Building horizontal coordination in Sri Lanka

Summary Horizontal coordination is a focal topic in contemporary public management. However, greater attention has been given to developed states while developing countries struggle to improve the quality of public service delivery amidst skills shortages and siloed organisations. This article prese...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public administration and development 2017-12, Vol.37 (5), p.319-330
Main Authors: Samaratunge, Ramanie, O'Neill, Deirdre, Coghill, Ken, Wijayarathne, B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aid effectiveness
Community
Coordination
Developed countries
Developing countries
developing country
Effectiveness
governance
Government employees
Group research
horizontal coordination
Interest groups
Labor shortages
LDCs
Management
National development
Participation
Public administration
Public officials
Public services
Shortages
Skills
Sri Lanka
Training
Working relationships
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Summary:Summary Horizontal coordination is a focal topic in contemporary public management. However, greater attention has been given to developed states while developing countries struggle to improve the quality of public service delivery amidst skills shortages and siloed organisations. This article presents a foreign‐funded training programme designed to promote horizontal coordination at the most local level of government in a developing country, Sri Lanka, and analyses the factors that contributed to its success. Using data collected through participant surveys, focus groups, and programme‐related projects, the article shows how the formation of a “locally directed, donor‐supported” programme aligned with national development priorities that enabled the country‐level partner institution to deliver a programme that improved horizontal coordination and enhanced delivery of public services. Although findings confirm the importance of contextualising programme design, content, and delivery for achieving aid effectiveness, a novel conclusion was that the participation of elected officials alongside career public servants greatly contributed to the programme's success by creating new levels of trust and facilitating more productive working relationships between key stakeholders, culminating in improved outcomes for local communities. This suggests that elected officials can play a key role in building horizontal coordination in developing nations.
ISSN:0271-2075
1099-162X
DOI:10.1002/pad.1812