SEC6161 PUBLIC SECTOR ECONOMICS Pre-requisite: None BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Public Sector Reforms have been ongoing in Africa for some time now since the realisation that the old traditional civil service had outlived its usefulness, and could not deliver services expeditiously and cost-effectively to the expectations of the public in the era of pluralistic democracy and information revolution via social media. The tardiness of the civil service has been seen to be caused partially by excessive bureaucracy, and politicization or political capture. The civil service was perceived as wasteful, over-protected by their political patrons, overblown in size with ghost workers, and their activities were unsustainable, non-competitive, and sometimes irresponsible and non-responsive to public demands. To overcome all these negativities, public sector reforms, driven mostly by external multilateral institutions and donors had to be crafted and implemented as SAP (Structural Adjustment Programme), EPRP (Enhanced Poverty Reduction Programme), HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Countries), Decentralization Programme, Staff Training and Empowerment Programme, Privatization of State-owned Enterprises Programme, Fiscal Decentralization, Performance Management System, Payroll Reform, Digitization of Records, Land Registration Reform Policy, among others. This course will suit those already in government or those wishing to join government, or those with academic interest in governance issues.
LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. explain the concept of Trias Politica or Separation of Powers; 2. evaluate the pros and cons of bureaucracy; 3. analyse why service delivery in the civil service is problematic; 4. recommend actions to tackle corruption; 5. identify innovative interventions to be applied in the value and supply chains; and 6. assess the effectiveness of reforms which have been implemented.
CONTENT Part A: 1. Trias Politica and how government works in action 2. Multilateral actors in government and role and functions of the civil service 3. Tenets of the civil service - e.g. anonymity 4. Professionalism in the civil service and code of ethics 5. History and behaviour of civil service pre-one party state and post-one party state Part B: 1. Bureaucracy 2. Policy-making and decision making processes in civil service 3. New Management Systems as response to environmental changes and markets 4. Globalization, competitiveness, transparency, accountability Part C: 1. Local Governments and decentralization 2. Fiscal decentralization; Budget as instrument; Public Debt management 3. Performance Management Systems 4. Payroll reform, digitization, inter-operability of structures and systems Part D: 1. Corruption Perception Index 2. Amnesty International; Transparency International, INTOSAI 3. Leadership and Ethics 4. Public interest and policy goals Part E 1. Leadership and change management 2. Innovation, creativity and networking 3. Principal-agency dilemma in government 4. Short and long-term orientations 5. Effects and cost of past reforms-e.g. massive retrenchments METHOD OF TEACHING Two 2 hours of Lectures and 1 hour tutorial session per week ASSESSMENT Continuous assessment 40% 1 test 30% 1 assignment 10% Final examination 60% Total 100% PRESCRIBED READING 1. Fatile, J. O. and Adejuwon, K. D. (2010) Public Sector Reform in Africa: Issues, Lessons and Future Directions. Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa Vol. 12 No. 8.
- Tordoff, W. and Young, R. A. (1994) Decentralisation and Public Sector Reform in Zambia. Journal of Southern African Studies.
GRZ (2013) Public Management Reform Strategy for the Government of the Republic of Zambia 2013-2015. Lusaka: Government Printers
Ake, C. (1996) Democracy and Development in Africa. Washington, D.C.: Brooking Institution.
RECOMMENDED READING 1. Ake, C. (2000) The Feasibility of Democracy in Africa. Dakar: CODESRIA 2. Studymode (n.d.) The Impact of the Public Sector Reform Programme on Human Resource Development [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Theimpactofthepublicsectorreformprogrmmeonhumanresourcedevelopment. Accessed on 20 June 2017. 3. UNPAN (n.d.) Zambia State for Public Service Reforms. United Nations Public Administration News [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www.unpan.org/Regions/Africa/PublicAdministrationNews/tabid/113/mctl/ArticleView/ModuleId/1460/articleId/25209/Zambia-State-for-Public-Service-Reforms.aspx. Accessed on 20 June 2017. 4. World Bank (n.d.) Zambia Overview-Result-Oriented Public Management System. [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/zambia/overview/result-orientedpublicmanagementsystem/. Accessed on 20 June 2017. 5. GRZ (2013) Public Financial Management Reform Strategy for the Government of the Republic of Zambia 2013-2015. GRZ, Lusaka: Government Printers 6. Boateng, M. (2014) Rethinking Fiscal Decentralization Policies in Developing Economies: A Case Study of Ghana. MA Thesis, Geography Department, Brock University, Ontario, Canada[Online]. Retrieved from: https://dr.library.brocku.ca/bitstream/handle/10464/5458/Brock_Boateng_Micheal_2014.pdf?sequence=1 Accessed on 20 June 2017. 7. Zakari, Baasit Abdul (2012) Decentralization and Community Participation in Ghana: The Development of District Development Plans in East Mamprusi District. MA Thesis in the International Institute of Social Sciences, Graduate School of Development Studies, Netherlands. [Online]. Retrieved from: https://thesis.eur.nl/.../Baasit%20Abdul%20Zakari_SB%201329%20Baasit%20Zakari Accessed on 20 June 2017. 8. Ayee, J.R.A. (2001) Civil Service Reform in Ghana: A Case Study of Contemporary Reform Problems in Africa. African Journal of Political Science Vol. 6, No. 1, pp.1-41
- Lecturer: Dr. Richard Mulenga