Political Culture and Politico-Bureaucracy: Politico-Administrative Dichotomy and Politicization of Public Administration in Sri Lanka

摘要

Developing for more than a Century, the politics-administration dichotomy has earned a most controversial reputation in the history of Public Administration. As a result, from the 1880s onwards, a large number of discussions have been held over the share of politics and administration in the process of governance. Politicization of bureaucracy has been a significant drawback in the administration as a deep-rooted socio-cultural phenomenon in most of changing societies, including Sri Lanka. This paper discusses the factors affected to determine the correlation between plutocracy and bureaucracy in the culturelogy of politics in the context of Sri Lanka with the main objective to examine the socio-economic emergence of plutocracy and its impact on bureaucracy to shape the process of administration. Based on secondary data, methodology of this study is mainly based on a qualitative design, although quantitative techniques are widely used to analyze countable phenomena in order to maximize the rationale of qualitative ends. In conclusion, even though the politico-administrative dichotomy has been a continues discussion both in developed and changing societies, politicization of administration is purely a socio-cultural phenomenon with strong historical and ideological background in the process of governance in Sri Lanka.