Carmichael, PaulKnox, Colin2016-12-262016-12-262005Paul Carmichael and Colin Knox; 2005; The Reform of Public Administration in Northern Ireland: From Principles to Practice; Political Studies; http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/2100http://nur.nu.edu.kz/handle/123456789/2100The system of public administration in Northern Ireland has, perhaps inevitably, been of secondary concern amid over 30 years of inter-communal sectarian strife. Faced with combating terrorism, successive UK governments wouldn’t consider reform of the Province’s local public administration, pending a resolution of the wider constitutional imbroglio. Consequently, much of the system atrophied, becoming progressively more cumbersome and ill-equipped to deal with the requirements of modern government. Moreover, to help minimize charges of sectarian discrimination, quangos provided many public services, compounding the ‘democratic deficit’ of Direct Rule. In 1998, the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, offered a breakthrough in the search for a durable settlement that could command cross community support. As part of subsequent devolved Executive’s ‘Programme for Government’, a Review of Public Administration (RPA) was launched to consider sub-regional governance arrangements with a view to enhancing democratic accountability and improving efficiency through streamlining the current arrangements. To that end, the Review has been committed to adhering to clear principles on which any credible reform should be based. While devolution itself has proved fitful, the work of the RPA has continued apace. Although embarking on reforms within functioning devolution is ministers’ preferred option, there is a determination to continue the reform process irrespective of the present impasse. This paper outlines the issues, values and concepts that might shape the principles for conducting a Review before considering the particular context within Northern Ireland and the impediments to overhauling the present arrangements and speculating on the likely outcome (ENDS). The structure and operation of Northern Ireland’s wider system of public administration were accorded a lowly priority by successive British Governments throughout ‘the Troubles’. With murder and mayhem threatening to engulf them, Northern Ireland Office ministers were preoccupied with managing the most intractable and wearisome corner of the UK’s territorial estate. As the temporary expedient of Direct Rule matured into ‘permanent impermanence’, any meaningful overhaul was effectively embargoed. Consequently, while recognition of the need for reform enjoyed rare universal consent of the key protagonists, ministers felt little inclination to immerse themselves in thankless upheaval, the inevitable outcome of which would be controversial, divisive and problematic. However, the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement (1998) lifted this extended moratorium and, in their ‘Programme for Government’, Northern Ireland’s new political masters launched a ‘Review of Public Administration’ in 2002. Moreover, despite the subsequently fitful experience of devolution, their resolve has survived the re-imposition of Direct Rule. Thus, in the medium term, there is every prospect of substantial reform notably sub-regional governance in Northern Ireland. This paper seeks to accomplish two key objectives. First, it outlines the key issues, values and concepts that inform the development of principles for reappraising the continuing viability of any system of public administration. Second, it considers the particular context obtaining within Northern Ireland and the associated impediments to overhauling the present arrangements, speculating on the revised configuration likely to emergeenAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United StatesPublic AdministrationNorthern IrelandArticle