NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES COURSE CODE: PSM 802 COURSE TITLE: REFORMS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE COURSE GUIDE PSM 802 REFORMS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE Course Team Dr. Jide Ayeni (Course Developer) 9, Ikorodu Road, Jibowu, Yaba, Lagos Professor Chuks P. Maduabum (Course Editor) NOUN Dr. C.I. Okeke (Programme Leader)-NOUN Mrs. P.N. Ibeme (Course Coordinator)-NOUN NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE National Open University of Nigeria Headquarters National Open University of Nigeria 14-16, Ahmadu Bello Way Victoria Island- Lagos Abuja Office 5. Dar es Salaam Street Off Aminu Kano Crescent Wuse II, Abuja e-mail: [email protected] URL: www.nou.edu.ng Published by National Open University of Nigeria Printed 2013 ISBN: 978-058676-1 All Rights Reserved ii PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE CONTENTS PAGE Introduction………………………………………………… iv What you will Learn in this Course……………………….. iv Course Aims………………………………………………... iv Course Objectives………………………………………….. v Working through this Course……………………………… vi Course Materials…………………………………………… vi Study Units…………………………………………………. vi Books……………………………………………………….. viii Assignment File…………………………………………….. viii Course Assessment………………………………………… viii Tutor-Marked Assignment (TMA)………………………… viii Conclusion………………………………………………….. ix iii PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE INTRODUCTION Reforms of the Public Service is a one-semester course for students offering the Masters Degree programme in Public Service Management. It is one of the core courses and a 3- credit unit course consisting of 16 units. Each unit is supposed to be covered in three hours. The course consists of 5 modules and 16 units. The modules are: Theoretical/conceptual framework, the pre-independence reforms, first republic reforms, public service reforms under military and Obasanjo reforms. This course guide tells you briefly what the course is about, what course materials you will be using and how you can work your way through these materials. It also highlights issues of timing for going through these units, and explains the activities and Tutor- Marked Assignments. There are supposed to be tutorials attached to this course and taking advantage of this will bring you into contact with your tutorial facilitator which will enhance your understanding of this course. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS COURSE The overall aim of this course on Public Service Reforms is to expose how public service institutions and agencies are reformed, refocused or redirected at a particular point in time or over a period of time. This is done to broaden your perspective on public service reform and stimulate your interest in public service reform. It is also to make you appreciate the utility and indispensability of reform in the public service. During this course, you will learn the concepts of innovation, best practices and reforms, bureaucratic or public service innovation, challenges of development, systems theory, new public management, public sector decentralisation and community-driven development, challenges of innovation and accountability in the public service as well as the details of all reforms both in pre and post-independence era in Nigeria to date. Knowledge of all these will lead to the appreciation of the role, functions and features of public service institutions and agencies. COURSE AIMS The aim of this course as pointed out earlier is to expose the students of public administration/service management to the concepts, structure, organisation and service delivery capacity of the public service. It is also to make you appreciate the scope of public service, the way it operates and what the public service is capable of doing, especially if it is iv PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE reformed regularly along the new development and innovations taking place at all times or over a period of time. This will be achieved by aiming to: i. Introduce you to the basic concepts of the public service, reform, innovation, best global practices, new public management, challenges of innovation, knowledge and public sector management, creativity, backward-looking reforms, forward- looking reforms etc. ii. Compare the modus operandi of public service reforms in Nigeria with that of other African countries and the Western world iii. Give an insight into public-private partnership as an element of public service reform iv. Expose the source of the global best practices in selected countries and v. Appraise the development potentials of reform activities and efforts in Nigeria from 1900 to date. COURSE OBJECTIVES To achieve the aims set out above, the course sets overall objectives. In addition, each unit also has specific objectives. The unit objectives are always included at the beginning of a unit. You are advised to refer to them as you study each unit both at the beginning and at the end to ensure that you check your progress and that you have done what is required of you by the unit. Below are wider objectives of the course as a whole, you should be able to: 1. Identify and explain the main concepts associated with public service reforms and innovations 2. Situate public service reform within the generic term of Public Administration and Management 3. Appreciate the philosophy of public service reform, innovation and global best practices 4. Describe and compare reform, innovations and modern trends as they apply to different countries bringing out the modus operandi in the countries being studied and compared 5. Explain the development potentials of reform and innovations in the new millennium 6. Read a set of articles and apply these to the concepts and issues covered in the preceding units of the course. v PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE WORKING THROUGH THIS COURSE To complete this course, you are required to read the study units and recommended textbooks and explore more current materials on the internet. You may also need to visit some Federal or State Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) around you to observe practically some of the things conveyed and covered in this course. You could also have a chat with some public/civil servants on a wide array of issues including the problems the stakeholders face. You also need to keep abreast of new development and innovations in the public service globally in the newspapers, magazines and even the radio. In this course, each unit consists of exercises or activities to test your understanding from time to time. At a point in your course, you are required to submit assignments for assessment purposes. Below you will find listed all the components of the course, what you have to do and how you should allocate time to each unit in order to complete the course successfully in time. COURSE MATERIALS Major components of the course are: 1. Course Guide 2. Study Units 3. Further Reading 4. Activities and Tutor Marked Assignments (TMAS). Everything you need is in each unit except the textbooks which you may have to acquire. You are advised to source current materials on the internet and avail yourself of newspapers, magazines and other publications on reforms. You may contact your tutor where you run into problem about recommended textbooks. STUDY UNITS There are sixteen (16) units in this course as follows: Unit 1 Bureaucratic Theory and Public Service Unit 2 The Concepts of Reform, Public Service Innovation and Development Unit 3 Lugard and Clifford Reforms Unit 4 Harragin Reforms Unit 5 Foot Reforms Unit 6 Gorsuch and Newns Reforms Unit 7 Morgan’s Reforms vi PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE Unit 8 Elwood Reforms Unit 9 Adebo Salaries and Wages Commission Unit 10 Udoji Public Service Review Commission Unit 11 Dotun Philips Study Team Unit 12 Review Panel on the Civil Service known as Ayida Panel Unit 13 Military Style of Reforms Unit 14 President Obasanjo Reforms Unit 15 Some Operational Institutions of Obasanjo’s Reforms Unit 16 Yar’Adua Reform Initiatives As pointed out earlier, these units are classified into modules as follows: Module 1 Units 1 – 2 Module 2 Units 3 – 6 Module 3 Units 7 – 8 Module 4 Units 9 – 13 Module 5 Units 14 – 16 Each module is representing a homogeneous body of issues on public service reform. Module 1 addresses conceptual or theoretical issues. Module 2 is about the pre-independence reforms which took place in Nigeria. Module 3 looks at first republic reforms while module 4 is about public service reforms under the military. Module 5 is the last and it deals with the Obasanjo Reforms You must read each unit carefully. The basic knowledge on the topic is conveyed here. An update of the knowledge is in reference to materials of currency. Supplementary reading is advised. As you work through each unit, the core of the units is at 3.0 level. The conclusion (4.0) helps to round up what has been said so far while “summary” (5.0) gives a brief summary of the major issues discussed. This is meant to assist you to remember the key issues and simplify the discussion at the end. At the end of some issues discussed at the 3.0 level in unit, you will come across “Activity”. These are meant to provide simple questions to enable you comprehend or remind yourself of the things discussed before the activity. Answers are directly provided in most cases. Do not consult the answers until you have attempted the questions. You may sometimes observe that the answers provided give you more insight than may have been originally conveyed (especially with the tutor- marked question. This is part of the characteristics of an essay question). vii PSM 802 COURSE GUIDE BOOKS There is no compulsory textbook for this course. However, as you go through the course, you will observe that some textbooks are recommended often. This shows that it is crucial to a number of units. Please try and consult these. Moreover, each unit has its own assigned texts and document.