Lessons from Africa

Abstract

The social and political context within which public administration is located determines the effectiveness of service delivery as well as the way in which policy is made and implemented. This article explores the issues of ‘modernization’ and New Public Management (NPM) advocated by the Bretton Woods Institutions as a process of strongly encouraging particular kinds of policy initiatives across the globe. The example of the privatization of Kenya Airways and its restructuring between 1992 and 2006 provides a case study and an Africa success story, but one that depends upon a fortuitous constellation of actors and events. It is a rare example of a successful privatization in Kenya specifically and Africa more generally. The article discusses the issues involved in the relationship between politics and civil society, and the ways in which a non-corrupt public administration provides the essential aid to good governance. The lack of such an institution can be crippling for an economy and the aim of good governance. It also examines practitioners’ need to appreciate the full context in which they are working.