scholarly journals Bureaucratic Responsiveness to LGBT Americans

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 664-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Lowande ◽  
Andrew Proctor
Keyword(s):  
Bureaucratic Responsiveness

One Step Forward or One Step Back? Explaining the Performance Paradox in the Civil Service of Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Asif M Asif M Shahan
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Change ◽  
Institutional Context ◽  
Behavioral Pattern ◽  
Political Context ◽  
The Political ◽  
Institutional Rules ◽  
The People ◽  
Specific Manner ◽  
Bureaucratic Responsiveness ◽  
One Step

In Bangladesh, two contrasting scenarios regarding the responsiveness of the bureaucrats working at the field level are present. Whereas some bureaucrats reach out to the people and respond to their demands, others remain unresponsive and unapproachable. So, why do the bureaucrats working at the grassroots, while performing under the same rules, same institutional context and reality, perform in two different ways while interacting with citizens? How can these two contradictory sets of understanding regarding bureaucratic responsiveness coexist in Bangladesh? This article attempts to unpack this puzzle by relying on a slightly modified version of historical institutionalism. Building on Bell’s model of ‘agent-centric institutional change’ and by using a modified version of Mahoney & Thelen’s framework of institutional change, it argues that dialectical interaction between agents (bureaucrats) and institutions (i.e., rules- both formal and informal, norms that affect the behavior of the agents) within the broader political setting can best explain the variation in behavioral pattern of the bureaucrats. The political context allows agents to exercise discretion in a specific manner in executing their roles and functions while being constrained by institutional rules and norms. The dialectical interaction between structure (political context), agent, and institution determines the current administrative reality, which has allowed the contradiction to emerge and sustain.

scholarly journals Political control and policy-making uncertainty in executive orders: the implementation of environmental justice policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Provost ◽  
Brian J. Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Political Control ◽  
Executive Order ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Executive Orders ◽  
Fire Alarm ◽  
Bureaucratic Responsiveness ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEnvironmental justice (EJ) has represented an important equity challenge in policymaking for decades. President Clinton’s executive order (EO) 12898 in 1994 represented a significant federal action, requiring agencies to account for EJ issues in new rulemakings. We examine the impact of EO 12898 within the larger question of how EO are implemented in complex policymaking. We argue that presidential preferences will affect bureaucratic responsiveness and fire alarm oversight. However, EJ policy complexity produces uncertainty leading to bureaucratic risk aversion, constraining presidential efforts to steer policy. We utilise an original data set of nearly 2,000 final federal agency rules citing EO 12898 and find significant variation in its utilisation across administrations. Uncertainty over the nature of the order has an important influence on bureaucratic responsiveness. Our findings are instructive for the twin influences of political control and policy-making uncertainty and raise useful questions for future EJ and policy implementation research.

Representative bureaucracy and bureaucratic responsiveness : linking passive and active representation in Ghana's education bureaucracy

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elijah Agyapong
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Representative Bureaucracy ◽  
Active Representation ◽  
Female Teachers ◽  
Bureaucratic Responsiveness ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Advocacy Role ◽  
The Relationship

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Over the years, scholars have examined representative bureaucracy as a viable means to achieve bureaucratic responsiveness in a democratic society. The theory argues that a diverse public service that mirrors the social demographics of its population in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity (passive representation) is more likely to be responsive to the needs of all citizens (active representation). While a substantial amount of empirical research exists, a comparative understanding of the theory is lacking in Africa. This study expands empirical research on the theory to Ghana, one of the successful democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa, and focuses specifically on female representation in education. The study accomplishes two primary objectives. First, it investigates whether passive representation of female teachers and school administrators would make the education bureaucracy more responsive to girls' education in Ghana. Second, it seeks to understand the mechanisms by which passive representation translates into active representation for female students in the Ghanaian context. The analysis of an administrative dataset on senior high schools within the 216 districts of Ghana revealed that passive representation of female teachers was positively associated with the performance of girls on math and science exit exams. More female students passed the math and science exams in districts that employed more female teachers. The relationship was statistically significant after controlling for other theoretically relevant factors. In order to better understand how passive representation leads to substantive benefits for female students, a comprehensive model was examined which incorporated social backgrounds, attitudes/role acceptance, and active representation. The model hypothesized that a teacher can assume the role of an advocate or a representative of girls' interests. Those who adopt the advocacy role, regardless of their social identities, will be more likely to make decisions or take actions that improve educational outcomes for female students. A random sample of 200 teachers in eight senior high schools within the Accra Metropolis of Ghana was surveyed about their attitudes toward girls' education. In addition, school superintendents and officials in the Ghana Education Service were interviewed to provide qualitative insights. The findings indicated that gender and perceived expectation from various stakeholders influenced the extent to which teachers perceived their roles as advocates of girls. Organizational socialization and the acceptance of impartial bureaucratic roles did not overwhelm the influence of gender and perceived role expectations on the advocacy role. However, adoption of the advocacy role rather than gender predicted the potential for active representation, measured as a teacher's self-reported behavior in terms of actively taking actions to address the educational needs of girls. The findings from this sample lend considerable support for the relationship between role perceptions and the potential for active representation. It suggests that the advocacy role mediates the relationship between passive and active representation. This study therefore provides a better understanding of how a representative bureaucracy can engender responsiveness to women's education in Ghana and the Sub-Saharan African region.

Part VIII The Government’s Legal Personality, Ch.55 Public Employment and Service Law

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramachandran Raju
Keyword(s):  
Civil Service ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Historical Overview ◽  
Public Employment ◽  
Legal Personality ◽  
Administrative Reforms ◽  
Constituent Assembly ◽  
Bureaucratic Responsiveness ◽  
Democratic Nation ◽  
Constitutional Protections

This chapter examines relevant provisions of the Indian Constitution with respect to public employment and service law. In particular, it considers the Indian Constitution’s regulation of civil servants and the constitutional controversies surrounding the often-competing ideals of bureaucratic independence and bureaucratic responsiveness. After providing a historical overview of the Indian bureaucratic structure, the chapter turns to the debates in the Indian Constituent Assembly over the place for an independent civil service in a modern, democratic nation such as India. It then considers the constitutional status of the civil service, paying special attention to provisions relating to terms of service and constitutional protections for civil servants. It also explores the question of administrative reforms and their implications for the civil service in India.

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