The politics of public administration reform: capacity development and ideological contestation in international state-building (2016)

Why do expensive international aid programs often fail to achieve public administration reform in fragile states? Prevailing explanations focus on resistance from vested local interests that benefit from poor governance or on civil servants¿ lack of technical skill. In contrast, this study emphasises the role of public administrations in managing societal conflict. Ideologies of public service relating to bureaucratic organisation and function legitimise particular distributions of power and resources. Understanding the relationship between ideologies of public authority and their political economy foundations can thus inform donor efforts to promote reform, helping to build mutually beneficial tactical alliances with local actors.