Public Service Culture in Cambodia: Impacts on the Delivery of Core Public Services

Abstract

Despite widespread application of reform models and interventions by intergovernmental organisations, public administration in most developing countries is still characterised by weak institutions, patronage and institutionalised corruption. Cambodia is an illuminating example. After decades of reform Cambodia is still struggling to attain a public service that is loyal, motivated, professional and serviceoriented. The central objective of this thesis is to conduct a qualitative analysis of public service culture in Cambodia and to explore the impacts of culture on public service delivery. In doing so, the thesis offers a systematic framework to analyse three underlying elements of public service culture: the values, the ethics and the central motivations of public servants and officials. Within this thesis, public service values are defined in terms of orientation toward public and social responsibility. Public service ethics refer to the moral standards and conduct of public servants in performing their functions. Public service motivation refers to the willingness to join government employment, to serve public interests and to provide effective and efficient public services. To operationalise the framework, the thesis uses qualitative data from 45 in-depth interviews with personnel in the health and education departments. These two departments are widely considered to be the providers of the nation's core public services. Of the 45 interviews, 21 are with senior public managers and 24 are with service providing public servants. The thesis finds that many elements of the Khmer culture, particularly emphasis on respect and social hierarchy, kinship preference, and the Buddhist principles of harmony and conflict avoidance are generally not conducive to public sector reform and development. A culture emphasising excessive deference to authority often provides barriers to effective decentralisation, which would bring services closer to the people. Patronage networks often lead to weak public accountability. Harmony and conflict avoidance reinforce a culture of saving face within public organisations, which can further undermine performance-based bureaucratic practices and lead to the undermining of merit principles. In addition to its roles in shaping the characteristics and the operation of public institutions, the Khmer societal culture is also reflected in individual public servants' values, ethics and motivations. On values, public servants are mainly observed to be of grand character, having upward accountability to their political patrons but generally seen as having little accountability to the public they serve. In relation to the ethics of the public service, gratitude is found to be highly valued in society and often overdone with highly expensive gifts. Corruption is a way of life. And the central motivation to join the public service relates to the status attached to working for the government, which acts in effect to strengthen existing patronage networks and to divert public resources for private gain. The findings of the thesis are significant for both scholars and practitioners. The current body of literature on public service culture, particularly on Cambodia, is limited in three respects. First, little attention has been paid to the inter-relationship between societal culture, public service institutions, and the work of public servants. Second, the literature on culture lacks a systematic approach to understanding the characteristics and structure of a country's public administration regime, particularly the public service. Third, the literature has an underdeveloped use of empirical data. Public administration reforms in practice should be implemented with thorough consideration of the local needs and the socio-cultural challenges that stand in the way of development.