Public Administration in Countries in Conflict: The Case of Georgia

Abstract

In trying to explain the effects of conflict on Georgia’s public administration (PA) performance, this chapter argues that the roots of this conflict—that resulted in devastating violence in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions in the early 1990s—are Soviet in nature. Violence and democratization are identified as the two most important variables affecting overall PA performance. On the one hand, Georgian PA system develops against the negative backdrop of Russia’s incessant attempts to dominate Georgia’s nation- and State-building processes, while fanning conflict, internal or external, has proven to be her major instrument of influence. On the other hand, European and Euro-Atlantic integration formats provide advanced framework for reforms. The qualitative and quantitative data analysed support the conclusion that the conflict prevalent in the 1990s was supplanted with reforms and State-building from 2003 onwards, resulting in improved governance indicators. However, despite staggering progress, the ongoing tendency to centralize power and the practice of informal rule since 2014 coupled with Russia’s hybrid warfare openly endanger otherwise positive developments in public administration. The various periods analysed show that Georgia, if it is to sustain continuity in growth and translate progress into effective State-building, must find a better model for public administration while containing lingering hybrid threats. Overall, unabated democratization is deemed to be the key factor capable of containing renewed possibility of conflict and improving PA performance.