Development Administration (1950s to 1960s) • Development Administration (DA) as a field of study

emerged in 1950s and 1960s with the third world countries as the focal point. The term “third world”
may be attributed to the French demographer and economic historian Alfred Sauvy, who at the height
of the Cold War in 1952, used the term to distinguish developing countries outside the two power blocs;
namely, the First World and the Second World respectively. (Chilcote 1984)

Nef and Dwivedi (1981) on the other hand, attributed the concept of DA to Goswami in 1955 and later
popularized by Riggs and Weidner. They coined the term “Development Administration” to refer to
developing countries which are largely found in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. • These developing
countries endeavored to make concerted efforts in order to be recognized as “emerging nations” and to
resurrect themselves after World War II

In the context of “emerging nation,” Landau (1970) described DA as the Engineering of Social Change.
Likewise, according to Ilchman (1970), these countries were “concerned with increasing the capacity of
the state to produce goods and services to meet and induce changing demands.” (Ilchman 1970: 136)

Gant (1979) on the other hand, defined DA as not merely addressing state functions such as public
service delivery and enforcement of laws but the inducement and management of change to pursue
development aspirations. These developing countries were in urgent need to implement fundamental
reforms in their politico-administrative machinery.

Khator (1998) however, argued that DA was built upon several critical assumptions that:

(1) development needs are the most important need developing countries,

(2) the development needs of developing and developed countries are inherently different,

(3) development can be administered, (4) developmental knowhows are transferable; and (5) the
political, social, and cultural context of development can be easily altered.

Likewise, Fred Riggs, in his “Frontiers of Development,” identified two foci in development
administration: development of administration and the administration of development. Most
development administration scholars focused more on the latter and it subsequently became
synonymous to the administration of development in third world countries (Khator, 1998).

Given the situations above, DA maybe considered as “Management of Innovation” because it was aimed
at helping countries that are undergoing reconstruction and social transformation.

In the Philippines, The term “Development Administration” was used to suggest that it may be an
appropriate framework to examine the State’s experience as it tries to rebuild its institutions within a
democratic framework, as it struggles to new economic, political and social challenges, and as it adapts
to the trends and demands of globalization

Additionally, DA principles have been among the major themes that ran through the various lectures
and writings of Raul De Guzman, who together with OD Corpuz (1986) initially addressed the question:
“Is there a Philippine PA?” Since the idea was to steer developing countries for economic development
and social progress, the term DA became closely associated to foreign aid and western models of
development.

These Western countries provide grants and aids to developing countries for nationbuilding, economic
development, institutional strengthening, and people participation in development

As to administrative reform, which is one of the core values of DA, De Guzman (1986) described and
analyzed the structural and behavioral characteristics of the Philippine public bureaucracy and argued
that the “implementation of administrative reform should have two major dimensions: reforming the
structures of the bureaucracy and reforming the behavior of those in the bureaucracy.

(De Guzman 1986 as cited in Brillantes 1994: 8)

Development administration has always been one of the central features of the various long and
medium term Philippine Development Plans since the seventies. The paradigm for bureaucratic reform
continues to evolve in various intellectual and practical debates but government continues its work
amidst all these. Until recently, all Philippine development plans since the seventies had a specific
chapter devoted solely to development administration

Abstract

The term “development administration” came into use in the 1950s to

represent those aspects of public administration and those changes in public
administration, which are needed to carry out policies, projects, and programs
to improve social and economic conditions. During a period of 15 years
following the end of World War II, in 1945, colony after colony threw off the
imperial yoke. Country after country achieved independence and political
autonomy. This new status gave promise of freedom and liberty and self-
determination in political systems of representative democracy. It gave hope
of greater individual freedom and equality of treatment in the society. And
independence created hopes of higher national and per capita income, a rapid
rise in standards of living, and an increase in individual opportunity. Even in
countries which had not been colonies but had been administered by some
other form of authoritarian government, this was a generation of rising and
insistent expectations pressing for rapid political, social, and economic
change. New governments and their bureaucracies, their administrative
agencies and processes, were expected to give reality to these anticipated
fruits of independence and liberty. These new functions, these demands upon
the administration system, were not only enormous in size and weight, they
were novel and complex in character.
Citation
Gant, G. (2006), "The Concept of Development Administration", Otenyo,
E. and Lind, N. (Ed.) Comparative Public Administration (Research in Public
Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 15), Emerald Group Publishing
Limited, Bingley, pp. 257-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0732-1317(06)15009-5
Download as .RIS

The Influence of Development Administration on the Philippine Government¶s Administration

of the Country¶s Development