Search results

Public sector management education in the developing countries of the third world is focused on with regard to the situtation in Nigeria. The efforts and potential of a particular management training institution, the Faculty of Administration at Obafemi Awolowo University, are reviewed, first by tracing the development of its management training programmes and then outlining the current courses and activities. An assessment is made of the institution′s programmes as a credible management training response to the particular problems it faces in the current African situation, and it is found that the institution may not fully appreciate the new role‐expectations built around it as detailed in The World Bank report (1987) on management training for African development. Recommendations are given for African training institutions in general: future policy cannot exclude the reality of the particular country′s economic situation; existing personnel must be encouraged to specialise; there must be flexible arrangements for teaching and consultancy; adequate resources must be available; and there must be a fundamental change in the philosophy of the training institutions.

Discusses the purpose and relevance of public relations (PR) for the university institution, inparticular outlining the underdevelopment of the PR function in most Nigerian universities. Reviews the PR function in one of Nigeria′s leading universities. Traces its evolution in order to expose the many considerations which influence its institutionalization. Shows that the development of a university PR function is inextricably linked to the historical, socio‐political and economic forces which shape the institution. Moreover certain inherent attributes of the university system may stand against the development of PR as a definite specialized function. Concludes with a number of policy recommendations to promote the institutionalization of PR in Nigerian universities in particular, and their African counterparts in general.

The focus on women and gender‐related issues is clearly one of the most important concerns of development administration today. Against this background, examines the problem of ensuring that gender issues are fully incorporated into management education in Africa. The discussion elaborates on why and in what direction and strategies African universities, defined as the centre of the intellectual concerns raised, should take on the matter. Existing theories do not provide clear guidelines. Hence proposes some alternative possibilities based on the principle of representation and decentralized administration. It is noted that the challenge of sensitizing public management education in Africa to gender concerns is not solely an intellectual one. It has political elements too. In effect, therefore, it is important to reiterate the need to guarantee all relevant social groups′ meaningful participation in the development process.

Attempts a critical evaluation of the theoretical foundation of the local government system in Nigeria. Re‐assesses Nigeria′s idea of three‐tier federalism both as a theory of federal organization and as a policy reform. Reviews the different definitions of “tiered federalism” and attempts to synthesize them into a coherent idea. Shows that three‐tier federalism is impossible to define in a consistent manner. Proceeds from this to argue that its so‐called successes are in centralizing the Nigerian state rather than in furthering the idea of local governance.

Equal pay for men and women was a principle en‐shrined in the Treaty of Rome and was the subject of a European Directive in 1975. This investigation of progress towards equal pay in three member‐states, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, reveals the importance of differences in employment structures and reward systems in determining relative pay for women. The author argues that differences in the structure and size of pay differentials among countries suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the general system of labour market regulation than to explicit equal‐pay policies. She concludes that women would be more likely to benefit from a strategy of establishing labour standards and regulation than from equal‐pay Directives which have little effect on the general practices and principles of pay determination.