector. He worked as a tutor in the homes of several families of the wealthy Jewish bourgeoisie. This allowed him to get in touch with prominent poets and writers of romanticism, such as Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, Adelbert von Chamisso, Justinus Kerner and Ludwig Uhland. During the Napoleonic Wars Varnhagen served in Austrian and Russian army. 1814 he married Rahel Levin, a Jewish writer who hosted one of the most prominent German literary salons in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Their home in Berlin became the meeting-place of high civil servants, philosophers, writers and artists. Although Varnhagen developed a reputation as an critical writer and journalist, he is most famous as a biographer and archivist-collector. The article investigates Varnhagen’s activities as a journalist and demonstrates journalism as an unknown and unexplored but significant and valuable aspekt of his work, which is substantial in volume.

MODERN INTERPRETATION OF "COMPETENCE" CONCEPT AS THE HIGHER CORPUS OF THE UKRAINE STATE SERVICE

The article highlights the results of the current study of the modern interpretation of the concept of "competence" in relation to the higher civil service corps. It is established that in Ukraine the notion of "competence" is defined as the combination of knowledge, skills, and practical skills, personality qualities or the ability of a person to use special knowledge, skills and abilities and personal qualities within the limits of powers determined. At the same time, there is a mismatch between the competences of the mas-ter's level of higher education and the requirements for persons who are applying for the post of senior civil service, as well as these requirements and key indicators of the evalua-tion of the results of the service activity. International standards indicate that the modern interpretation of the concept of "compe-tence" is based on the activity approach: as demonstrated the ability to apply in practice that knowledge and skills, which affect the quality and in a manner that will lead to quality improvement. That is, the competence of employees, in particular, the senior civil service, should be demonstrated during their activities on the positions and contribute to the im-provement of the quality of public administration. It is proved that further research should relate to the activity approach in applying the concept of "competence" and scientifically grounded proposals as to the definition of the components of competence of senior civil service officials and the criteria for evaluating their activities.

Cog in the Wheel of Patronage

This is a brief history of a career in the generalist higher civil service of India called the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The article brings out the incentive structure which confronts a civil servant seeking to deliver better outcomes in the making and implementation of public policy in India. The peculiarities of India’s federal system of inter-governmental transfers, the constraints, dilemmas and limited scope for making a difference, are all explored in an anecdotal format in this first-person account of a career spanning three and a half decades. The author begins with his reasons for joining the civil service, his initial years of heading the local administration in remote mountain areas and moves on to an analysis of various postings at state and central levels, including stints in finance, rural and urban development, water, sanitation, health, land and power sectors. Each segment attempts to explain different facets and nuances of both the limits and potential of a career choice in the premier civil service of India.

Variations in presidential leadership in France

The centerpiece of this analysis is about the variations in presidential leadership of the seven French presidents under the Fifth Republic. The analysis of the political conditions of the method of government aims to locate the type and the nature of the presidential leadership of each of the seven French presidents. The acquisition of presidential leadership effectively starts with the way leaders win office. They are elected by direct universal suffrage, and they have therefore a strong legitimacy. To the extent that presidential leadership is conceived as a special activity in terms of a president’s ability to identify goals, to mobilize support and to bring about substantive change, these skills enable a president to perform these different tasks and to fulfill a successful leadership role. Developing and maintaining close relationships with other political actors provide the principal resources of a president. In France, the appointment of the prime minister, ministers and advisors is important, as well as relations with the high civil service. But, above all, the relations between the president and public opinion are of major importance in terms of authority and power. Finally, the reputation of a president depends on the ability to solve the problems facing the country. It is measured by opinion polls that provide the level of satisfaction felt by public opinion with regard to the policy of the president. Applying the concept of leadership through the three factors of skills, relations and reputations helps to understand the performance of French presidents. Only General de Gaulle was able to demonstrate a high level of leadership. He had a very strong presidential style, with great qualities of communication. Some even talked about his charisma. The leadership of General de Gaulle’s successors suffered from the comparison. It seems that the most recent presidents are victims of the weakness, even perhaps the collapse, of their leadership.

Bureaucratic virtue and the ministerial hierarchy

Several cases have drawn attention to the interaction between ministers and civil servants. This is basically a principal-agent-problem. However, this problem has two sides: Agents’ usurpation of power vested in the principal and the principal’s use of the agent for political purposes that are illegitimate. Based on data collected under the auspices of the Bo Smith Commission a set of norms for correct bureaucratic behavior are identified. But how do civil servants handle these norms? A vignette analysis shows that civil servants have a differentiated approach to the norms and distinguish sharply between their legal obligations and the obligation to respect the truth and professional insight. Moreover, higher civil servants and civil servants in ministerial departments play a key role as guardians of the law.

Civil Servants and Code of Conduct in India: Question of Raising Standards

Searching for compatibility between ethics and law in the terrain of human subjectivity is a perennial problem seen in the public sphere of democracy. It becomes almost an ideal of attaining a moral administrative community after prolonged failed endeavours of raising a political community. In the promiscuous public interest of the political realm, the rational sharing of accountability between the political executives and administrative executives has come to sharp resistance. Serving the public interest, customer-driven, benevolent political neutrality, and organizational humanism are increasingly contemplated. Constitutional provisions and code of conduct reflect inadequate schemes of accountability. Though various forms of control exist to resist the over-stretch of bureaucracy in a democratic set up, the idea of accountability is still highly linked with political executives. This paper examines the constitutional provisions and the code of conduct pertaining to higher civil service, the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), in relation to problems of ethics and accountability and raising standards in India. It attempts to outline a code of conduct appropriate to tackle the situation of declining ethical standards. It specially focuses on the higher civil service in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India, to examine the above issues. Since, more and more top civil servants in Tamil Nadu have been suspended, arrested or charged with cases, it is important to examine the accountability and ethics of civil servants, Constitutional protection, code of conduct, and the process of political victimization in a democratic set up.

Multi-dimensional Perception of Parental Involvement

The main purpose of this study was to define and conceptualize the term parental involvement. A questionnaire was administrated to parents (140), teachers (145), students (120) and high ranking civil servants in the Ministry of Education (30). Responses were analyzed through Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). The SSA solution among all groups rendered a two dimensional solution with a coefficient of alienation .18. The SSA map clearly divided 44 parental activities into four quadrants. The left and right regents represent the focus of parental activity: The left regent represents in-school activities and the right side represents out-school activities. The upper and lower regents represent the organizational level: The upper regent represents organizational based activities and the lower regent represents student-based activities. The initial findings also demonstrated that parental involvement can be defined by the 44 actions, which are deployed on the SSA map in a polarized facet. The facet includes four elements (separation index 1.00): Resources, school welfare, control processes and pedagogical and wellbeing contents. We now have a better understanding of what constitutes school-related parental involvement; we know that it reflects a broad spectrum of parental actions and activities, which can take place either at school or outside the school. The involvement can be expressed actively or passively, often relating to the school as an organization and often in the personal context of one's own child.

Coordination for Policy in Transition Countries: Case of Croatia

The formulation and implementation of public policy depends on the coordination capacities. In recent decades the need for coordination has increased due to the fragmentation caused by NPM reforms, decentralisation processes, the proliferation of the cross-cutting issues, as well as increased globalisation, Europeanisation, and professionalization. The coordination problem in Croatian administration, similarly to other transition countries, is critically important but understudied. This paper is based on a preliminary research on coordination in Croatian public administration with regard to policy formulation and implementation of three policies – regional development policy, anticorruption policy and e-government policy, based on the interviews conducted with higher civil servants and public officials. A special emphasis is given to the role which various actors play in coordination, as well as the structures Government employs in order to coordinate. The research shows that the development of coordination instruments in Croatia suffers from inefficiencies and is greatly influenced by politically driven considerations.

ORGANIZACIJŲ VADOVŲ ATLYGIS IR JO POKYČIAI LIETUVOS VIEŠAJAME SEKTORIUJE

The article deals with contemporary executive’s rewards system in the Lithuanian public sector and its changes over time. This analysis includes high officials in civil service as well as heads of public service’s providers and managers of state-owned enterprises. The analysis bases on the reward dimension of the Public Service Bargains (PSBs) model which reflects different approaches to tangible and intangible reward elements. This theoretical approach is used to test the hypotheses that there is a clear public sector bargain on the executive’s rewards system, and this bargain was shaped by pre-planned reforms in the public sector. The analysis of the legal framework of the tangible reward system explains how egalitarian bargain was consolidated in the fragmented public service system, and pre-planned reforms added some hierarchical and individualistic elements to this system. The assessment of the Lithuanian public sector executives’ tangible rewards in the international context, differentiation among different types of Lithuanian public sector organizations and inside organisations itself provides clear evidences that the egalitarian reward type dominates in the Lithuanian public service. The refusal by politicians to align the reward system periodically with changes in economic conditions during growth times also strengthens this egalitarian element. Recent public deliberations allow to assess how divergent are approaches by politicians and high public officials to the contemporary executive’s reward system. On the one side, there is a broad political coalition which in a consistent way supports the egalitarian approach to the executive’s reward system. On the other side, high civil service officials follow the logic of the hierarchical system and use judicial measures to protect their interests. An overview of the intangible reward elements in the Lithuanian public sector also shows supporting evidence to the egalitarian reward system. In this context, notable is the failure to introduce a clear career path as the key element of the hierarchical system. This article concludes that the Lithuanian public sector executive reward system can be regarded as egalitarian and was largely shaped by incremental policy decisions, changes in economic conditions, and court decisions but not by pre-planned reforms.

An analysis of health literacy about diabetes prevention and control and its influencing factors among the residents in six provinces in China

To investigate the health literacy about diabetes prevention and control and its influencing factors among the public in China. A multistage stratified random sampling method was applied to investigate urban and rural residents aged 18-60 years among six provinces in China during March and May, 2013. The Questionnaire of Health Literacy of Diabetes Mellitus of the Public in China was used to conduct the survey. The influencing factors of health literacy about diabetes prevention and control were analyzed by logistic regression. The results of the survey were standardized by the 6(th) national census data. A total of 4 416 persons were interviewed. A total of 4 282 valid questionnaires including 1 986 males (46.4%) and 2 296 females (53.6%) were obtained. The efficiency rate was 97.0%. The level of health literacy about diabetes prevention and control among the public in China was 32.7% (1 036/2 399). And this rate was 40.5%, 36.5% and 15.4% in east, middle and west of China, respectively. Take the west region as reference, the health literacy about diabetes prevention and control in east China was high (OR = 2.510, 95% CI: 1.931-3.263), central China was in the second place (OR = 2.083, 95% CI: 1.579-2.749). The health literacy about diabetes prevention and control among males was lower than that in females (OR = 0.488, 95% CI: 0.402-0.593). The higher education level the respondents had, the higher the health lireracy level about diabetes prevention and control. Taking the primary school and below education level as reference, the health lireracy level about diabetes prevention and control of respondents with a secondary education was higher (OR = 1.103, 95% CI: 0.812-1.499), and that of college or above degree was the highest (OR = 2.029, 95% CI: 0.460-0.870). The health literacy about diabetes prevention and control among civil servants and institution staff was high, the enterprise personnel was in the second place (OR = 0.632, 95% CI: 0.460-0.870), the literacy level among the rural residents was very low (OR = 0.339, 95% CI: 0.234-0.491). The health literacy about diabetes prevention and control among people who have a family history of diabetes was relatively higher (OR = 1.570, 95% CI: 1.222-2.018 ). The health literacy about diabetes prevention and control among people who considered that they have diabetes risk was higher than that among people who considered they didn't (OR = 1.821, 95% CI: 1.317-2.517). The east region, females, a high educational level, civil servants and public officers, having a family history of diabetes, self-assessed risk of getting diabetes were protective factors of health literacy about diabetes prevention and control.

Reforming India's Higher Civil Services: Agenda for 21st Century Reforms

Reforming India's Higher Civil Services: Agenda for 21^st Century Reforms

The Contribution of the Broadcast Media to Public Policy Formulation in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria

The study set out to investigate the contribution of the broadcast media to public policy formulation in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. The broadcast media selected for the study were Radio Akwa Ibom and NTA Uyo , both based in the State. Five programmes of the broadcast media were selected for the study. The work employed content analysis and survey as the research design. A purposive sample of respondents was drawn from a population of members of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and higher civil servants, comprising permanent secretaries and heads of directorates in 17 ministries and two bureaus. It was found out that the broadcast media made input that was incorporated into public policy, and such input was incorporated to the extent that it tended to agree with the proposals already made by public policy formulators. Incorporation of policy input from the broadcast media also depended on the attitude of the public policy formulators to such media organisations. The policy makers also considered policy input from the broadcast media as reliable and representative of public opinion. Hence when policies succeed or fail, the accolades or blame should not be restricted to policy makers alone. Key words: policy actors, policy input, agenda-setting model, opinion-management process