The ecology of public
administration is a manifestation of the environmental forces that check the
practice of public administration in any given society.
In the natural or
biological sciences, the term ecology refers to the interplay of a living
organism, with its physical and social environment.
Like living organisms,
bureaucracies are conditioned by their environments, and the conditioning is
naturally mutual.
As noted by heady
Ferrell, “bureaucracies as well as other political and administrative
institutions can be better understood, if influences and forces that shape and
modify them are identified and ranked to the extent possible in order of
relative importance, and if the reciprocal impact of these institutions on
their environment is also explored”.
If bureaucracy is to survive as a viable
instrument of administration and there is little indication of its willing
abandonment in any country or society, then there is a primary requirement for
administrators to comprehend its nature and take account of this changing
ecological situation.
The ecological approach
has also been utilized by Fred Riggs in the ecology of public administration and
his administration in developing countries.
In his work, Riggs
conceptualizes the prismatic model of administrative system which deals with a
range of social phenomena and behavior which influence the political and
administrative aspects of life in developing countries.
The ecological approach
in public administration focuses attention on the dynamic relationship between
a public administration system and its total environment, physical, culture,
historical economic and political.
These variables to a
large extent singly or collectively determine the content, direction and
consequence of policies and policy implantation in the public service.
Consequently, the
energies and time expended and activities of the local government are informed
by the sensitivity and intensity of these tasks on environmental factors.
The
Political Environment:
Nigeria has a mixed and
dual economic system in which the ownership of means of production is shared
between private and public sectors, with the later having become increasingly
involved in the
modern industrial sector in recent years.
Nigeria is one of the
countries in Africa, which is richly endowed with resources, ranging from
fertile land through countries minerals, to promising human resources.
Time was when the
problem was what to do with surplus oil revenue. There was, therefore, balance
of payments. This was so up till the middle 1970s
By the late 1970s the
balance of payments problem has assumed crisis proportions, destroying any impression
of a social contract between rulers and the ruled.
The country is now
experiencing crisis of liquidity and indebtedness. As at October 1990,
Nigeria’s foreign debt stood at about US $29, 430 billion.
Nigeria has leadership
problems no doubt but the World Bank (IMF) induced structural adjustment
programme (SAP) has had a devastating effect on the country’s economy.
Structural adjustment
programme (SAP) is essentially a strategic management option adopted in the
face of declining economic fortune.
SAP has led to worsened
conditions. The quality of life has declined as prices have risen, as
infrastructures have crumbled and services have deteriorated and employment
opportunities have been reduced.
Almost everyone had
suffered, but the rural peasant urban slum dwellers, female headed household
and children of rural poor have felt the negative effect of adjustment most
severely.
Poverty has
consequently increased in breadth and depth in Nigeria.
Public administration
should, therefore, devote sufficient time to the pursuit of poverty alleviation
programmes.
It is only when the
citizens are less stressed and less hungry that they can appreciate other
programmes of government including the democratization process voluntary
efforts, and patriotism. Development cannot take place when the people are
hungry.
The
Physical Environment:
Like the social
environment, development agencies exist in varying physical environments.
Nigeria is a very large country, occupying a geographical area, totaling
approximately 923,769 square kilometers.
For instance, local
governments in the northern part of the country have large expanse of land.
Some institutions in
delta and rivers states are in the river-line areas. Others are in the
tropically difficult areas.
A good number of local
government areas are linked by tarred roads. Now poorly maintained because of
the economy and biased government prioritization. The disposition of the
physical environment informs the peculiarity of institutions.
Development agencies
should therefore put it in perspective and devote sufficient energies to it for
effectiveness harnessing the human and miner resources in these areas.