In most contemporary states ethic conflict provides the context in which public administrations (PA) must operate, the intermediary between the state and economic development. These relationships - hitherto neglected in most PA and economic development literature - are manifested noth in the internal structures of PA (recruitment practices to government and government-related positions) and by government policies and programs that allocate resources and services differentially among members of competing ethic communities. As PA tends to reflect the interests of the dominant ethics community, aggrieved communities mobilize to demand redress, in the form of self-determination or equitable treatment, by civil or violent means. Inter-ethic or ethnicstate relationships may be regulated through PA by systematic preferences, individual market-merit processes, or power sharing arrangements. Thse alternatives are complicated by differential perceptions of what constitutes fairness and by intra-ethnic tensions and divisions. How PA in pursuit of economic development influences and is influenced by ethnic politics calls for enhanced attention by scholars and analysts.

Public administration review PAR

Nov./Dec. 1997 Volume 57 Number 6