The tasks of civil service have changed over the past two centuries, adapting to the changing role of the state in the economy and society. In the beginning of the modern era the role of the state was limited to waging wars and collecting taxes. Gradually, the state took up more functions, such as monitoring the national economy and providing welfare services. The expansion of state activity led to the growth and differentiation of the civil service. For some time now, particularly in developed societies of the poet-World War II era, central government institutions have felt the need for more and increasingly specialized civil servants to deal with increasingly complicated problems that require expert knowledge and technology.
IN some developing and underdeveloped societies, however, the growth of the civil service was not commensurate with need to adapt to economic development and the complexity of available technology. Instead, expansions in the civil service were motivated by the need to absurd excess labor from among internal migrants, the young, and the unemployed and to preserve the leverage exercised by political elites through patronage. The more visible presence of the state in the economy and society then gave rise to demands for new and better service by the state. The new demands on the state were nourished by the labor struggles and the wider participation of the working class in the democratic politics of Western Europe and North America.
Recent debates on the socioeconomic role of the state concern not only the extent of its intervention but also the efficiency with which political and civil service elites steer the economy in an antagonistic international environment and the quality of the services offered by civil servants to the citizens. Whereas some earlier transformations of the civil service were prompted by changes in the relations between state and society, some recent changes can be increased efficiency and imposed services.
The call for greater efficiency has often meant that the size of the civil service is trimmed, as governments-particularly in Europe-privatize services previously offered by large state monopolies (for example, national airlines and telephone companies). Alternatively, contemporary governments seek to modernize the organize the organization and methods of public administration. Such modernization involves training civil servants in new technologies, especially the use of computers, and teaching new skills related to better planning and evaluation of civil service activities. Governments have resounded to the demand for higher quality service by attempting to change the attitude prevailing in the civil service from inertia and aloofness to flexibility, attention to quality work, and sensitivity to the needs of citizens. They are also attempting to inform citizens about the services to which they are entitled.
IN some developing and underdeveloped societies, however, the growth of the civil service was not commensurate with need to adapt to economic development and the complexity of available technology. Instead, expansions in the civil service were motivated by the need to absurd excess labor from among internal migrants, the young, and the unemployed and to preserve the leverage exercised by political elites through patronage. The more visible presence of the state in the economy and society then gave rise to demands for new and better service by the state. The new demands on the state were nourished by the labor struggles and the wider participation of the working class in the democratic politics of Western Europe and North America.
Recent debates on the socioeconomic role of the state concern not only the extent of its intervention but also the efficiency with which political and civil service elites steer the economy in an antagonistic international environment and the quality of the services offered by civil servants to the citizens. Whereas some earlier transformations of the civil service were prompted by changes in the relations between state and society, some recent changes can be increased efficiency and imposed services.
The call for greater efficiency has often meant that the size of the civil service is trimmed, as governments-particularly in Europe-privatize services previously offered by large state monopolies (for example, national airlines and telephone companies). Alternatively, contemporary governments seek to modernize the organize the organization and methods of public administration. Such modernization involves training civil servants in new technologies, especially the use of computers, and teaching new skills related to better planning and evaluation of civil service activities. Governments have resounded to the demand for higher quality service by attempting to change the attitude prevailing in the civil service from inertia and aloofness to flexibility, attention to quality work, and sensitivity to the needs of citizens. They are also attempting to inform citizens about the services to which they are entitled.
0 comments:
Post a Comment