Redefining Bureaucracy: Bahamas Civil Service & Administration - A case for reform

Redefining Bureaucracy: Bahamas Civil Service & Administration - A case for reform

Introduction

The relationship between policy implementation, organization and bureaucracy is relevant because it illuminates the face of a crucial issue: why policies are successful or fail. The analysis of this relationship indicates that the discretionary power of bureaucrats from street level is a decisive factor in the distribution of public goods and services, so the action of these agents is a relevant variable for the success of policies. This article discusses the discretion of the low-level bureaucrats in the implementation of public policies, using as reference the arguments made ??in the literature of the implementation, the bureaucracy and the organization. The conclusion suggests issues that are important to control the discretion of public officials, stressing that this discretion is a necessary condition for the implementation of policies, but it threatens the accountability and responsiveness.

The investigation found, among others, statistically significant between two and three types of punishment faced by the poor in Bahamas evidence. First, except in the case of state schools, the poor are less likely to access all other public services such as police services, the judiciary and infrastructure services. In quantitative terms, a 100% increase in per capita expenditure increased by 2.9 percentage points the probability of accessing any of the public services, which implies an average elasticity of 0.48.

Second, the poor tend to spend a higher proportion of their income from bribes demanded by public officials as important to them as security (police) services, and health services, in addition to those provided by regional governments and ministries. Indeed, globally, for every 100% increase in household spending, the share going to pay bribes is reduced by 0.3 percentage points (note that on average allocates 5.11% of income to bribes). There is also statistical evidence that the poor are less likely to successfully complete their paperwork at the police and basic services. In aggregate, however, this effect is not so clear.

Additionally, analysis of the relationship between bureaucracy and corruption shows that higher bureaucratic levels increase payments by concepts of bribery. It is also found that, in most cases, institutions with higher levels of corruption have the lowest rates of success. However, in some agencies, such as police and state research centers, bribery seems to have an accelerating effect of processing (effect we call "oil").

Moreover, corruption is widespread in many public and private entities that apparently affect all Peruvians alike. However, this study shows that, in addition, there is great inequality in the field of bribes, which represents an unethical system of redistribution of income (the poor are contributing proportionately more of their income for this purpose). The media, citizen monitoring organizations and social networks are now more active in identifying and publicize cases of corruption and to press for greater transparency in the public sector. Here is an additional item to spread and attack: inequitable bribes. The inefficiency of the "red tape" in Bahamais still prevailing, ...