TY  - SER
AU  - Common, Richard
TI  - Administrative change in the Gulf: modernization in Bahrain and Oman
PY  - 2008///
KW  - Public administration
KW  - Administrative reform
N2  - States in the Middle East tend to be overlooked by researchers in comparative public administration. However, these states offer potentially useful insights into the nature of administrative change as they defy standard assumptions about pressures for reform. The aim of the article is to provide an account of reform by analysing important contextual factors in Bahrain and Oman. Given the large gap in the literature regarding the Gulf States, this article is supplemented by observations and evidence gathered on regular visits to both countries by the researcher. The analysis reveals systems of public administration highly resistant to international reform trends. Many of these factors are situational; including  highly centralized political systems, tradition and strong national and administrative cultures. It is concluded that while reform processes are emerging in these countries, they are slow and evolutionary and are more adapted to the domestic rather than the international context. - Reproduced
BR  - AR79469
ER  -