A Report
Background
Public administration in the 21st century is undergoing dramatic change, not only in advanced economies, but also in many parts of the developing world due to demands for transformative change getting louder. Globalization and the pluralization of service provision are the driving forces behind these changes. Policy problems faced by governments are increasingly complex, rather than simple, linear, and national in focus. And yet the prevailing paradigms through which public sector reform are designed and implemented are relatively static and do not fully encompass the significance or implications of these wider changes Perhaps the single most important challenge facing governments in the 21st century will be how to strengthen the institutional capacity of public, private and civic sectors to meet both the needs of citizens and the requirements of an international economy.
Institutional capacity-building is the process through which individuals and organizations in any country strengthen their abilities to mobilize the resources needed to overcome economic and social problems and to achieve a better standard of living as generally defined in that society. Institutions include both sustainable organizations and widely accepted rules of behaviour in both the public and private sectors. Effective and efficient public administration, including public sector management, promotes and strengthens democracy and good governance. An effectively functioning civil service is essential in order to ensure that democratically elected leaders are able to protect the rights of citizens and mobilize resources through taxes and other sources in order to pay for police, judges, and the provision of services.
Public administration is at an important inflection point with public institutions under increasing pressure, the challenges that confront government and society intensifying, and demands for transformative change getting louder. Public administration in the 21st century is undergoing dramatic change, not only in advanced economies, but also in