Public Administration Management Research Articles

South Africa’s service delivery in the 4IR era: The need for responsible leadership

Background: It is argued that fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and its technologies need not just ethical leadership but also a more effective kind of leadership known as responsible leadership to be successfully implemented and adopted. Technology has the potential to enhance significantly existing service delivery mechanisms.Aim: This research examines the 4IR through the perspective of responsible leadership of senior managers in public administration, a cornerstone of public sector ethics at the helm of public institutions.Setting: This study focusses on the South African public sector in general with a consideration of a few public services.Methods: A qualitative research approach was used in the study, and the study reviewed the literature on the phenomenon under investigation. The reviewed literature consisted of secondary sources of data such as peer-reviewed articles, information on credible websites, scholarly books, and institutional and technical research reports.Results: This research suggests that leadership that is not responsible among South African administrative officer-bearers is to blame for the country’s chronic service delivery problems. In addition to influencing the job satisfaction of those directly under the leader’s supervision, responsible leadership reflects the authority the leader holds, can reduce unethical behaviour among the major stakeholders and reflects the leader’s moral compass.Conclusion: The study concluded that ineffective leadership among South African government officials is to blame for the country’s chronic service delivery problems.Contribution: This article seeks to contribute to the continuing discussions about the significance of innovation and leadership in the period of the 4IR.

Talent Management in the Slovenian Public Administration for Young Talented Individuals from Generation Z

Purpose – Talent management is becoming an increasingly important area of research and implementation in organisations as is the importance of the organisation's internal resources, i.e. people. The purpose of the paper is to present the results and key findings of the research on how employees in Slovenian public administration rate the implementation and its effects of talent management activities to attract, develop and retain young talented individuals from generation Z. Aims(s) – The aims of this paper were to evaluate the talent management activities for young talented individuals in Slovenian public administration and develop a model of Gen Z talent management. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data was collected with the help of an online questionnaire and the questionnaire, which was designed for the empirical research, consisted of several sets of questions. The collected data was processed in the SPSS statistical program and Microsoft Excel. Findings – The results of the survey show that the respondents do not rate attracting, development and retention of young talented individuals in public administration the best as the average rating of all sets is 3.0. Results show that some attraction and development activities have a positive impact (p < 0.05) on the retention of young talented individuals in Slovenian public administration organisations. Limitations of the study – The limitation was related to the fact that the survey was conducted only in the Slovenian public administration and not in the entire public sector. It would be reasonable to expand the research in the future to the entire public sector and abroad. Practical implications – The paper is useful for practice mainly because it presents the possibility of using the developed model of Gen Z talent management in public administration. Originality/value – The originality of the topic is reflected in the lack of empirical research on the topic of Gen Z talent management in public administrations and the first such research in Slovenian public administration.

Housing situation of older adults in a vulnerable neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba. Differences based on skin color, gender and age

PurposeThe Cuban population is going through a process of demographic change and accelerated aging, which, together with a difficult economic situation, places the older adults in a complex economic reality, especially in the most vulnerable communities. This paper aims to analyze the housing situation of the older adults in a vulnerable community in Santiago de Cuba during a period of particular economic difficulty.Design/methodology/approachThe study analyzes the housing situation of a sample of people over 60 years of age (n = 325) in a vulnerable community in the city of Santiago de Cuba. A structured interview was used for data collection.FindingsThe results show that most of the people over 60 years of age interviewed considered their homes to be in a poor state of repair. A significant part of the homes were built with precarious materials and had cracked walls, leaks, problems with the functioning of the toilet, broken pipes, etc. In addition, most of the houses were poorly equipped, with a large number of them lacking refrigerators, cell phones or computers or other electrical appliances (heater, shower, stove, etc.). Women, people with black skin and people over 75 years of age were in a particularly precarious housing situation.Social implicationsDemographic changes and the expected aging of the population in Cuba mean that meeting the needs of the older adults is expected to become increasingly complex. The design of public policies and administrative management should take into consideration the housing needs of people over 60 years of age in vulnerable communities, with special attention to women, racialized people and older adults.Originality/valueThe research was conducted based on the information provided by a particularly vulnerable group in Cuba (older adults), about which there is limited information available, and the data were collected during a particularly challenging time for the Cuban economy: the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. The challenges of conducting research of this nature in Cuba and the period during which data collection took place form the basis of the originality of this manuscript.

Looking into the black box of non-systemic quality management in public administration

Looking into the black box of non-systemic quality management in public administration

Quality management in public administration. Legal and administrative regulations and effective process management

A quality-based public organisation creates its own quality culture, which determines the value-giving activities and processes and the behaviour and attitudes of their participants. This culture is created by the commitment of top management through its contribution to promoting a quality approach. An organisation that adheres to the principles of quality management standards is committed to identifying the processes within the quality management system, together with their sequence and interdependencies (process approach). By locating the necessary resources in the processes, it is possible to manage them in such a way as to deliver value and achieve results for the relevant stakeholders (customer orientation, relationship management). At the same time, the systems approach provides an opportunity for top management (leadership) to optimise them in the short and long term as a consequence of decisions taken. The aim is to continuously implement the measures necessary to achieve the set results and continuous improvement (enhancement). The quality management system provides the opportunity to apply the organisation's natural approach to effective and efficient management by defining monitoring methods and ways of evaluating them (fact-based decision-making). Also, in order to manage effectively and efficiently, it is non-negligible to involve employees at all levels. As participants in the processes defined in the sys-tem, they contribute directly to the results achieved (people involvement).

Preparing future nonprofit social enterprise leaders: a research-based instructional needs analysis

ABSTRACT Nonprofit social enterprises (NSEs) have the potential to alleviate social issues significantly through entrepreneurial means. However, their unique mission and challenges require a distinct type of leadership compared to traditional nonprofit organizations. This leadership model must integrate social work and business management competencies. Unfortunately, research suggests that finding leaders with this combination of competencies can be challenging for NSEs. This raises the question of whether master’s degree programs in public administration (MPA) and nonprofit management (MNM) adequately equip students with the necessary competencies to lead NSEs. In response to this question, researchers surveyed MPA and MNM faculty using a 14-item online questionnaire. The results indicate that there are significant gaps in the current curriculum, with neither program placing strong emphasis on NSE leadership competencies. However, MNM programs cover some of these competencies more extensively than MPA programs. The findings suggest curricular and pedagogical improvement opportunities in public and private universities’ MPA and MNM programs.

Analysis of employment factors for university graduates in Kazakhstan

Having a university degree provides only a slight advantage over those without higher education, making other factors crucial in determining a graduate’s employment prospects. This study aims to analyze the factors that affect the employment of university graduates and define opportunities for public administration and university management in Kazakhstan. A logistic regression model based on primary data was used to examine the impact of the availability of practical experience and jobs in their specialty, social connections, technology development, and entrepreneurship on the likelihood of employment. The survey was conducted in 2022 and involved 300 graduates of the 2020–2021 academic year from all regions of Kazakhstan. Findings show that personal connections (F3) and technology and entrepreneurship (F4) positively impact graduates’ job prospects. However, lack of experience (F1) and the limited number of job offers (F2) reduce employment likelihood. If a graduate responds with 3 points for F1, 7 for F2, 7 for F3, and 1 for F4, they are less likely to secure a job in their specialty within a year of graduation. The main practical value of this study is that university career centers can use this model to predict the likelihood of graduates being employed. Providing a sophisticated online platform and different analytics-driven career services, open access to administrative data on the labor market, and new programs for students’ job experience and entrepreneurship will prepare university graduates for a dynamic labor market and reduce the mismatch between education and employment needs.

Management of IT projects of public institutions

The organization and activity of public administration is subject to the standards established by law, according to which individual organizational units of ministries in the Slovak Republic are governed. The management of information and communication technologies is a specific area of management in the conditions of public administration, which requires high expertise, systematicity and a properly set legal environment. The aim of the contribution is to clearly identify the legislative framework for the management of IT projects of the public administration of the Slovak Republic during the implementation of selected operational programs in the department of government departments. In order to achieve the main goal of the presented professional article, we set sub-goals. The necessary partial tasks are to systematically define and explain concepts related to project management in public administration, to find out the requirements for its implementation and to find out to what extent the legislation affects the issue we are dealing with. The result of our area of research represents a logically complete framework of the legal environment of project management of public administration and takes on the nature of practical use in the creation of our dissertation.

Вплив адміністративно-територіальної реформи на покращення управління персоналом у публічному управлінні

Administrative-territorial reform is a key factor in modern public administration as it directly impacts the organizational structure and functioning of state agencies at various levels of government. This article examines the impact of the administrative-territorial reform on human resource management in the public administration sector. First of all, the reform may lead to changes in the structure and competencies of state agencies, which requires revision of the processes of hiring, firing, and managing personnel. New administrative units may be created or existing ones may be reorganized, causing the need to identify and consider personnel changes. Further adaptation of personnel to new working conditions and requirements may need training, retraining, and development. In this context, it is important to ensure proper communication and involvement of personnel in the change process. The reform may also impact the systems of motivation and encouragement of personnel in the public administration sector. New requirements for efficiency and performance may be necessary to determine the system of labor remuneration and other incentives. In general, administrative-territorial reform is not only a challenge but can also be an opportunity to improve human resource management in the public administration sector if it is implemented with due attention to the needs and interests of personnel, as well as taking into account modern methods of human resource management. The article aims to study the impact of the administrative-territorial reform on the improvement of personnel management in public administration. The author shows that the main goal of the state personnel policy lies in forecasting and programming of personnel provision and determination of the strategic vision of formation, professional development, and rational use of personnel and all labor resources of Ukraine. The practical implementation of the personnel policy of the state and the organization is carried out through the personnel management function. The article emphasizes the concept of “human resource management” as a targeted activity of the organization’s management, executives, and specialists of the HR management system, which includes the development of the concept and strategy of personnel policy and principles and methods of human resource management of the organization. Keywords: public policy, management, personnel policy, personnel, human resource management system.

Information Management in Public Administration: A Systematic Review from a Technological Perspective

Information Management in Public Administration: A Systematic Review from a Technological Perspective

Study of mental workload in public administration managers

The present research is carried out in the Municipal Administration with the objective of studying the behavior of the mental workload in the work places. The procedure used consists of three stages: preparation, experiments and results. The indicators selected for the study are: Simple Reaction Time, Complex Reaction Time, Discrimination Threshold, Depth Perception and Yoshitake Test are selected. SPSS software is used or the statistical analysis of the data, EndNote as a bibliographic manager and VOSviewer for its graphical representation. An Ishikawa Diagram is used to determine the causes that provoke mental fatigue during the working day in the individuals studied. As a result, out of the 12 workers studied, 6 presented extreme risk, 5 a worrying level and 1 a moderate level of mental workload. A proposal of measures to prevent and reduce the effect of mental workload is elaborated.

The Trace of Professionalization in the South African Public Service Amendment Bill and Public Administration Management Bill: A Comparative Analysis

The South African public sector has over the years seen erosion of professionalization and proliferation of corruption which is perpetuated largely through supply chain management processes. Politicians, officials, and business people are equally involved in the corrupt practices and more than anything it is driven by greed and indifference to the needs of the poverty-stricken communities. What is even worse is that the money stolen is meant to serve poor people and is stolen by relatively rich people. Erosion of ethical governance in the public sector has directly affected professionalization of the public service. Employees who do not qualify or meet the requirements are appointed to positions of authority so that they can pay back to those who appointed them through tenders. These corrupt officials become untouchable and cannot be disciplined even if there are proven allegations on financial misconduct. Corruption also erodes professionalization by chasing away true professionals from the public sector. That is the reason why many South African professionals are leaving the country and relocating to countries like Australia, New Zealand, etc. The South African government has tried through legislation to combat corruption in the public service and promote professionalization, but it is still too early to see if these attempts are successful or not. It is for this reason that this study focused on tracing professionalization in the Public Service Bill and Public Administration Management Bill. The comparative analysis revealed that the Public Service Bill can identify and address strategic and systemic challenges that will inhibit professionalization of the public sector and put some mechanisms to deal with those challenges. Whilst the Public Administration Management Bill is not necessarily criticised for not being upfront with the reforms that will help professionalization, its focus by its very nature is the administration and management of the provisions of the Public Service Act. It therefore remains to be seen if there will be any changes brought about by these amendments when they are accented into law by the President. The research was able to trace the elements that promote and support professionalization in the two Bills. However, it remains to be seen if, once these Bills are accented into law, they are implementable and can achieve the objectives of the respective amendments. On the main the two Bills aim to eradicate political interference from administration. The recommendation is that all parties involved (politicians and officials) should respect these two pieces of legislation and implement them as they are for the benefit of the public service.

The Ontology of Urban Governance: A Framework for Pathways to Sustainable Urban Transition

Evidence on urban governance has expanded but is fragmented and inadequate. It fails to articulate the complexity of urban governance in a way that would facilitate effective urban transitions. Using a conceptual-cognitive lens, this article describes a method to move away from governance solutions based on functional silos to those based on multidimensional, sustainable systems. Based on a combination of concepts from public policy, governance, public administration, and urban service management, it frames the problem of urban governance as a comprehensive conceptual-cognitive map of the domain. The study validates the framework through expert feedback and the mapping of the literature on urban governance in India between 2018 and 2020. The monad map and theme map emphasise the ontology’s applicability as a methodological tool for evidence generation. The analysis reveals a need to reconfigure urban governance pathways to work towards a sustainable future. The article concludes by offering new conceptual constructs of governance pathways to enhance the policies and practices that shape such transitions.

Integrating philosophical perspectives into the study of public administration: The contribution of Critical Realism to understanding public value

Philosophical thought may provide an important contribution to the development of the theory and practice of public administration (PA). Notwithstanding such potential, however, philosophical thought has so far been limitedly employed in PA studies. To the extent philosophy has been brought into PA, three philosophies have been mainly used: Pragmatism, strands of Relativism-Constructivism, and Positivism. This paper argues that another philosophical approach can and ought to be considered much more systematically for application to foundational issues in PA studies, namely Critical Realism. The potential of this philosophical perspective is deployed to shed new light on key issues in the theory and practice of public value governance and management, a major area of academic investigation and practical application in the field of public administration and public management.

Development and implementation of human resources management policies and strategies in the Romanian public administration

Human activity seen from various perspectives: social, economic, political, administrative is carried out by people organized in collectives, depending on its importance. The administrative approach comes to order the logic of activity in a community entrusted to an authority that carries out planning, organization and control actions, in order to achieve the social mission and the purpose of the establishment and operation of public administration institutions. In this context, we propose a brief, specified approach to the need to streamline the activities of public administration authorities. The problem of human resources management in public administration requires a specified approach to the objectives of streamlining the activities of public administration authorities based on a human resources management strategy, which would contribute to the creation of a professional, transparent, flexible and responsive public function to the needs of society. The policies in the field of public office and civil servants represent a particularly important and always current key issue for ensuring the competitiveness and success of any public institution, even more so of the public administration.

ADAPTATION OF M. MOORE’S STRATEGIC TRIANGLE CONCEPT TO THE PRACTICE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The article is devoted to the study of the possibility of adapting the concept of strategic triangle of M. Moore in the practice of public administration. The authors analyse Moore’s basic principles and ideas regarding strategic management and consider the possibility of their application in the context of public administration. The article proves that the use of Moore’s concept allows to create an effective system of political decision-making capable of solving complex social problems taking into account a wide range of factors and involving a large number of stakeholders. The main advantages of this approach are its comprehensiveness, flexibility and focus on innovations that promote efficiency in the long term. The concept of M. Moore’s strategic triangle, which includes the elements of public good value, legitimacy and support, and operational capability, has been shown to be key to effective public administration and social change management. These three components are interrelated and together determine the government’s ability to achieve public goals. The partnership with the private sector in the concept under study emphasises the importance of involving the public in decision-making processes in public administration. Taking into account the opinions and needs of citizens can contribute to greater legitimacy of the decisions made and improve the quality of public service delivery, efficiency of public administration mechanisms and public policy in certain sectors. It is proved that the adaptation of M. Moore’s concept of strategic triangle in the practice of public administration will contribute to the construction of a democratic and open decision-making procedure, where any actor can participate in making important decisions and influence the development of their country. The use of the studied concept allows to provide the voice of civil society in the process of public administration, increasing the responsibility of the state to society and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of public institutions.

Integrating the neo-Weberian state and public value

Two thematic areas have grown in significance in the contemporary scientific literature of public governance, public administration and public management over the past 20 to 30 years: the theory and practice of public value, and theorisation of the neo-Weberian state (NWS). In this paper, we argue that, while these two important thematic areas have so far developed in a mostly unconnected way from each other, they both might benefit from integrating each other's perspective into their theoretical frame, and we outline the contours of such a framework. We argue that the NWS and public value might theoretically be combined in three forms of integration of the respective perspectives: the integration of the NWS conceived of as model with an approach to public value conceived of as an addition of value through the actions by public managers; the NWS as an ideal type with public value conceived of as an addition of value through the actions by public managers; and the NWS as an ideal type with public value conceived of as a contribution to the public sphere. The NWS may benefit from integrating the public value perspective in order to develop some of its core components: how it compounds input legitimacy with output legitimacy, and how it integrates the managerial components into a narrative of managerial action for the public purpose. The perspective of public value may benefit from engaging into a dialogue with NWS, if it aspires to be a truly global paradigm for managing public services. Points for practitioners 1. Public managers could and should pursue courses of action aimed at creating public value within the frame of NWS institutions and processes. 2. The adoption of a public value perspective is compatible with an NWS framework and mutually beneficial. 3. The development of the NWS in jurisdictions across the world is strengthened by the integration of the public value perspective, which can lead to matching output legitimacy and input legitimacy.

Innovative approaches to risk management in the field of public administration in Ukraine: prospects and limitations

Innovative approaches to risk management in the field of public administration in Ukraine: prospects and limitations

REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA E SISTEMÁTICA SOBRE PARCERIAS PÚBLICO-PRIVADAS NA ADMINISTRAÇÃO PÚBLICA

Public Administration is the set of activities undertaken by the State with the objective of promoting the common good, through the use of authority powers and the implementation of public policies, programs and services. Public Administration management in Brazil faces a series of challenges that compromise the efficiency and effectiveness in the use of public resources, including problems such as excessive bureaucracy, the lack of strategic planning, corrupt practices and the phenomenon of clientelism. Therefore, the present study, undertaken an Integrative Systematic Review (RSI), had the purpose of examining articles related to public-private partnerships in public administration, which were published in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO) database in the period time between 2012 and 2022. The main findings were that the most published articles are mostly related to health and education, which together represent a total of 15 articles. The presence of literature reviews on the topic was observed; public-private partnerships in the Brazilian public sectors and the main themes found in relation to this topic include: studies presented a single health system, government regulation, education policies, urban mobility, educational governance, health service reforms/health policy.

Towards theorizing from the Arab non-periphery: Hyphenated identities and the boundless security field

Across the Middle East, military professionals, private militias, and other security actors often play a central role in the management of urban planning, public administration, and other state affairs. However, security studies scholarship offers few theoretical tools for understanding this deep and overt inter-twinement of security and governance, framing it as an outcome of authoritarian practices of coup-proofing or a symptom of ‘weak’ states. This article analyzes spatial planning and land management practices in Egypt and Lebanon to propose two concepts, ‘hyphenated identities’ and the ‘boundless security field’, as alternative theoretical tools for thinking about security. I argue that security logics are deeply enmeshed with the identity of the nation, its histories of conflict, and its experiences of state formation, creating a security field that is boundless and non-discrete. Within this field are a set of ‘hyphenated identities’, or categories of actors who perform dual roles as managers of security and managers of other governance matters. The influence of these actors on governance practices illustrates the extent to which security logics can be imbedded in the structures of the state and its modus operandi, thereby reinforcing the boundlessness of the security field.