This theme examines the ways in which conflict is managed and what are the most promising avenues of effective public administration in contested and multi ethnic societies, with a particular emphasis on the Middle East and Central Asia.
Contested Society
Given our location in Northern Ireland, the Centre has a particular focus on the role of the public sector in managing conflict. While differing mechanisms of managing ethno-national or ethno-linguistic tensions exist, few studies advance our understanding of how conflicts are actually managed – in other words, the study of ethnic peace. The Centre draws on the experiences from multiple global ethno-political conflicts to shed light on the role of the public sector in managing conflict. Colleagues have developed research projects in Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine, and Belgium.
Multi Ethnic Society
As part of our global outreach, the Centre has focused on administrative reform efforts in the Central Asian region. Public administration in multi-ethnic regimes poses a unique set of problems from corruption to absence of adequate planning measures.
The Centre has undertaken internationally recognised research on these issues through global engagement with public service agencies and higher education institutions in Kazakhstan. The British Academy funded the Centre to look at public sector reform and the modernisation of public services in Kazakhstan.
We maintain a very close working relationship with Nazarbayev University in Astana and hosted a number of staff and student exchanges from numerous Universities in the region. The Centre has an extensive network of University and Civil Society partners in the region.
Civil Service – NGO Relations
A strong civil society is crucial to the development of healthy democracy, particularly in countries where authoritarianism persists. It, further, has a significant impact on the administration and delivery of public services in an equitable manner. Absence of strong civil society, as is the case in some Central Asian nations, can have a negative effect on political rights and democratic processes.
With this in mind, the Centre for Public Administration conducts research on the civil society in Central Asia. This research aims to build civil society effectiveness in Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Civil society groups in each of these countries are weak and operate under highly regulated or restricted circumstances, largely because of the political context of authoritarian governments.
Our research focuses on a recent innovation, Public Councils and the role of non-governmental organisations in the region.