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Unit 29: Role of Bureaucracy and Delivery Mechanism in Implementation of Economic Policies

5. Use of Modern Management Technique : It should be used for optimising personnel, financial Notes
and material resources.
6. Achievement Orientation : Administration should be achievement oriented.
7. Commitment and Dedication : These provide extra power to development.
It is known that development administration could not achieve much in developing countries
because of the fact that the same personnel with the old administrative apparatus are
implementing development programmes in their respective countries.
Lack of Implementation: Bureaucratic Problems

In the implementation of economic policies many breaucratic problems are faced. For instance,
mounting corrupt practices by public officials caused by the poor remuneration of public officials
and their concomitant low self-motivation; culture of secrecy in public service; weak enforcement of
laws and regulations; high degree of centralised decision-making; weak instruments of control and
accountability; low level of compensation; politicisation of service delivery systems; the supremacy
of the executive; inefficient public employment system; inter-cadre rivalry; lack of favourable
conditions for women; lack of linkage between rewards and performance; wastages in public offices
caused by unscientific management of human resources and wasteful management of public
properties; low levels of efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, transparency and dynamism; and
over-sized organisations and over-staffing in bureaucracy of our country.
Need of Reforms
A lot of paper work generated in today’s Government offices could have been avoided in cases where
requisite information could be easily gathered by phone, personal interaction, etc. Personnel
administration should not only attend to personnel matters but also improve the general management.
Management improvement is a continuous process. The principal responsibility for effecting
improvements in administration lies with the administrators themselves. Administrative reforms
may be politically necessary or socially desirable, but unless they are administratively feasible and
bureaucratically acceptable, they will prove sterile. It may be noted that all reforms require a clear
vision, committed leadership and sustained effort. The innate creative and innovative abilities of
seniors, colleagues and subordinates should be harnessed. In the new Millennium, the Government
would need to relevant itself to become ‘citizen-centric’ and ‘citizen-friendly’. Greater delegation
and decentralisation of authority and responsibilities would need to be introduced at all levels. Greater
accountability in the administrative system would be ensured by a combination of Citizens’ Charters
and the Right to Information. Gradually, the process of consultation with the participation of citizens
in decision-making would become more pronounced in order to ensure accountability. The civil
servants and politicians need to adopt clearly defined ethical standards. This all can be achieved
through an innovative use of information technology.
Good Governance to Ensure Implementation of Economic Policy

Today, good governance is an important agenda of Government which has taken measures to make
administration accountable, responsive and transparent. It has been done through citizen charters;
formulation of a Freedom of Information Bill; review of administrative laws and regulations for
dismantling procedures and red tapism by repeal or amendment of outdated and obsolete laws,
regulations and procedures that mystify, and confuse the people, creating the environment to reap
the benefits of IT by harnessing IT, establishing Information and Facilitation Counters. Today, systemic
thinking is necessary as well as to involve the people and the employees in the effort through a
shared vision. Today’s culture of competition between individuals has to be replaced by competition
between teams and organisations.
Now, the Government must possess the certain qualities to ensure implementation of economic policy
efficiently in the society. For instance, the bureaucracy should have wide contact with the people
administered. A sense of justice, sensitivity and responsiveness to the urges, feelings and aspirations
of common people is another reform need in the bureaucracy. Humility and simplicity in the persons

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