| This study traces the history of attempts to develop conceptual frameworks from public administration for application in developing countries starting from the second half of the 20th century. The period coincides with the independence of a large part of Asia and Africa from colonial rule. Related to this conceptual development was the United States as a superpower and the involvement of American social scientists in the development of newly emerging independent countries.;The study traces the history of comparative and development administration through a critical evaluation of the several stages of its development. Each chapter deals with a distinct aspect in its development. The impact of development theories--social, political, and economic--on comparative and development administration are analyzed, and their inheritance from the parent field American public administration is examined.;Given the global nature of development problems, the study contends that public administration will remain in the forefront of developmental activities.;The fate of the enterprise of development is closely intertwined with that of public administration and development administration. Indeed, the development paradigm will have no relevance unless the vehicle or mechanism for its application is the administrative structure of the state. The development paradigm and its application tools and techniques must be in harmony with one another and with the social framework of the state within which they operate.;Future applications of development administration must create mechanisms for bureaucratic accountability to the public for decisions made. Despite the fact that privatization has gained acceptance in both developed and underdeveloped nations, the state should not be allowed to contract away accountability.;So-called developed nations have as much to learn from the paradigm as do the underdeveloped. They have their own underdeveloped regions and subsections, and segments of their populations face many of the same problems found in the underdeveloped nations. The paradigm and issues it raises are directly relevant to American public administration, the parent field of comparative and development administration.;The study adopts a framework which combines exploratory and descriptive approaches. Literature from diverse sources is analyzed. |
