Administrative Reform in South Asian Countries: Law Enforcement in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

The quest for effective and efficient service delivery by the bureaucracy has long been a core issue in public administration. An honest, accountable and service-oriented public administration is important, not only to act as a social and economic promoter but also to consolidate democratic values. However, as non-elected government officials, bureaucrats are associated with some negative connotations: inefficient, lethargic, hostile, inflexible, imperious and overpaid. Under such circumstances, scholars have stressed the need to increase the efficiency and responsiveness of civil servants to meet the demand of the people for whom they were recruited. The focus here is on reform in law enforcement and the overhaul of bureau pathologies, unnecessary rules and regulations and red tape, which have created long-term dissatisfaction among the citizens of developing countries.