India's Confrontation with Potential Building of the Public Service
| Author | Lina Vyas |
| Published date | 01 July 2012 |
| Date | 01 July 2012 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0019556120120314 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
INDIA'S
CONFRONTATION
WITH
POTENTIAL
BUILDING
OF
THE PUBLIC SERVICE
LINA VYAS
India, the world's largest democracy, has encountered
challenges in many areas since Independence. Political
and
economic
development
along
with
effective
administration
of
the vast country with diverse ethnic and
linguistic features was accomplished with the support
of
an efficient public bureaucracy. This article examines the
challenges faced by India in building capacity
of
the public
service.
The
task becomes extremely difficult in the context
of
regional,
linguistic
and
religious diversity. The
democratic nature
of
India's administration
has
been
strengthened by an effective public service that has been
able to accommodate the diverse interests
and
mediate
between their competing claims.
INTRODUCTION
BUREAUCRACY AND democracy are generally discussed in the social
sciences as antithetical concepts (Mosher, 1968; Waldo, 1977; Morgerson,
2005). While democracy is practiced through consultation, representation
and expression
of
choice by the citizens, bureaucracy operates on the basis
of
hierarchical structure, rigid adherence to rules and regularity
of
procedures. The idea
of
exercising power by bureaucrats in a democratic
setting was never popular and the key challenge was the task
of
maintaining
control over a group
of
capable and organised administrators who had access
to state power. Indian political institutions and leadership have been able to
incorporate the bureaucracy in the power structure to play an effective
role in governing the country and also retain the sovereignty
of
national
political institutions.
India claims to be the largest democracy in the world: Although the
claim may be disputed, it cannot be denied that the country has adhered to
the democratic route since Independence, except for a brief period
of
emergency rule in the 1970s. "India has a comparatively high level
of
436
I
INDIAN JOURNAL
OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
VOL. LVII/, NO. 3, JULY-SEPTEMBER 2012
institutional development and is one
of
the few nations in the developing
world to sustain a democratic polity" (Hardgrave and Kochanek 2008,
p.
3). The prospect
of
the success and sustainability
of
democracy in a multi-
ethnic country like India gives rise to concerns. Dahl believes that widespread
poverty and illiteracy are anathema to 'stable democracy' (Dahl, 1971,
p.76), and Jain (2002, p, 3) similarly expressed apprehension regarding the
prospect
of
democracy in India.
Debates and controversies are common regarding the role
of
the
bureaucracy in democratic systems, particularly in developing countries.
The South Asian experience has not been positive in this regard as Pakistan
and Bangladesh have frequently been dominated by the civil-military
bureaucracy to the detriment
of
democratic principles. However, India has
been remarkably successful in utilising the experience and expertise
of
the
bureaucracy, while at the same time preventing it from usurping state power.
The strong constitutional tradition
of
India has received able support from
the political leadership, and the bureaucracy offered support in governing
the country.
India maintained a democratic system in the face
of
stiff challenges.
Despite low levels
of
literacy and human development, vast social divisions,
and a massive population, the country has remained relatively stable,
peaceful, and democratically governed. At regular intervals, India has
attempted diverse strategies for good governance, which is associated with
an efficient and effective development-oriented, citizen-friendly and
responsive administration committed to improvement in the quality
of
life
of
the people (Jain, 2002, p. 4).
The Research
The findings
of
this study are based mainly on qualitative research and
information obtained from secondary literature on democracy and the role
of
training
in
developing
a stable bureaucracy. Primary qualitative
information was gathered through interviews with
11
current and five retired
public employees and four leaders
of
political parties. Snowball sampling
was adopted to select the interviewees. There were limitations on the sample
size because
of
the difficulty
of
gaining access to these prominent people,
especially in the context
of
recent terror attacks in India and the sensitive
security regimen in the country. In addition, a review
of
the legal and policy
framework
of
training in government organisations was conducted. Drawing
upon- the work
of
Petticrew and Roberts (2006), the systematic review
methodology was used to map out areas
of
uncertainty and identify where
little
or
no relevant research has been done, to conduct a series
of
focused
reviews
of
existing international and local literature and documentation in
this field. Based on our initial review
of
the literature and the identification
To continue reading
Request your trial