Perspectives and Practices of Public Administration in South Asia

Pakistan’s government has integrated IT-based facilities and infrastructure into its IT Policy and Action Plan 2000, recognizing its importance in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While e-governance can improve public service delivery, success is not guaranteed due to the country’s unique context. This chapter assesses the e-governance initiatives of three provincial-level public departments in Pakistan, using Gartner’s maturity model for analysis. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the implementation of SDG, but it has also compelled governments to adopt technology to revive the economy, protect communities, and ensure sustainable growth.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the world, resulting in governments implementing digital technologies to enforce social distancing and nationwide lockdowns during its initial stages. India’s government has utilized various technologies, such as COVID-19 feedback and Arogya Setu, to track and trace cases, with Arogya Setu being the most widely used app in the country. Twitter has also been helpful in exploring COVID-19 information. To expedite the vaccination process, the government has employed digital technologies like the Co-Win app developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This study explores how digitalization has aided in the fight against COVID-19, with a particular focus on the role of the Co-Win app in India’s successful vaccination campaign.

The Government of Bangladesh has implemented e-governance initiatives through digitalization to promote socioeconomic development in rural areas. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study explores the impact of Union Digital Centers (UDC) on this development in the rural area of Haor Region in Bangladesh. It suggests improvements such as increasing Internet speed, building stronger networking systems, and developing entrepreneurial skills. The study recommends reducing political influence on the councils and increasing awareness of the services offered by UDCs among the villagers to improve the performance of e-government.

This chapter discusses the public management trends in South Asian countries, specifically the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to deliver information and public services to citizens in Bangladesh. Effective utilization of open data not only promotes transparency and accountability but can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leading toward coping with the challenges of the post-pandemic crisis. The study is a case-oriented qualitative research strategy and follows both primary and secondary data sources. The main findings indicate that there have been drastic developments in Bangladesh in digitalizing the public sector. However, in the context of local governance, local power dynamics, resistance to change, corruption, resource constraint, lack of awareness of the service receivers about the service provisions, etc. are challenges faced in the delivery of local public services at the sub-district level.

In today’s era of globalization, leaders in the public sector are seeking new means of collaboration to uphold their values of public service. The rise of New Public Governance (NPG) calls for a fresh approach to reforms that supports co-production and collaborative governance, as they transition to a hybrid embedded model. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, which has brought about a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous situation, experts propose that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) may be the key to survival. These 17 goals aim to address the multifaceted policy challenges that the world is facing while ensuring that the vulnerable are protected and leaders are looking beyond the crisis. This study delves into SDGs 7 and 16 and how they can help us provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy choices while promoting inclusive representation in public service. Ultimately, this research examines the scope of public service values, the orientation of collaborative governance, and the context of co-production by analyzing case studies of public sector organizations operating in the energy sector of South Asian liberal democracies (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka), including their structures, policy coherence within hybrid power networks, reciprocal relationships, and public programs.

Successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires proper identification of the needs of the people with multi-stakeholder partnerships. Local governments are suitable mechanisms that have the potential to articulate the needs of the local community. If the people are satisfied with the public service, that ensures peace, justice, and strong institutions promoting effective and accountable public service at the community level. Improving the effectiveness of public service delivery has been a challenge for most developing countries both at the local and national levels. There is no exception to Sri Lanka. Local governments’ service delivery in the country is seriously subject to criticism. This study examines the significant factors affecting effective public service delivery in local governments in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The study found that employees’ commitment and people’s participation significantly affect the effective public service delivery in the local governments and proposed policy measures to improve the effectiveness of the public service delivery in the local governments of Sri Lanka.

This study analyzes the national response and implementation process of Disease Prevention and Control (DP&C) policies in Pakistan related to Covid-19 through the systems thinking approach. The study found that elements of staff screening, support and incentives, and screening of hospital visitors and guests were missing. Furthermore, a lack of specialized human resources and inconsistent involvement in quality improvement by public organizations was also identified. The study highlights the importance of exploring the role of healthcare workers in implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions as they are at significant risk of disease contamination and psychological impact. The study also understands the implications of Covid-19 DP&C policies on implementing Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs), precisely SDG-3.

Civil society has a long-standing history in India and has recently gained significant importance, particularly after a policy shift in the early 1990s. During the turbulent and violent era of the 1970s, the state attempted to regain its legitimacy after the imposition of a national emergency by partnering with some civil society organizations for developmental purposes. India formulated its first-ever national policy on the voluntary sector to define the relationship between the state and civil society and create a long-term and institutionalized collaboration between them. This chapter thoroughly examines the conceptual and historical foundations of civil society in India, as well as the internal and external challenges it faces. It also analyzes the impact of these challenges on the partnership between civil society and the state administrative machinery. Overall, the chapter aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the current state of civil society in India and the factors that will shape its development toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Bangladesh celebrated the 50th anniversary of its independence in 2021 and has moved from being considered a ‘bottomless basket’ to middle-income status. However, with this graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) group to middle-income country status, the country will lose benefits in terms of market access, intellectual property rights, and export subsidies. The study is an initiative to address the readiness of the public sector to handle the challenges of post-LDC graduation by mapping the opinions of young and mid-senior civil servants on this issue. This understanding is also important to achieve the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), particularly to attain Goal 16 to have effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions. The study looks at factors associated with civil servants’ job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, including the structure and processes of civil service, training, capacity building, office environment, and career prospects. It also identifies existing and likely future problem areas and possible solutions to enable civil servants to deliver better service.

This concluding chapter offers a reflection on public administration in South Asia in a post-pandemic context illustrating its connections to the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). Drawing from the chapters in the book, it highlights the recent trends and initiatives undertaken in public administration in South Asia, identifies the challenges faced in this process, and suggests a way forward for effective public administration in the region to achieve the SDGs. The chapter argues the need for a systemic approach, rethinking the role of civil servants, effective and transparent institutions, multisectoral partnerships, and leveraging technology for actions to pursue the SDGs. Findings provide implications for the ‘South-South’ transfer of knowledge for pursuing sustainable development in the region with the potential for ‘South-North’ learning.