Evolution of Governance and Development Administration Practice

Abstract

The feasibility of applying abstract theories and doctrines of governance and administration to the complex realities, limited resources, and political polarization of many developing countries has generated various approaches and strategies that are frequently at variance with the classic conceptions and aspirations of the theories. Democratic rhetoric has often been accompanied by autocratic rule. Principles based on idealized conceptions of development management have been replaced by more pragmatic approaches to cope with the messiness of bureaucratic politics, local power structures, and administrative shortcomings.