Premium
Foreign advisors and capacity building: The case of Kenya
Author(s) -
Cohen John M.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
public administration and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1099-162X
pISSN - 0271-2075
DOI - 10.1002/pad.4230120506
Subject(s) - christian ministry , civil service , government (linguistics) , capacity building , work (physics) , service (business) , business , public administration , economic growth , civil society , public sector , public service , public relations , political science , economics , marketing , politics , engineering , economy , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , law
Approximately 100,000 foreign advisors work in the public sectors of Sub‐Saharan African countries at an annual cost of more than $4 billion. The numbers, range of services, and costs of such advisors increased during the 1980s while at the same time donors launched new efforts to build professional capacity in the African civil service. Based on a study of advisors and their counterpart economists in Kenya's Ministry of Planning and National Development, this article addresses three important questions: what are the functions carried out by advisors in the development ministries?; why is it so difficult to retain skilled professionals in the civil service?; and how does the provision of advisors affect the retention of skilled government officers?