ABSTRACT
The conduct of public policy making and administration in Africa is fraught with controversy. Public service frequently attracts "the best and the brightest" of the country's labor force. The country possesses the largest public bureaucracy in Sub-Saharan Africa and a system organized in ways that are quite familiar to students of public administration in other former British colonies. The policy-reform requirements imposed upon the state by the Western financial establishment can be arranged in two broad categories: changes in economic policy and the public bureaucracy. Students of public administration and public policy need to know who is involved and excluded at critical decision points, which is in control of the process, and details about relative power and influence. Practitioners, whether primarily involved in the formulation, implementation, or evaluation of public policy, need to possess a thorough understanding of development challenges at all levels of government. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
