Factors Influencing Value Added Public Services in Maldives

Civil servants in the Maldives serve the public in many ways and are key stakeholders who implement the policies of the incumbent government. With decentralisation as the key phenomenon in moving to a more democratic society, the city councils play a key role in delivering a range of services to the public. While this is the case, there are a lot of questions around the ability of and willingness to deliver effective services to the public by the civil servants. Based on these complaints from both the public and the civil servants, this research has been undertaken to identify the factors and causes that hinder the delivery of effective and efficient services to the public by the City Councils. The research was undertaken using the 3 (three) city councils that exist in Maldives. The research was a qualitative process where selected staff were interviewed using open ended guided questions to understand how they perceive the delivery of service within their line of work and what are the challenges they face in delivering services to the public. The research provides a sound understanding of the factors influencing the delivery of value-added services within the civil service. The research data showed 12 major themes, which includes hindrances to service delivery, role and expansion of the councils, leadership, core values, structure of operations, role of ICT, functionality, relationships and pay. Furthermore, the results also had 10 subcategories in two different major themes. These findings indicate that there are several issues that influence service delivery in the public sector. Introduction of ICT based services, changing the HR policy, greater autonomy in decision making, better financing, harmonized pay structure and proper training can improve service delivery. In addition, reduction of political influence on the civil servants, adequate manpower and proper equipment will further improve service delivery. While the entire civil service is governed by the same regulations, service delivery can be different in specific areas. Hence, a different framework may be needed to understand the challenges in such areas. However, the findings of this research can be used by similar entities to understand their shortcomings to improve service delivery, thereby benefiting from this research. Moreover, these organizations can use the outcomes of the research to understand their challenges as use it as a tool to improve/change their service delivery for better services. Furthermore, future research can be based on the findings and explore in detail to attend to specific areas of the public service.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

dba

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Shareef, Mohamed Mahid

• HJ Cyllid Cyhoeddus
• JS Llywodraeth leol Llywodraeth drefol

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:2808