web viewa hotly debatable issue about ghana’s local government is whether or not local...

UGBS 105 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC

ADMINISTRATION

STUDY GUIDE

UGBS 105INTRODUCTION TO

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

STUDY GUIDEFor Undergraduates

Level 1002014/15 – 2016/17 Academic Year

Dr. Daniel Appiah, University of Ghana Business School

UGBS 105 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION - STUDY GUIDE 2014 Page 1 of 18

STUDY GUIDEUGBS 302 RESEARCH METHODS

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Nana Y. Boakye-Danquah, Senior Lec-turer at the UGBS-PAHSM, who developed the first dis-tance education instructional material for UGBS 105 that of which I was called to help update. I also wish to thank my Teaching Assistant Mr. Isaac Sarpong who played a critical role in the development and editing of this study guide, the development of the course slides and presentation of the course module on the Univer-sity of Ghana Sakai Learning Management System.

UGBS 105 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION - STUDY GUIDE 2014 Page 0 of 18

STUDY GUIDEUGBS 302 RESEARCH METHODS

CONTENTS

COURSE DESCRIPTION ...............................................................5

COURSE WEBSITE....................................................................5

INSTRUCTOR...........................................................................5

Support Contact Information...................................................5

PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING APPROACH...................................6

LEARNING OUTCOMES.............................................................7

KNOWLEDGE.........................................................................................7SKILLS....................................................................................................7COMPETENCE........................................................................................7

ASSESSMENT..........................................................................8

Individual Assignments..........................................................................8Group Term Paper – Problems and solutions of public administration in Ghana....................................................................................................8

RECOMMENDED TEXT .............................................................9

DETAILED CLASS SCHEDULE.....................................................10

SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS........................................................10

SESSION 0 – INTRODUCTION TO UGBS 105..............................10

Overview.............................................................................................10Goals and Objectives...........................................................................10Activities and Assignments.................................................................10

SESSION 1 – THE NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION...........11

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STUDY GUIDEUGBS105 INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC

Overview ............................................................................................11Goals and Objectives...........................................................................11Activities and Assignments.................................................................11

SESSION 2 – INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.......11


SESSION 3 – BUREAUCRACY AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION......12


SESSION 4 – POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION DISCHOTOMY DEBATE12


SESSION 5 – DECENTRALIZATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 13


SESSION 6 – THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM IN GHANA:

PART 1 .................................................................................14


SESSION 7 – THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM IN GHANA:

PART 2 .................................................................................14

Overview ............................................................................................14Goals and Objectives...........................................................................14

3


Activities and Assignments.................................................................15

SESSION 8 – LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION IN GHANA15


SESSION 9 – PUBLIC POLICY MAKING: PART 1– CONCEPTUAL IS-

SUES ....................................................................................15

Overview.............................................................................................16Goals and Objectives...........................................................................16Activities and Assignments.................................................................16

SESSION 10 – PUBLIC POLICY MAKING: PART 2 – ACTORS AND

PROCESSES IN GHANA ..........................................................16


SESSION 11 – PUBLIC SECTOR CORRUPTION AND ACCOUNTABIL-

ITY17


SESSION 12 – THE ‘NEW’ PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.................17


SESSION 13 – LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ..........18


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5


COURSE DESCRIPTION 1. COURSE WEBSITE

http://sakai.ug.edu.gh

2. INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Daniel AppiahDept. of Public Administration and Health Services ManagementUniversity of Ghana Business SchoolP. O. Box LG 78Legon, Accra

Email: [email protected] Telephone: 0540628767

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3. Support Contact InformationSchool of Continuing and Distance EducationUniversity of Ghana P. O. BoxLegon, Accra

Phone: (+233)0303938855Email: [email protected]

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mailto:[email protected]

4. OVERVIEWMy dear student, I welcome you to UGBS 105, Introduction to Public Ad-ministration. Public Administration affects the everyday life and develop-ment of citizens of a country. You will therefore find this course very prac-tical, relevant and enjoyable.

The course seeks to introduce you to the very basic concepts, theories and processes underlying administration in the public sector. It focuses on the unique social, political, economic and cultural context within which Ghanaian public administration is practiced. The key topics to be covered include: definitions, nature and scope of public administration; the role of public administration in national development; the relationship and differ-ences between public administration and business administration; the na-ture of public administration system in Ghana; local government in Ghana; ethics and public accountability and the politics-administration debate.

The general objective of this course is to introduce you to the key issues in the practice and study of Public Administration. At the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Explain the nature and importance of Public Administration• State the basic concepts in the study and practice of Public Ad-

ministration• Understand the principles and ethics of Public Bureaucratic Ad-

ministration• Understand the mechanisms for holding Public Administrators ac-

countable• Describe the nature of Ghana’s Public Administration system,• Understand the processes and actors involved in making public

policy in Ghana• Understand the rationale for Public Administration to partner with

private business entrepreneurs to promote socio-economic devel-opment in Ghana

I shall help you to understand the basic ideas and concepts of Public Ad-ministration in the hope that you will be equipped with the tools to help improve the Public Administration system for the development of your country.

You are welcome once again to an exciting course.

5. PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING APPROACHProblem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of problem solving. The goals of PBL are to help the students develop flexible knowledge, ef-fective problem solving skills, self-directed learning, effective collabora-tion skills and intrinsic motivation. This course will use a problem-based

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learning approach in the hope that students will be able to identify solu-tions to the problems and challenges of public administration systems, particularly in the case of Ghana.

Working in groups, students identify what they already know, what they need to know, and how and where to access new information that may lead to resolution of problems. The role of the instructor/lecturer/tutor is to facilitate learning by supporting, guiding, and monitoring the learning process. The tutor will help build students' confidence to take on the prob-lem, and encourage the students, while also stretching their understand-ing.

6. COURSE FORMATThe course content will be delivered online through the SAKAI Learning Management System (Sakai LMS). The Sakai LMS will be used to deliver

• Video Lecture Sessions• Session Slides • Session Reading Materials• Assessments–Tests, Quizzes and Assignments (including a Prob-

lem-based Term Paper)• Group activities–Discussions and Presentations

Announcements will be posted to the course website and/student’s email accordingly. It is the responsibility of students to check on announce-ments made in class, on the Course Website, and through email.7. LEARNING OUTCOMESThe learning outcomes for the course are outlined along three strands: knowledge, skills and outcomes. 7.1. KNOWLEDGEAt the end of the course, should have knowledge on

1. The scope of Public Administration2. Features of Public Administration that distinguishes it from Private

Administration3. Basic concepts in the study and practice of Public Administration4. The principles and ethics of Public Bureaucratic Administration5. The mechanisms for holding Public Administrators accountable for

their actions6. The nature of Ghana’s Public Administration system7. The processes, and the nature of the actors, involved in public poli-

cymaking in Ghana 8. The basic tenets of the New Public Management and its features in

Ghana

7.2. SKILLSAt the end of the course, you should also be able to:

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1. Identify the scope of various definitions of Public Administration2. Identify similarities and differences between Public and Private Ad-

ministration3. Identity various types of institutional rules and how they could pro-

mote effective and efficient Public Administration in Ghana 4. Identify the principles of public bureaucracy and apply them to

Ghana’s Public Administration system 5. Analyze the relationship between politics and Public Administration6. Identity the various stages and processes involved in public policy-

making in Ghana 7. Identify types of mechanisms of accountability for holding public ad-

ministrators accountable for their actions; and, review their effec-tiveness in Ghana

8. Identify the basic tenets of the New Public Management and its fea-tures in Ghana

7.3. COMPETENCEWhen you finish this course, you should in the future be able to:

1. Conceptualize Public Administration in relation to the views of other scholars

2. Engage in dialogue on appropriate Public Administration reforms, 3. Undertake process and stakeholder analysis of specific public poli-

cies

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8. ASSESSMENTThe assessment for this course has been designed to help all students to maximize their individual and group/team learning opportunities. A sum-mary of the assessment tasks is provided below

ITEM FORM OF ASSESS-MENT

DELIV-ERED

MARKS

Individual As-signments

Multiple Choice Ques-tions (MCQs)Short EssaysTerm Paper/Presenta-tion

Alongside Sessions

15%

Group As-signments

Term Project/Paper/ Pre-sentation

Beginning of Semes-ter

15%

Written Ex-amination

Semester Examination End of se-mester

70%

Total 100%

8.1. Individual AssignmentsIndividual assignments will be provided at end of sessions. These assign-ments may be in the form of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), Short Es-says and/or a Term paper or presentation. Deadlines will be provided for each assignment with respect to scheduling of the sessions.

8.2. Group Term Paper – Problems and solutions of public admin-istration in Ghana

Using the problem-based learning approach, the instructor/lecturer/tutor shall guide groups of students to identify local or national problems of public administration, and find use their knowledge to find appropriate so-lutions to the problems. Each working group of students shall use primary and secondary information to formulate solutions to a single problem.

Each working group shall present to the instructor/lecturer/tutor not less than a 5-page written report (excluding bibliography/reference list) on their assignment, and also make a PowerPoint presentation for discussion in class.

Submission Guidelines: Each written assignment should be presented with a cover page which should state the title of the report and also out-line the name, index number, and email address of students in the group.

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The essay should be single-spaced, font-size 12, Times New Roman. Sub-mit online through Sakai LMS by the end of the 12th Week.

Each written assignment, therefore, should be carefully edited for gram-mar, typos, and/or spelling mistakes. Appropriate citations should be pro-vided using the American Psychological Association (APA) format. The fol-lowing website offers information about writing and formatting papers in the APA style including general format, reference of the works of others in your texts, reference list, examples, notes, and additional resources:

• http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html

9. RECOMMENDED TEXT Bovens, M. (2007). ‘Analysing and Assessing Accountability: A Concep-tual Framework.’ European Law Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4: 447-468.

Denhardt, R. B and Janet V. D. (2006). Public Administration: An Action Orientation. Thompson Wadsworth: CA.

Friederich Ebert Stiftung (FES). (2011a). The Structure of the Ghanaian State. Accra: FES. (Access this material from here: www.library.fes.de/pdf-files/.../ghana/10504.pdf)

Friederich Ebert Stiftung (FES). (2011b). The Law Making Process in Ghana: Structures and Procedures. Accra: FES (Access the material from here: www.fesghana.org/uploads/PDF/Brochure_Lawmaking_Ghana.pdf Howlett, M. and Ramesh, M. (2003). Studying Public Policy: Policy Cy-cles and Policy Subsystems. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press: Ox-ford.

ILGS and FES (2010). A Guide to District Assemblies in Ghana. Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung: Ghana.

Kettl, D. F. (2012). The Politics of the Administrative Process. 5th

Edition. Sage: Los Angeles.

Larbi, G. A. (1999). ‘The New Public Management and Crises States.’ UNRISD Discussion Paper No. 112. (Access the material from here: www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(httpAuxPages)/.../dp112.pdf)

Ninsin, K. A. (2009). How Parliament Decides: Decision-Making in Ghana’s Parliament. Institute for Democratic Governance: Accra.

North, D. (1990). Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Per-formance. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

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http://www.library.fes.de/pdf-files/.../ghana/10504.pdf

http://www.library.fes.de/pdf-files/.../ghana/10504.pdf

http://www.fesghana.org/uploads/PDF/Brochure_Lawmaking_Ghana.pdf

http://www.fesghana.org/uploads/PDF/Brochure_Lawmaking_Ghana.pdf

http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(httpAuxPages)/.../dp112.pdf)

Rosenbloom, D. H. et al. (2009). Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics and Law in the Public Sector. 7th Edition. McGraw-Hill Publications.

Shafritz, J. M., and Hyde, A. (2011). Classics of Public Administration. 7th

Edition. Wadsworth: Boston.

Shafritz, J. M., et al. (2012). Introducing Public Administration. 8th Edi-tion. Person Longman: New York.

Turner, M. and Hume, D.. (1997) Governance, Administration and De-velopment: Making the State Work. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave-MacMillan.

*Relevant additional materials may be added for each session.

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DETAILED CLASS SCHEDULEThe course is organized into 13 SESSIONS along the following lines: (1) Overview; (2) Goals and Objectives; and (3) Activities and Assignments.

10. SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS

Week Session1 Sessions 0 and 12 Session 23 Sessions 34 Sessions 45 Session 56 Session 67 Session 78 Session 89 Session 910 Session 1011 Session 1112 Session 1213 Session 13

11. SESSION 0 – INTRODUCTION TO UGBS 10511.1.OverviewIntroductions and orientation to the use of the Sakai Learning Manage-ment System (LMS) and the available tools for the course.

11.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of this session, the student should be able to:

1. Become familiar with the key issues to be discussed in the subject of Public Administration and how the course is organized

2. Become familiar with the tools in the Sakai LMS to be used in the course

3. Do self-introductions and discuss the expectations for the course in the Chat Room

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11.3.Activities and AssignmentsThis week, complete the following tasks:

1. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh2. Watch the Video for Session 1-Course Introduction3. Visit the Chat Room and introduce yourself while discussing expec-

tations for the course4. Explore the online tools available in Sakai

12. SESSION 1 – THE NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION12.1.Overview Welcome to our first session. You might have heard some people com-ment on the nature of Public Administration, either in a positive or nega-tive way. This session will provide you with an important opportunity to re-ally acquire some knowledge and understanding of the nature of public administration. You will find the views of various scholars interesting and enjoyable.

12.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should understand the following:

1. The concept and practice of public administration2. The distinction between public administration and public manage-

ment. 3. The importance of public administration.


1. Read Chapter 1 of Shafritz, J. M., et al. (2012)2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh/3. Watch the Videos for Session 14. Review Lecture Slides: Session 15. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 16. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 1

13. SESSION 2 – INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION13.1.Overview Dear Student, not long ago, US President Barack Obama came to Ghana and said that Africa needs strong public institutions and not strong men if the continent is to develop. Many development practitioners and scholars are also unanimous in their verdict that developing countries, particularly in Africa, have failed to create high level of capital to reduce poverty for the majority of their citizens because such countries lack strong public in-stitutional administration. This session will provide you the opportunity to

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http://sakai.ug.edu.gh/

understand what is meant by institutions and the nature of strong public institutions. The session will help you to become an institutional analyst who can help Ghana to develop strong public institutions that are effective and efficient.

13.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you will be able to

1. Understand how institutions are created, maintained and changed2. Identify the components of an institution 3. Understand the nature of public institutions4. Understand the types of institutions that organize human relation-

ships 5. Analyse why many public sector institutional reforms have failed6. Propose solutions for building strong public institutions of adminis-

tration


1. Read Chapter 1 of North, D. (1990)2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 24. Review Lecture Slides: Session 25. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 26. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 2

14. SESSION 3 – BUREAUCRACY AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION14.1.Overview Dear student, I hope you are developing your skills to become a good in-stitutional analyst. Welcome to another interesting session where we shall look at the type of institutional rules that can help large organizations to function effectively and efficiently. We shall examine a system of organi-zation called bureaucracy. You might have come across the concept of bu-reaucracy, usually associated with some administrative delays. You will soon come to understand that the scholars who developed the principles which underlie the idea of bureaucracy had many positive expectations about a bureaucratic system of administration. This session will help you to understand the concept of bureaucracy, the principles of bureaucracy, and how public bureaucracies can be improved to make them function ef-fectively and efficiently.

14.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should be able to:

1. Understand the concept of bureaucracy 2. Identify and understand Max Weber’s principles of bureaucracy3. Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of Public Bureaucracy

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4. Propose solutions to problems of public sector bureaucratic adminis-tration in Ghana


1. Read Chapter 6 of Shafritz and Hyde (2011) & Chapter 4 of Turner and Hulme (1997)

2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 3 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 35. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 3 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 3

15. SESSION 4 – POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION DISCHOTOMY DE-BATE

15.1.Overview Dear Student, I think that you are now well positioned with adequate knowledge to engage in what is arguably the longest standing debate in the study and practice of public administration. The crux of the debate is whether or not the politics of public policymaking should be reserved for elected politicians whiles the process of execution or implementation of the policies and programmes should be left to an impartial class of admin-istrators generally called Civil Servants. In a democratic country, should there be an impartial field of civil service administration of public policies “that is removed from the hurry and strife of politics?” On the other hand, is there no role for the impartial civil servant in the determination of gov-ernmental policies and plans? The debate popularly called the politics-ad-ministration dichotomy debate is over a century old. I invite you to exam-ine the nature of the debate and take your stand.15.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should be able to:

1. Be able to identify and understand the politics-administration di-chotomy debate

2. Distinguish between diverse perspectives about the politics-adminis-tration dichotomy

3. Analyze the political setting in which public administration operatesTake a reasonable position on the politics-administration dichotomy de-bate 15.3.Activities and AssignmentsThis week, complete the following tasks:

1. Read Chapters 1 and 2 of Shafritz and Hyde (2011) 2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 4 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 4 5. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 4

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6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 4

16. SESSION 5 – DECENTRALIZATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRA-TION

16.1.Overview Dear Student, I hope that you have come to appreciate the importance of managing public affairs within a well-functioning system of bureaucracy. In this session, we shall discuss why and how the important functions per-formed by public administrators (such as ensuring law and order, provid-ing health care, etc.) should not be confined to Accra, Ghana’s capital city, but should be extended to every region, district and, if possible, the vil-lage level. But what kind of authority should be given to the public admin-istrators who are operating in local communities outside the seat of gov-ernment in order to make them responsive to local problems demands? We shall discuss these matters by trying to understand a concept called decentralization. You have to be careful and calm here in order not to be confused by the different types of decentralization that we are going to discuss. Be rest assured that you will easily understand the issues. 16.2.Goals and Objectives

At the end of the session, you should be able to:1. Understand the concept of decentralization2. Identify and differentiate the types of decentralization3. Understand the reasons for decentralization of public adminis-tration 4. Understand the challenges of decentralization in Ghana


1. Read chapter 7 of Turner and Hulme (1997) and Chapter 2-10 of Ah-woi (2010)

2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 54. Review Lecture Slides: Session 5 5. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 5 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 5

17. SESSION 6 – THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM IN GHANA: PART 1

17.1.Overview Dear Student, now that we have understood some of the key concepts in Public Administration, it is important that we now gain a holistic under-standing of the nature of Ghana’s Public Administration system. In our dis-cussions so far, we have been making references to some of the institu-tions and organizations within Ghana’s Public Administration system. We need to gain an understanding of the components of the entire system of Public Administration in Ghana. We also need to know how Ghana’s Public

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Administration system developed from the colonial period. This session will help us to understand why public policymakers in Ghana follow some procedures before they can make a formal-legal public policy.


1. Identify the organizational structure of Ghana’s Public Administra-tion system

2. Understand the historical evolution of Ghana’s Public Administration system

3. Understand nature of, and relationships between, the Executive, Parliament and the Civil Service in Ghana’s Public Administration system

4. Problems of Civil Service Administration17.3.Activities and AssignmentsThis week, complete the following tasks:

1. Read the following materials: Chapter 2 of Ahwoi (2010) 2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 64. Review Lecture Slides: Session 65. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 6 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 6

18. SESSION 7 – THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM IN GHANA: PART 2

18.1.Overview Dear Student, now that we have understood some of the key concepts in Public Administration, it is important that we now gain a holistic under-standing of the nature of Ghana’s Public Administration system. In our dis-cussions so far, we have been making references to some of the institu-tions and organizations within Ghana’s public administration system. We need to gain an understanding of the components of the entire system of Public Administration in Ghana. We also need to know how Ghana’s public Administration system developed from the colonial period. This session will help us to understand why public policymakers in Ghana follow some procedures before they can make a formal-legal public policy.


1. Identify the organizational structure of Ghana’s Public Administra-tion system

2. Understand the historical evolution of Ghana’s Public Administration system

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3. Understand nature of, and relationships between, the Executive, Parliament and the Civil Service in Ghana’s Public Administration system

4. Problems of Civil Service Administration18.3.Activities and AssignmentsThis week, complete the following tasks:

1. Read the following materials: (i) Chapters 8-11, and 14 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, and (ii) FES (2011a)

2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 74. Review Lecture Slides: Session 75. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 7 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 7

19. SESSION 8 – LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION IN GHANA

19.1.Overview Dear student, I promised you that the course will be interesting and enjoy-able. Let us move from the national level of public administration in Ghana to the local level of Public Administration to discuss another set of interesting, and usually debatable, issues. As earlier mentioned in our dis-cussions of Ghana’s public administration system, the local government system plays a key role of Public Administration in local communities. A hotly debatable issue about Ghana’s local government is whether or not local populations should be allowed to elect their own District Chief Execu-tive. But before you jump another this debatable matter, it is important that you first try to understand the concept, origins and organizational structure of local government in Ghana. We shall also discuss the political, financial and administrative challenges that have plagued the local gov-ernment system; and how the challenges may be addressed. 19.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should be able to

1. Understand the concept of Local Government 2. Identify the concept of local government in the context of the types

of decentralization3. Identify the structure of Ghana’s local government system4. Understand the challenges facing the Metropolitan, Municipal and

District Assemblies


1. Read ILGS and FES (2010) and the Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462

2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh

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3. Watch the Videos for Session 8 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 8 5. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 8 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 8

20. SESSION 9 – PUBLIC POLICY MAKING: PART 1– CONCEPTUAL ISSUES

20.1.OverviewMy dear student, welcome to the ninth session of the course. I hope that you are enjoying the new knowledge that you have acquired so far about public adminis-tration. This session discusses one of the most important functional areas in the study and practice of public administration. Hardly a week passes without you hearing that Government has made some public policy. But do you know how a public policy is actually made? This session will provide you the opportunity to learn about what is meant by a public policy, the processes of making a public policy, and how diverse people or actors in a democratic society use their power to influence the content of public policy. This session focuses on understanding key concepts and processes in public policy making. The specific legal proce-dures for making a public policy in Ghana shall be discussed later in another ses-sion. However, the knowledge that you acquire from this session will help you build important skills to become a competent public policy analyst. 20.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should be able to

1. Understand the concepts of public policy2. Identify and differentiate the types of public policies3. Understand the process of making a public policy within a democ-

racy 4. Understand the nature of actors involved in public policy-making


1. Read the following materials: Chapter 1 of Howlett and Ramesh (2003)

2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 9 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 95. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 9 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 9

21. SESSION 10 – PUBLIC POLICY MAKING: PART 2 – ACTORS AND PROCESSES IN GHANA

21.1.Overview Dear Student, I am quite sure that you enjoyed our discussion on the his-tory of Ghana’s Public Administration system. Now that we understand the

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nature of the organizational structure of Ghana’s Public Administration system, let us discuss the process of public policymaking in Ghana to carefully examine the specific procedures that must be followed in the making of a formal-legal public policy. We shall also examine the type of interest groups or actors who have used their power to influence the mak-ing of formal-legal public policies in Ghana. Throughout the discussion, be reminded public policy-makers who are not interested in making their legally binding formal public policies do not go through all the procedures that we shall discuss here. Only formal-legal public policies go through all the procedures to be discussed here.


1. Understand the process of public policymaking in Ghana 2. Identify the actors involved in public policy-making in Ghana3. Understand the challenges of forma-legal policymaking in Ghana


7. Read the following to understand the specific structures and proce-dures of formal-legal public policy making in Ghana: (i) Ninsin (2009), and (ii) FES (2011b)

8. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh9. Watch the Videos for Session 10 10. Review Lecture Slides: Session 1011. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Ses-

sion 10 12. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 10

22. SESSION 11 – PUBLIC SECTOR CORRUPTION AND ACCOUNT-ABILITY

22.1.Overview My dear student, Public Administrators are given public authority and re-sources to manage for the welfare of citizens. But public administrators are not angels without greed and corruption. So it is important that we discuss some mechanisms that could be used to hold public administra-tors accountable for their actions. This session will provide you the tools to understand why it has been very difficult for the institutions of account-ability in Ghana to work effectively in holding elected and non-elected public office holders accountable for their actions. 22.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should be able to:

1. Understand the concept of accountability2. Understand the conditions for effective principal-agent relations of

accountability3. Identify and differentiate types of accountability for making public

administrators accountable for their actions

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4. Analyze the problems of holding Ghanaian Public Administrators ac-countable for their actions in the use of authority and resources


1. Read Bovens (2007) and Chapter 1 of Kettl (2012)2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 11 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 11 5. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 11 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 11

23. SESSION 12 – THE ‘NEW’ PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION23.1.Overview My dear Student, we have discussed, and sometimes debated, the nature and structure of Public Administration from the national to the local level. Before we lower the curtains on our interesting discussions, let us take a look at some ‘new’ ideas that are being introduced into the practice of public administration. Rest assured that the so-called ‘new’ ideas being in-troduced into an ‘old’ Public Administration are nothing strange but some familiar ideas that have been tried and tested in the field of private Busi-ness Administration for many decades. The new ideas focus on manageri-alism, the profit-oriented marketization of service delivery, and the remu-neration of organizational employees based on measurement of productiv-ity. Whiles these ideas are new to Public Administration, they are obvi-ously not new to private Business Administration. The question is whether these ‘new’ ideas can successfully be practiced in Public Administration.


1. Identify and understand the key ideas of New Public Management (NPM)

2. Analyze the implications of NPM for the traditional principles of bu-reaucracy

3. Identify examples of implementation of NPM in Ghana4. Understand the nature of Public-Private Partnership in the context

of NPM


1. Read the article written by Larbi (1999)2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 12 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 12

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5. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 12 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 12

24. SESSION 13 – LEADERSHIP IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 24.1.Overview My dear student, we have come to the final session of the course. Many of the problems and challenges of Public Administration that have come up in our discussions may have led you to characterize Public Administrators in Ghana as ineffective public leaders. But you have to know that leader-ship in Public Administration is a complex matter, and it is not easy for Public Administrators to be effective leaders. In this session, we are going to discuss the nature of leadership, different styles of leadership, and what style of leadership can help public administrators deal with some of the complex problems that have come up so far. The general objective of this concluding session is to help you the factors that affect the effective-ness of leaders in achieving the common goals of Public Administration agencies. 24.2.Goals and ObjectivesAt the end of the session, you should be able to:

1. Understand the concept of ethics2. Understand the ethical values of public administration including in-

tegrity, devotion to public service, impartiality, transparency, loyalty to government and accountability

3. Identify and understand the Ghana Public/Civil Service Code of Ethics

4. Propose solutions to some ethical problems in Public Administration


1. Read Chapter 11 of Shafritz, et. al. (2012) 2. Log onto the UG Sakai LMS course site: http://sakai.ug.edu.gh3. Watch the Videos for Session 13 4. Review Lecture Slides: Session 13 5. Visit the Chat Room and discuss the Forum question for Session 13 6. Complete the Individual Assignment for Session 13

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web viewa hotly debatable issue about ghana’s local government is whether or not local...

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