ABSTRACT
Field administration may be needed to ensure that other parts of the machinery of government are supervised and controlled to the satisfaction of the central authorities. Field administration sometimes requires a hierarchy of field offices outside headquarters. Communication between headquarters and the field for planning and control will affect the level of decentralization within a ministry or other central government agency. In some systems of government certain field officers perform such important political roles, relating to the security of the state and the enforcement of government policy, that their selection is based on political as well as administrative criteria. Political loyalty and skills may be as important as administrative skills, in the selection of key field officials. In addition to these administrative roles a number of more explicitly political functions has been identified. The first is that of maintaining political stability. Field administration may be used to obstruct opposition to the government as well as threats to the regime.
