Afghanistan has been ravaged by years of conflict. Afghan national institutions are severely factional and lack a cohesive national security culture. In other words, Afghan institutions are not sufficiently focused on defending their own national interests. Influential Afghan figures continue to promote patronage networks, further institutionalizing favoritism and corruption. The Afghan government continues to give free rein to well-known warlords and human rights abusers as well as corrupt politicians and businesspeople, further eroding public support. Reconstruction of the economic and political institutions through better administrative reforms is perhaps the most important means to ensuring long-term success of a state.

Without a well-functioning government apparatus, administrative system and an efficient and productive economy, no state will be able to maintain basic state functions. The objective is to strengthen planning and auditing activities, promote quality assurance, implement public welfare policies, organize management of human resources, maintain ongoing efforts to reform the administration and fight against corruption, and lay the foundations for managing finances and procurement. These broad based objectives can be met by inventing an efficient administrative system that could relief Afghanistan out of lingering administrative problems.

In that pursuit a democratic institution must be built on structures and processes that are accountable, transparent, decentralized, and able to manage legitimate elections and the administration of justice, and operate under the oversight of the parliament. Furthermore, it should combat exclusion, protect public goods, actively engage civil society and the private sector, promote participation, and strengthen partnerships among sectors, groups, and every levels of government. Revitalizing public administration for people-centered development would require reform efforts that incorporate these characteristics.

Effective and efficient administrative system, including public sector management, promotes and strengthens democracy and good governance. An effectively functioning civil service is essential in order to ensure that democratically elected leaders are able to protect the rights of citizens and mobilize resources through taxes and other sources in order to pay for police, judges, and the provision of services.  A consolidated democracy requires administrative capacity of the state to maintain law and order, and to promote and protect public goods such as environment.  Public confidence in the political system and subsequently the political legitimacy of the government – is increased where the public service delivery system is effective, where the public officials are accessible to local citizens, and where government agencies and departments work together in well coordinated, complementary ways. Equally important is the capacity to govern, to make important policy choices, design and implement programs and actions to achieve policy objectives, and anticipate emerging trends and challenges.  Public sector management capacity to perform the above and related tasks, however, requires merit based recruitment of qualified personnel, effective human resource development strategies, motivation and commitment of civil servants, and transparent processes for policy formulation, budgeting, and implementation.     

Over the period of past 50 years, the concept of public administration has gone through four phases ranging from public administration to governance. First being public administration that was historically perceived to be a set of state structures, institutions, and processes. It was characterized, among others, by hierarchy, continuity, impartiality, standardization, legal-rational authority, and professionalism. Among others, it was expected to provide human security and protection of property, establish and enforce societal standards, and sustain the rule of law.  Yet, in practice, traditional public administration is severely criticized for red-tape, slowness, paternalism vis-à-vis citizens, waste of resources, and too much focus on process and procedures instead of results, which is currently experienced in this landscape.                                             

The second phase being public management, focused on the application of management principles including efficiency in utilization of resources, effectiveness, customer orientation, reliance on market forces, and greater sensitivity to public needs. It called for expanding the role of the private sector and correspondingly, minimizing the size of the public sector and the domain of traditional public administration. It sought to use private sector principles in public sector organizations.                                                                                       The third phase, is New Public Management (NPM), continued the previous trends. It focused on outcome-oriented partnerships between the public and the private sector to provide services to citizens. Its main principles were: Firstly, flexibility for the managers to cope with on-going changes in the national and global environment i.e. steering rather than rowing; Secondly, empowerment of citizens to promote more efficient, entrepreneurial, and results–oriented management; Thirdly, new responsibility mechanisms that go beyond compliance mechanisms to search for innovations and results over process; Fourthly, introducing business principles into public affairs including out-sourcing and contracting out; Fifthly, promoting professional ethics in the public sphere; and sixthly, performance management and budgeting as stated by UN.

The fourth phase is the governance that has been defined as a system of values, policies, and institutions by which a society manages its economic, social, and political affairs through interactions within and among the state, civil society and private sector. It comprises the mechanisms and processes for citizens and groups to articulate their interests, mediate their differences, and exercise their legal rights and obligations. It is the rules, institutions, and practices that set limits and provide incentives for individuals, organizations and firms, according to UNDP 2000.

There are three actors involved in governance: the State, which creates a conducive political and legal environment; the private sector, which generates jobs and income; and civil society, which facilitates social and political interaction. The essence of governance is to foster interaction between these three types of actors to promote people-centered development. Although governance is one fabric, for the sake of analysis and entry points for action, it can be divided into three dimensions.  Political governance means the range of processes through which a society reaches consensus and implements regulations, human rights, laws, and policies. Economic governance is the architecture for national and international economic activities, including processes to manage the production of goods and services and to organize and protect natural, fiscal, and human resources. Social governance is the set of norms, values, and beliefs that guide society decisions and behaviors. Each dimension of governance affects and interacts with the other two dimensions.

Good governance, the prime pre-requisite of Afghanistan, refers to the question of how a society can organize itself to ensure equality of opportunity and equity (social and economic justice) for all citizens. Good governance is a value in itself, but it is also the most critical means to achieve the Millennium Development Goals – the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the achievement of universal primary education, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the fight against HIV/AIDS, polio and other diseases, and the promotion of environmental sustainability and a global partnership for development. Without a proficient system of public administration engraved in this piece of land the dream of good governance can’t be crystallized.