Developing effective leaders for the civil service: A case study of Bahrain

• Published in: Journal of public affairs education : J-PAE. Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 315 - 330
• Main Authors: Elliott, Ian C., Joyce, Paul, Sahraoui, Sofiane
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration 02.04.2024
• Subjects: Case studies; Civil service; Higher education; Management; Public administration; Students
• ISSN: 1523-6803; 2328-9643
• DOI: 10.1080/15236803.2024.2312761

The civil service has seen dramatic changes over the last 50 years, symbolized by the shift from Traditional Public Administration, to New Public Management and now New Public Governance. Likewise, the role and nature of people management functions has changed with the development of Strategic HR and Human Resource Development (HRD). Finally, the nature of higher education has changed with a growing emphasis on research impact, knowledge exchange, and industry-academia links such as focusing on employability. In this research we explore the development of the Bahrain Institute for Public Administration's (BIPA) Master in Public Management (MPM) program. Drawing on extensive fieldwork with students, managers, and stakeholders we identify how this program was established, how students were selected, and the implications of their study on the program for the success of the Bahrain government.