The Relationship between Critical Thinking and Dialogue in the Threshold of Public Administration in Africa: Its Ethical Implications
Traditionally, public administration has been primarily concerned with issues and challenges related to the faithful application of governmental policies, along with integrity, honesty and efficiency at the foundation of the process. This lends credence to the ethical question: how can governmental policies and implementation process be done correctly, wisely and in the public interest. This study examines the concept of critical thinking and dialogue which is grounded in the theory and practice of public administration, where actors function as moral agents of change as they facilitate service delivery, value laden engagements (moral discourse and action) among policy makers and other stakeholders. Drawing upon far-reaching existing literature on public administration and relying on content analysis, this paper examines the phenomenon taking a cue from Kurt Lewins cognitive field theory and call for a new paradigm toward responsibilities and moral decision-making. The study sought to understand how stakeholders using the tools of critical thinking and dialogue should engage one another in terms of choices, decisions and moral conversations leading to service delivery and dividend of good governance. With an insight provided into understanding the nexus between critical thinking and dialogue in public administration in Africa, a criterion on what should constitute an appropriate model of interaction for effective performance and service delivery is thus supplied.
Public administration Critical thinking Dialogue Moral agency Public sector Service delivery
Essien Daniel Essien
University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria, AK520001;Center for West African Studies of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China,Chengdu, P.R.China, 611731
国际会议
加纳
英文
858-870
2017-11-01（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）