Rethinking Administrative Capacity Development: The Arab States

Administrative capacity is imperative for effective performance of governance. Although results of administrative capacity
are recognizable and demonstrable, there is no consensus on what basic elements such capacity is made of; nor do we know for
sure how to develop, measure, or sustain administrative capacity. Development of administrative capacity requires unbundling
it, and assessing each of its components independently, in order to define their individual and mutual effects on the collective
capacity of the system. This analysis explores and defines some constant and variable components of administrative capacity,
with a particular reference to the Arab states. Rethinking the question of capacity, and constructing a functional strategy
for its improvement, includes critical processes of internal management and contextual effects on the structure and function
of the management system.