Local bureaucracies and the Ibero-American Charter for the Public Service: the case study of Bolivar
Author
Caruso, Ana Paula
Term
4. term
Publication year
2018
Submitted on
2018-05-31
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan lokale offentlige forvaltninger fungerer i det såkaldte 'Cattle Cluster' i Buenos Aires-provinsen i Argentina, med Den Ibero-amerikanske Charter for den Offentlige Tjeneste som referencepunkt. Chartret udtrykker en fælles latinamerikansk opfattelse af, at stærke, professionelle offentlige tjenester er afgørende for udvikling, og det opstiller principper og praktiske krav for at opnå dette. Afhandlingens hovedspørgsmål er, i hvilken grad de lokale forvaltninger har omsat chartrets anbefalinger til praksis. Mere konkret ser den på, hvordan medarbejdere ansættes, ledes og afskediges, hvad der driver denne HR-strategi, og hvilke konsekvenser det har for de lokale forvaltninger. I tråd med chartret undersøger studiet både eksterne rammer—lovgrundlag, det politiske system og arbejdsmarkeder—og interne forhold. Et enkelt casestudie i 'Cattle Cluster' gør det muligt at analysere detaljeret, hvordan en kommune styrer sin arbejdsstyrke, og hvordan det præger kvaliteten af de lokale offentlige ydelser. Der anvendes en historisk-institutionalistisk tilgang, dvs. analysen inddrager, hvordan formelle og uformelle institutioner sammen med specifikke historiske ændringer har sat kursen for nutidens praksisser. Casen Bolívar, en kommune i Buenos Aires-provinsen, viser, at de lokale forvaltninger ikke følger chartrets anbefalinger. Ansættelser bygger på patronage/klientelisme, og ledelsesstrategien er reduceret til lønforhandlinger uden træning eller planer for professionel karriereudvikling. Kommunen mangler en HR-plan, der kobler organisationens behov til medarbejdernes antal og kompetencer. Resultatet er en forvaltning med meget lav autonomi og begrænset teknisk kapacitet.
This thesis examines how local government bureaucracies operate in the 'Cattle Cluster' area of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, using the Ibero-American Charter for the Public Service as a reference point. The Charter expresses a Latin American consensus that strong, professional public services are essential for development, and it sets out principles and practical requirements to achieve that. The main question is how far local bureaucracies have put the Charter’s recommendations into practice. More specifically, it looks at how staff are hired, managed, and dismissed, what drives these human resources choices, and what the consequences are for local bureaucracies. In line with the Charter, the study considers both external conditions—the legal framework, the political system, and labor markets—and internal factors. A single case study within the 'Cattle Cluster' makes it possible to analyze in detail how a municipality manages its workforce and how this shapes the quality of local public services. The analysis uses a historical institutionalist approach, meaning it examines how formal and informal rules, together with specific historical changes, have set the path for current practices. The case of Bolívar, a municipality in Buenos Aires Province, shows that local bureaucracies have not adopted the Charter’s recommendations. Appointments rely on patronage ties, and management is largely reduced to wage negotiations, with no training or professional career plans. The municipality lacks a human resources plan that links organizational needs with staff numbers and skills. The result is a bureaucracy with very low autonomy and limited technical capacity.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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