Comparative Public Administration
Sample Questions:
1. What is the difference between local government and field
administration? What is the local state? What factors have made
local government difficult to introduce in LDCs? Is decentralization
easier in more developed countries?
2. What is the Prefectoral system? Why are some called integrated and
some called un-integrated? What criticisms are often made of field
administrators and field administration?
3. Analyze the issues of public management and public policy raised by
the novels by Graham Greene and George Orwell. How do the
issues differ from those raised by Warren? By our other authors of
"fiction?" Use the comparative public administration literature to
discuss these two very different situations.
4. What does Armstrong mean about "territorial direction?" How has
prefectoral authority work in France and Russia? What was the
Imperial experience with field administration in India and in other
British colonies? Compare this with other parts of the world.
5. According to Armstrong, what has been the experience of field
administration on development in Europe? Compare Armstrong's
view of field administration and development with that of our other
authors? What are the dilemmas of decentralization?
6. What does Morris mean by "rooting for the other team?" What is
wrong with it? What are the major problems that Morris points to
in his article?
7. How does Picard define decentralization? What does he mean by recentralization? What does he say happened in Denmark? How does
he relate re-centralization to the planning process? Critique the
model developed by Picard drawing on material from other parts of
the world.
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8. What is Corporatism? How has specialization affected
decentralization in Europe? What are the major goals of the reform
and how did they change local government in the Scandinavian
Countries? What are "steering mechanisms?" Peak Organizations?
What conclusions can be drawn about decentralization in
Scandinavia?
9. In general, what is the difference between field administration and
administration at the center. What is the difference between field
administration and local government? Terms to note and explain:
Prefect, Integrated vs. Un-integrated systems, devolution, deconcentration and functional administration.
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