The Politics of Public Sector Performance: Pockets of Effectiveness in Developing Countries

297 Pages·2013·2.826 MB·English

by  Michael Roll

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Michael Roll has put together a path-breaking volume that is certain to
become the standard reference on its subject. Addressing the unjustly neglec-
ted topic of ‘pockets of effectiveness’ in otherwise under-performing states, it
sets a stimulating agenda for future research.
David Booth, Overseas Development Institute
It is easy to show that the reigning ‘more market, less state’ ideas about eco-
nomicdevelopmentstrategyoverthepastthreedecadeshaveatmostapartial
empiricalvalidity.Itisalotmoredifficulttogiveimplementable,non-obvious
16 prescriptions for how to make state agencies work more effectively. Michael
20 Roll’s edited book does just that. Combining case studies with determined
h induction, Roll and co-authors present a clear analytical framework in terms
c
ar of which they answer a question familiar to many who have encountered
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government agencies in middle-income countries: why do some (a few) agen-
06 cies work effectively, while the majority do not? And how can a government
3 go about creating and sustaining ‘pockets of effectiveness’? Anyone who is
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: concerned about improving the development prospects of middle-income
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0 countries – and who enjoys the company of articulate and provocative
t
a authors – should pay attention to its arguments.

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y Robert H. Wade, London School of Economics and Political Science
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i
s
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ve Surprisingly, pockets of effectiveness can emerge in the public sectors of even
i
n the worst governed countries. It is hugely important for reform that we
U
e understand why and how these exceptions emerge. In this volume Michael
or Roll brings together the latest research on ‘pockets of effectiveness’ in devel-
l
a oping countries, work done both under his direction and by independent
g
n scholars of the subject. In doing so, Roll isableto synthesize conclusions that
a
B take our understanding of the topic to a new level.
[
y David K. Leonard, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
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d
de Debates on the public sector in developing countries are dominated by a
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o combination of deep pessimism and calls for market reform. In this valuable
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n and innovative comparative study Michael Roll provides an answer to why
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o and how ‘pockets of effectiveness’ emerge in certain public organizations and
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why they persist. It is abreath offreshair and a must readfor academics and
public servants. It should become a standard text book for students in the
field of public management.
Edward Webster, Professor Emeritus,
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Whereas most public sector organizations in developing countries (and
reforms to such) fail, Michael Roll reminds us that there are successes. And
thatthese examplescould be thekey to morewidespreadsuccess; through the
lessons they offer, the inspiration they provide, and more. This timely book
should have an important place on the shelf for anyone interested in
governance and government in development.
Matthew Andrews, Harvard University
This book is an apt reminder that the blanket gloom through which we often
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1 judge the institutions of developing countries is in need of some critical re-
20 examination. It offers invaluable insights into some institutional dynamics in
h the countries that are covered, especially Nigeria. Taking us beyond the
c
ar anodyne prescription of ‘good governance’, it offers examples of institutional
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contexts in which positive and progressive change is possible. By addressing
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0 the key questions of how and why some public institutions function well, it
3 opens the possibility to more fundamental change in African bureaucracies
2
: and beyond in the future.
5
0 Abdul Raufu Mustapha, University of Oxford
t
a
]
y When assessing the role of the African state in the process of development
t
i
s today often observers emphasize incidents of bad governance, state failure
r
e
v and corruption. However, this process is complex and in remarkable cases it
i
n involves good governance and the effective performance of governmental
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e institutions in the delivery of public goods. This book goes a long way
or towards disentangling this process in developing countries, teasing out
al evidence of ‘pockets of effectiveness’ in the delivery of public goods. It is
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n destined to broaden the discussion on state effectiveness in the context of
a
B development.
[
y Edmond J. Keller, University of California, Los Angeles
b
d
de This innovative book analyses rare cases of well-performing public organiza-
oa tions in developing countries. It offers fascinating insights for researchers and
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n inspiration for reform-minded practitioners.
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o Peter Eigen, Founder of Transparency International
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Thiswelcome and important volumebegins to address our lackof knowledge
about public agencies in developing countries that do well despite the most
difficult of contexts. It examines the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of the emergence, and
importantly the persistence, of these ‘pockets of effectiveness’.
Colin Talbot, University of Manchester
The Politics of Public Sector Performance
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h It iswidely believed that the state in developing countries isweak. The public
c
r sector,inparticular,isoftenregardedascorruptanddysfunctional.Thisbook
a
M provides anurgently needed correctiveto suchovergeneralizednotions of bad
6 governance in the developing world. It examines the variation in state capa-
0
3 city by looking at a particularly paradoxical and frequently overlooked phe-
2 nomenon: effective public organizations or ‘pockets of effectiveness’ in
:
5
0 developing countries.
at Why do these pockets exist? How do they emerge and survive in hostile
y] environments? And do they have the potential to trigger more comprehensive
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si reforms and state-building? This book provides surprising answers to these
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e questions, based on detailed case studies of exceptional public organizations
v
ni and state-owned enterprises in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America
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and the Middle East. The case studies are guided by a common analytical
e
r framework that is process-oriented and sensitive to the role of politics. The
o
al concluding comparative analysis develops a novel explanation for why some
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n public organizations in the developing world beat the odds and turn into
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B pockets of public sector performance and service delivery while most do not.
y [ This book will be of strong interest to students and scholars of political
b science, sociology, development, organizations, public administration, public
d
e policy and management.
d
a
o
l Michael Roll is a University Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the
n
w University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA.
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Routledge Research in Comparative Politics
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The Politics of Public Sector
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Pockets of e ectiveness in developing countries
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