Patrons Versus Weberians in the Sri Lankan Civil Service

Willy McCourt

Abstract

Patronage is often the reason why public reforms are attempted, and almost equally often the reason why they fail. This article develops a view of patronage broking in the public sector, and applies it to Sri Lanka, where patronage has weathered several attempts at reform. Drawing on field research in 2004, the author argues that the latest institutional reform, worthwhile in itself, would be most likely to succeed if it addressed the perceived remoteness of government that caused patronage to arise in the first place, and also politicians' expectation that the bureaucracy should be able to respond to their constituents' needs. Patronage is a political problem that requires a political solution. The study also suggests that 'ownership' of policy reform is likeliest where there the reform is an indigenous initiative, as it was in Sri Lanka.

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