QUESTIONNAIRE ON NATIONAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS IN AFRICA*

Transcription

1 African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development المرآز الا فريقي للتدريب و البحث الا داري للا نماء Centre Africain de Formation et de Recherche Administratives pour le Développement QUESTIONNAIRE ON NATIONAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIONS IN AFRICA* Bd. Mohammed V, Pavillon International P.O. Box 310, Tangier, Morocco Tel: (212) Fax: (212) cafrad@cafrad.org Web Site: Bd. Mohammed V, Pavillon International B.P. 310 Tanger, Maroc

2 PURPOSE The following questions aim to establish an overall picture of operations, as well as tendencies, of national public administrations. Responses will be checked into the United Nations On-Line Network on Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN); as part of a collaborative UNDESA- CAFRAD effort to facilitate the sharing of information and knowledge about public administration in Africa. Documents, statistics, tables etc.., to help us obtain better understanding of structures and processes in your system and welcome. However, it is recommended that responses be limited to about twenty lines per heading. Your cooperation is highly appreciated. I. GENERAL STRUCTURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Describe the constitutional and/or legal basis of public administration organization, and the existing levels : federal or national; state or provincial or regional; local, municipal, city and/or community levels. What extent of political, fiscal and administrative autonomy exists in relation to each level? Recently, has there been an administrative reform with respect to levels of administration? Are any changes concerning levels of administration (centralization/decentralization) expected in the near future?. If yes, please describe briefly the main issues (include the possible creation of new structures, i.e. agencies or others). If not, please indicate when the last reform was adopted. II. CIVIL SERVICE Describe briefly the legal basis of civil service at the central level, including recruitment and career. Explain ways of entering the civil service, competitive examinations, categories, duration of tenure, systems of promotion, social security, retirement, and pensions. Please include basic statistics related to civil service at the central level, indicating the kinds of bodies that are considered central administration : Total aggregate numbers Total male and female civil servants Average academic preparation, percentage of university graduates, etc.. African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development CAFRAD 2

3 Please mention recent developments and possible next steps in relation to the reform and modernization of the civil service, including training and education. III. CIVIL SOCIETY vis-à-vis PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Are public opinion polls on public administration taken? If so, how regularly are they published? What is the common attitude of the most important media towards public administration? Are both opinion polls and media attitudes taken into account by administrative authorities? What are the main types of NGO s in your country? In what fields are they involved? Does a system for the protection of human rights exist? What are the strong and weak points of the system? IV. ETHICS AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE What is the Penal Code, if any, for crimes committed by civil servants (abuse of power, conflict of interest, bribery, the trading of information, etc..)? Is there a legally acknowledged Code of Ethics for civil servants? What is the reputation of the civil service with regard to honesty, transparency, and neutrality as reflected in the most important media according to public opinion? Is the civil service neutral with regard to changes in government? Does public administration resist change in the political area? Does an administrative system of accountability and control exist within the public administrative organization? Are there any special institutions or agencies that are entrusted with this task? Describe the main issues of any recent reform or of existing projects of change for the near future, especially with respect to: The penal responsibility of civil servants; accountability systems in public administration, including the adoption of a code of conduct. African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development CAFRAD 3

4 V. USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES (ICT) IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION The importance of the use of management information techniques in public administration, namely: How are computers used in planning government operations? How are computers used in every day administrative operations (budgeting, accounting, storage of large numbers of data, inventories, archives, etc..)? Which ICT s (information and communication technologies) are most commonly used in your public administration (video conference, multimedia, computer linking, internet, etc..)? Describe recent changes and/or existing projects for the near future in public management concerning efficiency and effectiveness. VI. SENSITIVE BRANCHES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION The following administrative sectors, Higher Education, Environment and Social Policies, are, nowadays, considered the most sensitive administrative branches in a context of global development. For each of these sectors, would you kindly describe: What responsibilities does public administration have? Do special public and private agencies exist? Which bodies are concerned with the policy making and policy implementation procedures? Are the results commonly esteemed to be successful? In your country, if you consider that there is (are) other sector(s) as or more sensitive, kindly indicate so and provide answers to the above questions. Describe recent reforms and/or existing projects for the near future which have been finalized with a view to improving public services in the sectors of Higher Education, Environment and Social Policies. African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development CAFRAD 4

5 VII. GLOBALIZATION The adaptation of the national public administration to economic globalization is an important goal of the contemporary State. Does any comprehensive and finalized programme exist in your country to ensure an adaptation to globalization? For instance; special changes in government structures, special measures for attracting foreign investments, a legal framework for transnational companies, privatization of services, special training for civil servants, and other measures. Has your country set up a special administrative alliance with other countries and/or adopted supranational agreement(s) to deal with the pressures of globalization? VIII. TRAINING Which are the three priority areas in which training for the civil service is needed? Which institutions are offering training and which categories of civil servants are trained at the national and/or sub-regional and regional levels? What aspects of training require urgent improvement? IX. RESEARCH Is research conducted in civil service matters? Are civil servants involved in the formulation or execution of researches? In what forms are research findings made available to public servants? X. WHAT ARE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN YOUR COUNTRY? Describe actions taken to solve these problems, if any. * This questionnaire was designed by the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), Brussels. It has been modified by CAFRAD for the current survey. IIAS permission to use, with modification, the questionnaire is acknowledged and appreciated. African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development CAFRAD 5