Comparative Public Administration Is Regaining Its Importance in the Contemporary WorldPublic Administration in the Middle East and North Africa by ShahjahanBhuiyan, New York: Routledge, 2023. 210 pp. $39.99 (paperback). $144.00 (hardback). ISBN: 978

The field of comparative public administration (CPA), as part of the broader public administration discipline, offers a lens through which we can understand the diverse approaches to governance adopted by different countries and societies. CPA provides invaluable insights into the complexities of public administration in a globalized world by examining the design, implementation, and management of public policies and institutions across various political, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Despite its underlying significance, CPA as a field of study has experienced a period of decline. Notably, the dissolution of the Comparative Administration Group (CAG) and the cessation of funding from the Ford Foundation marked a setback for the field after its heydays in the late 1970s. One of the reasons for this decline is that CPA has struggled to integrate effectively with the main field of public administration, both in method and content (Jreisat 2005). During my time as a student and later as a lecturer in public administration at Chittagong University, Bangladesh, in the late 1990s and early 2010s, I witnessed firsthand the challenges of locating books and materials related to CPA, as there has been a dearth of scholarships in CPA. Despite its global relevance and potential for scholarly contributions from academics in developing countries, CPA scholarship has predominantly been confined to Western countries and some parts of Asia, and has primarily been dominated by Western scholars such as F.W. Riggs, Ferrel Heady, and others. Therefore, Fitzpatrick et al. (2011) urged for CPA research outside of “developed” countries, as studies in previously neglected regions would enhance theory building. The good news is that there is a resurgence of interest and a gradual increase in academic contributions from the developing world, signaling a renewed recognition of CPA's importance in the study of public administration. The study of comparative public administration remains crucial for understanding and improving governance in an interconnected world. This renewed interest is reflected in the recent publication of two significant works, such as Public Administration in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Shahjahan Bhuiyan, and The Palgrave Handbook of Comparative Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, edited by Murat Önder, Israel Nyaburi Nyadera, and Md. Nazmul Islam. These books offer comprehensive insights into the administrative practices, challenges, and innovations observed across different regions, contributing to the advancement of CPA scholarship. In this book review article, we will delve into the key themes, methodologies, country case studies, and findings presented in these works, assessing their contributions to the field of CPA. By highlighting the relevance of these books to current and emerging issues in public administration, we aim to underscore the importance of CPA in fostering effective governance and addressing the global challenges we are experiencing right now. Public Administration in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Shahjahan Bhuiyan, is an important work that provides an in-depth examination of the public administration landscape across eight countries in the MENA region, an area that has been unexplored or not known much in the literature of CPA. This comprehensive volume explores the intricacies and challenges of public administration in a region marked by its rich historical legacy, diverse cultures, and ongoing political and economic transitions. The book is thoughtfully structured into two parts: the first focuses on Middle Eastern countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, while the second explores North African countries, namely, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, and Libya. Each chapter offers a detailed analysis of the public administration system of a specific country, shedding light on past and recent reforms, current constraints, and future prospects. These chapters provide valuable insights into the unique situations of each country's public administration, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the governance landscape in both the Middle East and North Africa. In his introductory chapter, Bhuiyan sets the stage for the book by exploring the significance of public administration in the MENA region and outlining the scope and themes of the book. This introduction provides a framework for understanding the subsequent country-specific analyses and situates the discussion within the broader context of governance in the MENA region. A fundamental aspect of CPA is the exploration of public administration reforms. In the inaugural chapter of the book, Sarker and Rahman delve into the evolution of public administration reforms in the United Arab Emirates, with a particular emphasis on New Public Management (NPM)-type managerial reforms and digital governance. The chapter delineates the nation's endeavors in enhancing service quality, achieving excellence, fostering collaborative governance, cultivating public–private partnerships, and assessing the influence of digitalization on public service delivery. The authors argue that the UAE has adeptly established a synergistic triangular relationship among “leadership” as the principal catalyst for reforms, “technology and innovation” as instrumental tools for realizing those reforms, and “responsible governance” as an institutional framework that has had a positive impact on service improvement and the well-being of citizens. The UAE's innovative approach to public administration reforms, which focuses on service excellence and digital governance, offers a paradigm for examining other nations' administrative innovation and modernization efforts. The emphasis on citizen-centric services and the use of technology to enhance service delivery can serve as a blueprint for modernizing public administration, providing valuable insights for comparative studies in the field of CPA. Turkey's importance in the current geopolitical landscape is undeniably pivotal in various regions of the world. Üstüner conducts a thorough analysis of Turkey's public administration system, shedding light on its recent transition to a new presidential government system. This analysis explores the implications of this shift for democratic governance and public administration within Turkey, highlighting the challenges posed by an overly centralized bureaucratic structure that links executive power directly with the presidency. Challenges include an overload of responsibilities on the presidency, task overlapping, and work alienation among public employees. Üstüner suggests that the shift toward the presidential system was driven more by political leaders' ambitions and neoliberal ideologies than by popular demand. Despite these changes, he raises concerns about the sustainability of this system in addressing Turkey's economic challenges, including the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and maintaining democratic governance. Üstüner's discussion provides valuable insights into the effects of political system changes on administrative reforms, emphasizing the importance of balancing centralization with accountability and transparency in governance. The tragic explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020, starkly highlighted the critical deficiencies in Lebanon's public administration, particularly in terms of safety regulations, oversight, and accountability. Chapter 3, authored by Hasse, investigates the challenges and reforms undertaken by the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform (OMSAR) in Lebanon's public administration over the past 25 years. OMSAR's efforts have been focused on enhancing transparency and accountability, adopting information technology and implementing managerialist processes and practices throughout the Lebanese bureaucracy. Despite these initiatives, Lebanon's public administration continues to grapple with the impacts of political instability, corruption, and the pressing need for modern administrative practices in the country's governance. The chapter also highlights the growing number of public administration graduates from Lebanese universities, poised to serve in the public bureaucracy. However, internal and regional conflicts, coupled with the perception that the government does not always prioritize the public interest, have led to increasing frustration among the Lebanese populace. As a result, citizens, domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international actors have intensified their calls for politico-administrative reform in Lebanon. The chapter underscores Lebanon's struggle to implement public administration reforms within a politically fragmented and sectarian context, emphasizing the importance of building consensus and ensuring inclusivity in reform efforts for countries with similar political dynamics. Jamil Jreisat, a distinguished scholar renowned for championing the advancement of CPA within the larger context of public administration, sadly passed away in November 2019. His dedication to CPA was unwavering throughout his life. In this volume, his chapter on Jordan serves as a fitting tribute to his invaluable contributions to the field, and we extend our gratitude to Bhuiyan for featuring it. The chapter on Jordan explores the country's public administration evolution and its contribution to national development. It examines the challenges faced by the administrative system and the reforms undertaken to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Two reforms targeting public budgeting and creating professionalism in the civil service have failed in Jordan. Excessive centralization of public management, a lack of performance management in the civil service, corruption, and nepotism were some of the major hurdles to transforming the Jordanian Civil Service into an effective and professional one. Jreisat also highlights Jordan's reliance on international aid and its administrative capacity-building efforts, offering lessons for countries navigating geopolitical challenges while pursuing public administration reforms. Jordan's public administration reform and development initiatives provide valuable insights for other countries facing similar geopolitical dynamics, characterized by challenges such as overcentralization, demographic explosion, low economic growth, and excessive reliance on patronage in recruitment. Naguib's chapter explores Morocco's governance and public administration reforms from a “glocal” perspective, illustrating the complex interplay between global influences and local contexts. The concept of “glocalization” is central to the discussion, highlighting how governance and reform efforts are shaped by the intersection of domestic, regional, and international actors and intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Naguib points out that Morocco presents a unique case of this duality in governance, characterized by an unresolved tension between tradition and modernity within a monarchical regime. With an aim to modernize the public administration, several reform initiatives, including decentralization, NPM-style managerial reforms, digitalization in public service, and enhancing ethics and integrity, were carried out under the neo-liberal prescriptions of regional and international donor agencies. This “glocal” approach to governance reform, blending global influences with local realities, offers valuable insights into how countries can adapt international best practices to their unique contexts. The chapter underscores the importance of balancing tradition with modernization for effective governance, providing a comparative lens on the interplay between global trends and local realities in administrative reforms. The Arab Spring in Tunisia, which began in December 2010 and led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, marked a significant turning point in the country's history, initiating a period of substantial political and social reforms. Chapter 6 examines the policy reforms in post-revolution Tunisia, where Jouini and Rajhi advocate for a mixed approach that integrates political economy and economic rationales to effectively implement public policy reforms. The chapter meticulously outlines Tunisia's ambitious reform agenda between 2015 and 2019, which encompasses 53 reform projects across various sectors, including the establishment of constitutional bodies, economic and institutional reforms, and social reforms. They emphasize the necessity of a progressive consensual reform strategy in the post-revolution environment to accommodate diverse interests and mitigate legislative polarization. The chapter highlights that building an effective reform system requires enhancing institutional capacity, strengthening political leadership, and developing a robust system of coordination, evaluation, and feedback. A particularly noteworthy aspect of the chapter is the discussion on the importance of a national review and evaluation system for public policies. The chapter's exploration of social security reform as a case study exemplifies the necessity of consensus-building and stakeholder engagement in navigating the complexities of structural reforms. This analysis provides a comparative perspective on the challenges and efforts in institutional and economic reforms during Tunisia's democratic transition, underscoring the importance of strong institutions, economic stability, and integrated political, economic, and administrative reforms for countries undergoing similar transitions. In the contemporary period, Sudan continues to face internal conflict, which has significantly hindered the development of a robust administration crucial for effective service delivery and public safety. Elnur's chapter on Sudan critically examines the deterioration of the country's public administration from its independence in 1956 to the post-Islamist era ending in 2019. Elnur traces the evolution of governance, emphasizing that the northern Sudanese educated elite, regardless of the regime—democratic or authoritarian—primarily managed the country. The narrative details a significant shift during the Islamist regime that began in 1989, marked by the state's monopolization and deep-seated corruption akin to Eastern European oligarchical models. This era, along with the policies of the Nimeiri and National Islamic Front regimes, fundamentally altered Sudan's socio-economic landscape, exacerbating the weakening of public administration through aggressive privatization and a shift toward a rentier economy. Elnur also scrutinizes the transitional government's attempts to dismantle entrenched corrupt structures and revitalize governance. Despite efforts to combat corruption and reform administrative systems, the chapter reveals that remnants of the old regime continue to dominate, with systemic corruption and poor economic performance perpetuating national instability. Elnur concludes by advocating for comprehensive policies to strengthen administrative capacity, stimulate economic growth, and address regional disparities, emphasizing the urgent need for reforms to rebuild Sudan's productive economy. This analysis offers valuable insights into the complexities of reforming governance in post-conflict and transitioning national contexts, highlighting the enduring challenges of eradicating corruption and fostering effective administration. The assassination of the US ambassador in Libya starkly highlights the crucial necessity of comprehending the political and administrative contexts within nations afflicted by war and internal strife. This incident acts as a poignant case study, underscoring the imperative for well-informed diplomatic and administrative strategies in post-conflict In Chapter focuses on the of public administration in examining the historical challenges and that have during the country's transition from regime to a democratic into the evolution of public administration independence in a thorough of significant and hurdles that effective governance. These include issues related to constitutional and legislative challenges in public budgeting and in public and corruption, and the lack of accountability during the the chapter the of civil the of policies and within government and the poor observed during this period, that these are more than during the for the urgent necessity of public administration and civil service reform, advocating for the of decentralization, the of initiatives, and the of public administration as key strategies to address challenges in achieving and development. 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