CIVIL SERVANTS AND GLOBALIZATION; Integrating MENA Countries in a Globalized Economy

Author(s): Tony Verheijen, Katarína Staroňová, Ibrahim Elghandour and Anne- Lucie Lefebvre

Date: 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5292-1574-8

Publisher: Bristol University Press

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Civil Servants and Globalization brings together insights on how and in which way globalization influences senior civil servants, with a focus on MENA countries. This book builds a typology of civil servants’ responses to globalization: traditional, professional, engaged, and rebel types of civil servants. The response model proposed by the authors uses bureaucratic accountability and socialization as two critical parameters. The approach is tested on three dimensions of globalization: the global push for performance, engagement through development support, and global open government movement in four focus countries from the MENA region – Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, and Tunisia. Based on new data gathered through vignette techniques and in-depth interviews with senior civil servants, this book offers new insights on how globalization affects civil servants and what factors determine, enhance, or reduce its impact. Among the key findings are the following: First, civil servants across countries have become more professional and are more likely to utilize evidence-based approaches to persuade politicians to safeguard national interest. The emphasis on performance and accountability (via international performance indicator systems) are a disrupter and accelerator towards performance management and evidence-based policy making, leading to the emergence of the engaged and in some cases rebel type of civil servant. Second, deepened direct engagement with international actors contributes to the socialization of international norms, and contributes to a shift towards civil service professionalization. Finally, there is overall agreement on values associated with indices across the countries, though less so with transparency and participation. Thus, while the global movement towards Open Government has the strong potential to influence civil servants and civil service systems, a shift towards the internalization of more inclusive and transparent decision-making has not yet occurred in the countries under review. On this aspect, a more traditional response type continues to predominate.

 

https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/civil-servants-and-globalization