Public Administration Features in Developed and Developing Countries

The growing trend in comparative public administration (CPA) has broadened over the years to include comparison of different aspects of public administration (PA), such as bureaucracy, structure, functions, process, and policymaking among countries. However, there has been an interesting aspect of comparison that offers a much grander macro-level of analysis between developed and developing countries. This level of comparison offers readers, researchers, and policymakers an important foundation of comparative public administration that will also guide them in understanding specific country case studies. It also offers deeper insight into the relationship between public administration and development. For example, Rostow’s (1960) five-stage development pattern gives a framework for understanding economic growth and the importance of comparing a country’s public administration is equally important. This chapter seeks to explore the relationship and trends between developed and developing countries’ public administration. The chapter will begin by examining the characteristics of developed and developing countries in general and then identify the distinction between the two categories of countries based on the level of professionalism, political distance, adoption of technology, participatory governance, public–private partnership, and degree of training, among others.