Comparative Governance Reform in Asia: Democracy, Corruption, and Government Trust (Research in Public Policy Analysis and Management)

In an international context, public management arrangements differ significantly from country to country, but also regionally and locally. One reason for these differences may be differences in culture resulting in differing views of the state and its institutions. This may sound trivial, but it becomes highly important when public management reform models are proposed and transferred from one country to others, such as was (and still is) the case with, for example, the new public management. Scholars in public management as well as internationally acting practitioners should be aware of the impact culture has on the possibilities and limits of concept transfers between different jurisdictions. Having said this, one precondition for a better consideration of cultural elements in public management reforms is a better understanding of culture itself. Among the public management community, cultural theory has gained considerable attention. There are, however, other concepts for the analysis of cultural facts that may be of interest to the subject, too.In this book, cultural influences (including organizational culture of public organizations) on public management and its reform are explored. Articles address definitions and conceptualizations of culture in the context of public management, cultural artifacts in public management, and give examples of cultural elements in public management from various countries. This volume helps to structure the discussion of cultural elements and points out approaches to study and incorporate cultural aspects in public management research and debate. cover.jpg......Page 1 List of Contributors......Page 2 Introduction......Page 4 The Meanings of Culture......Page 5 Societal Culture......Page 6 Organizational Culture......Page 7 Theoretical Approaches in Overview - How to Think About Culture......Page 8 Sociocultural Theories......Page 9 Culturalist Theories......Page 12 Institutionalist Theories......Page 13 Historical Institutionalism......Page 14 Sociological Institutionalism......Page 15 Rational Choice Institutionalism......Page 16 Functionalist Theories......Page 18 Comparison of Approaches......Page 19 The Explicit Use of Societal Culture in Public Management Research......Page 22 Implications for Future Research......Page 25 References......Page 26 Cultural Characteristics from Public Management Reforms Worldwide......Page 30 Definitions of Culture......Page 31 Study of Culture to Understand Public Management and its Reform......Page 33 Culture, Time, and Public Management Reform......Page 40 Culture, Place, and Public Management Reforms: Western and Non-Western Approaches......Page 44 Language......Page 45 Religion......Page 46 Culture, Structure, and Public Management Reforms: Nation-State Culture and Policy Field Culture......Page 47 Uncertainty Avoidance......Page 48 How Could These Five Cultural Dimensions ‘‘Work’’ Within Public Management Reform?......Page 49 Chicken-and-Egg Culture......Page 53 Should there be Separate Cultural Projects to Change Culture?......Page 54 Culture, Professionals, and Public Management Reforms......Page 55 Organizational Culture and Effectiveness......Page 57 Power Relations and Performance Cultures......Page 58 Mono Versus Multiculturalism; Harmonious Versus Conflicting Cultures......Page 59 Generic Versus Culturally Contingent Management......Page 60 Relevance of Private Management Culture for Public Management Culture: What is Specific About Administrative Culture?......Page 61 References......Page 62 The Poetics of Management, and the Politics of Organizational Cultures. A Sociological View on NPM-Reforms in Switzerland......Page 66 Introduction......Page 67 The Poetics of Management......Page 69 The Politics of Organizational Culture......Page 70 Conclusions......Page 73 References......Page 75 Reforms of Central Government Coordination in OECD-Countries: Culture as Counterforce for Cross-National Unifying Processes?......Page 77 Introduction......Page 78 Research Setting......Page 79 Coordination......Page 81 Culture......Page 83 Politico-Administrative System......Page 84 Cultural Values and Practices......Page 85 Coordination Tendencies for the UK, New Zealand, Sweden, and France......Page 89 Cultural Values and Practices......Page 93 Coordination and Culture: Indications for an Empirical Link?......Page 94 Coordination Strategy......Page 95 Coordination Strategy and a Country’s State Structure......Page 96 Coordination Strategy and the Relation between Ministers and Mandarins......Page 97 Synthesis......Page 98 Use of Coordination Instruments (Hierarchy, Market, and Network-Type Based)......Page 99 Use of Hierarchy-Based Coordination Instruments......Page 100 Use of Market-Based Coordination Instruments......Page 101 Use of Network-Based Coordination Instruments......Page 102 Synthesis......Page 104 Conclusion......Page 105 Notes......Page 106 References......Page 107 Annex 1. Analytical Framework......Page 109 Annex 2. Coordination Instruments......Page 110 Annex 3A. Cultural Dimensions - Hofstede (2001, pp. xix-xx)......Page 113 Annex 3B. Cultural Dimensions - House et al. (2004, pp. 11-13)......Page 114 Public Managers’ Religiosity: Impacts on Work Attitudes and Perceptions of Co-Workers......Page 116 Introduction......Page 117 Religion in the U.S.......Page 118 Religion and Managerial Behavior: Theoretical Background......Page 120 Hypotheses......Page 121 Data and Variables......Page 124 Independent Variables......Page 126 Control Variables......Page 127 Dependent Variables......Page 128 Results......Page 131 Discussion......Page 134 Conclusions......Page 136 References......Page 137 Public Sector Returns......Page 140 Response Rates......Page 141 Public Administration Modernization: Common Reform Trends or Different Paths and National Understandings in the EU Countries......Page 142 Introduction......Page 143 Empirical Design......Page 146 Different National Priorities of Public Administration Modernization......Page 148 Centralized and Decentralized Decision making in Human Resource Management......Page 151 The Role of Central Units and Line Ministers......Page 152 Decentralization of Managing and Controlling Agencies......Page 156 Decentralization and Accountability......Page 158 Conclusion......Page 161 Notes......Page 162 References......Page 163 Appendix. Closed Questions on HR Decentralization......Page 165 Introduction......Page 167 Bureaucratic Encounters and Attitudes Toward the Public Sector......Page 169 Is Public Sector Performance to Blame?......Page 171 Socio-Demographic and Socio-Economic Determinants of Confidence in the Civil Service......Page 173 Trust or Confidence and Other Terminological Issues......Page 174 Data......Page 176 Variables in the Model......Page 179 Basic Model......Page 182 Discussion and Conclusion......Page 189 The Role of Bureaucratic Encounters......Page 190 International Differences: Searching for Localized Explanations......Page 191 References......Page 192 Introduction......Page 198 Culture Change and the New Economics of Organization......Page 200 The Example of the U.S. Department of Defense Global Information Grid......Page 205 From the New Economics of Organization to Networks......Page 214 Conclusions......Page 219 References......Page 222 Part One: The Dwindling of Time in Academic Public Management......Page 226 Part Two: Time-Dependent Elements in Public Management......Page 228 Processes which Simply Take a Long Time......Page 229 Contexts in which Temporal Sequence is Crucial to Outcome......Page 230 Contexts in which Cycling or Alternation are Typical......Page 231 Part Three: Theorizing Time......Page 232 Part Four: Cultural Perspectives: Theorizing Times......Page 235 Last Words......Page 237 References......Page 238 Culture and Public Management Reforms: A Review and Research Agenda on the Basis of Experiences in Switzerland......Page 241 Introduction......Page 242 Concepts and Models of Culture......Page 243 Shaping the Complexity: Organizational, Administrative, and Political Culture as Determinants of Different Culture Layers in the Public Sector......Page 246 Public Management Reforms......Page 249 Cultural Diversity: The Case of Switzerland......Page 250 Public Management Reforms in Switzerland......Page 253 Discussion and Implications......Page 256 References......Page 261 Introduction......Page 267 The Concept of Governmental Culture......Page 268 Governmental Culture as the Intervening Variable......Page 270 The Thai Case......Page 273 Smaller Central Government Principle......Page 275 Accountability Mechanisms......Page 276 Governmental Culture as the Dependent Variable......Page 277 The Thai Case......Page 282 Governmental Culture as an Independent Variable......Page 284 Conclusion......Page 285 References......Page 286 Culture as an Independent Variable in Public Sector Reform......Page 291 A Macro-Perspective: Core Values in Politics and Society......Page 293 A Meso-Perspective: What People want from the State......Page 297 Micro-Perspective: ‘‘Culture at Work’’......Page 306 Power Distance Index......Page 307 Uncertainty Avoidance Index......Page 308 Masculinity vs. Femininity......Page 309 Where Do We Go from Here? Shattered Myths and New Avenues for Research......Page 310 References......Page 312 Triggering Change through Culture Clash: The UK Civil Service Reform Program, 1999-2005......Page 315 Introduction......Page 316 Methodology......Page 317 Main Themes in the UK CSR Program......Page 320 Characteristics of the Most Successful Elements of the Reform Program......Page 321 Areas of the Reform Program Needing Further Attention......Page 324 Changes to the Change Program: From ‘‘Reform’’ to ‘‘Service Transformation’’......Page 326 Was it Seen as a Logical Progression from the CSR Program?......Page 329 Did it Fit Better with the Needs and Cultures of Central Government Departments and Agencies?......Page 330 Was it Likely to be More Successful in Speeding Up the Rate of Change within the Civil Service?......Page 331 Cultural Dimensions of the Change Programs......Page 332 Conceptual Implications for the Study of Public Sector Reforms......Page 336 Conclusions......Page 339 References......Page 341 E-Government in Asia: How Culture Affects Patterns of Adoption......Page 343 Background1......Page 344 Impact of E-Government on Generic Policy and Institutional Reforms......Page 346 Traditional Institutional and Cultural Practices that Mediate E-Government Adoption......Page 349 Examples from Asia......Page 353 Conclusion and Suggestions for Further Research......Page 355 References......Page 356