Post-Soviet Georgia in the process of transformation-modernization challenges in public service.

• Author: Charkviani, Tamar
• Position: Report

Introduction

Georgia is considered to be a "post-Soviet" state, a "transitional/transforming society" and a "young democracy". In a transitional society, the weakening of various systems brings about the necessity to transform and institutionalise social institutions and practices. This process is reflected in all spheres of social life. One of the main parts of this transformation process remains with state/public institutions, which determine working and living conditions and the ability of the population to adapt to new conditions.

The level of state development depends on the reforms that are carried out in the country--on the norms, standards and "game rules" functioning formally or informally. Effective reforms in all areas are an important priority, but, unfortunately, the incompetence of human resources and lack of social capital hinder both their understanding at a strategic level and their practical implementation. This undermines the political, economic and social stability of the country, and the trust accorded to government and its reputation in society.

It is extremely important for a transforming country to adapt to global changes in regard to economic and meritocratic principles. This requires a high level of professionalism, contemporary knowledge, leadership skills, a wide range of strategic thinking and ethical norms in the fields of managing both state and public institutions. It should be pointed out that the political-economic systems of most countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) are based on meritocratic values. In order to integrate with developed western countries and establish standards corresponding to the norms of Euro-Atlantic structures, Georgia has to choose a strategy based on meritocratic principles, which will help the improvement of the economic, political and social environment of the country.

Commonness in Soviet and post-Soviet ways of government and informal practices is especially problematic in state institutions, as the state is the first guarantor vis-a-vis the protection and regulation of legal norms. One of the main aims of this article is the description of strategies for public service management and analyses of factors assisting/hindering the formation of the new type of management--meritocracy.

Methodology

The object of this article is represented by the public services in Georgia and the public servants employed there. The selection of public servants included those of different rank and those employed in different public institutions (ministries, the State Chancellery, the Public Defender's Office, etc.). The timeframe for the present research is the period after the Rose Revolution - from 2003 to 2012.

A sociological approach to the issue of managing state/public services involved a review of social institutions and management principles in the context of a transforming state and society. For the implementation of the aims and objectives of this research and for the acquisition of exhaustive/objective information on the subject under study, first of all a theoretical study has been undertaken. We have studied the main concepts of the bureaucratic system, social networks and social capital, the formation and functioning of social institutions, management systems, communication processes and information circulation etc. Apart from this, the information about the professional and labour activities of public servants was discovered through the analysis of relevant written sources - these included both documents connected with public services (ratings, administrative documents) and those connected with job markets (CVs, HR department materials, etc.). This enabled a study of general tendencies and the classification of similar or homogeneous facts. Also, it allowed for the identification of the public servants' career progress and the criteria met by public servants that permitted their career advancement.

Two types of interview methods were employed in the present research: in-depth interviews and narrative interviews (3). Two target groups, totalling 55 respondents, were identified in the research: public servants occupying leading public positions (mainly departmental heads) and public servants occupying senior or junior public positions (mainly departmental workers). This model of selection for qualitative research enabled us to determine the situation connected with the subject under study in different public institutions. It also made it possible to compare the experiences and discourses of representatives from these two groups. Different criteria were taken into account while selecting respondents relevant to the aims and objectives of the research: education, work experience, profession, sex, age, origin (nationality, place of birth--town/village), social activity, connection to political or business elite, etc.

The aim of the research was to fill in the gaps in the existing scientific literature about the functioning of public services in post-Soviet Georgia. Despite the acuteness of the issue, there is virtually no systematic empirical research in the field. A systematic scientific study of the transformation process through experienced by the public service management system and the implementation of meritocratic principles is important not only for understanding the themes and theories of social changes, but also for the further development of these scientific fields in Georgia.

Public services in Georgia

In a jural state, the mechanisms for operating and managing state/public institutions have a strategic importance for the institutionalisation of state policy and laws. The quality of state machinery and public institutions largely determine the institutional potential of the state. Public service is one of the main elements of state government, as the performance of its internal and external functions depends on how effectively it works. Public services represent an important way to demonstrate the political vision of the government and state regarding its development. They should result in the creation of a "common good"--common game rules and a guarantee of their protection.

The issue of developing and implementing a single policy for the management and functioning of public services is especially acute in Georgia. This problem is directly connected with the process of establishing a modern bureaucratic system and the development of a new type of public servant: the introduction and implementation of meritocratic principles.

The optimal model of public service organisation and HR policy determines how flawlessly and effectively they function. Even the best initiatives will not be realised if their implementation is entrusted to the incompetent, corrupt, or those disinterested in the reform. According to Bismarck's famous quote - "with bad laws and good civil servants it is still possible to govern. But with bad civil servants even the best laws cannot help" (von Bismarck, 1884). As Barry Bozeman (1999) noted, the strength of bureaucracy lies in its focus on standardized relations. Favouritism, nepotism, bribery and other forms of corruption should not be acceptable in a modern bureaucracy; this is more pathology rather than its natural characteristic.

The model of meritocratic government is an evolved form of democracy and is opposed to social practices common in Soviet and post-Soviet Georgia--plutocracy (acknowledging a person according to their career success and wealth), nepotism (family connections), oligarchy (class privileges), cronyism (friendly relationships), clientelism (patron-vassal relationships). Meritocracy is a form of government in which offices and responsibilities are granted to people according to their skills and abilities. In meritocracy, the society rewards (through wealth, rank and social status) those that demonstrate their skills and competence through their experience and succeed in competition.

Modern bureaucracy in Georgia faces a challenge: either to allow reforms so as to create a healthy system based on the principles of meritocracy, or find alternative ways of functioning, which will hinder its development into an open, democratic system. In order to study the factors that determine the principles for managing public services and the success of public servants, the specific state of Georgian society should be taken into consideration since its society, socioeconomic, legal and knowledge systems are changing from a totalitarian mind-set to an open one

After the Rose Revolution of 2003, Georgia began to reform many of its state institutions. The reform of public institutions was one of the most salient since it was supposed to ensure state efficiency. All social groups were interested in making public services more effective, active and transparent. Despite the ongoing changes, public service institutions still retain, in their form and essence, remnants of autocratic management characteristic of Soviet institutions. This is extremely damaging, especially in the present situation, when state institutions are being re-shaped and oriented towards modern structures and, non-traditional methods of management. President Mikheil Saakashvili said that "A new revolution against bureaucracy has to happen in Georgia. The people have orchestrated the Rose Revolution, and if up to now bureaucracy has been making laws for these people, now people will make laws for the bureaucracy" (Khorbaladze, 2005). Dismissing officials of the former government and "bringing fresh blood" to state institutions has been the approach of the new government.

The secretary of the National Security Council and one of the Rose Revolution leaders, Giga Bokeria, stated that for a long time, corruption has been the established "rule of the game" in Georgian public service, and, quite suddenly, the state's policy embraced an aggressive fight against corruption. This caused fear in within a major...