1.1 Introduction
Public service delivery is a cornerstone of governance, directly impacting the well-being and satisfaction of citizens. However, across the globe, challenges persist in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of these services due to various institutional weaknesses. In developing countries particularly, inadequate institutional capacity often leads to inefficiencies, resource misallocation, and ultimately, diminished service quality. Institutional strengthening and the efficiency of public service delivery explore the crucial link between enhancing institutional capacities and improving the efficiency of public service delivery. At its core, institutional strengthening involves the systematic improvement of organizational structures, processes, policies, and human resources within public institutions.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
1.2 Background of Study
In recent times, service delivery has been an issue of controversy in respect to the quality of service received by the public. A wide range of factors such as conservative bureaucracy, ethnicity and ethical considerations have been identified as a cul de sac to efficiency despite various government policy reforms in the public sector.
The Nigeria public service is a vital government institution consisting of the staff of the central administrations, state administrations, the police and the Nigerian Armed forces among others of the nation. The public service refers to all organizations that exist as part of the federal government system responsible for the implementation policy decisions and delivery of social services (Tamuno, 2004). Although the Nigeria public service has greatly deviated from the inherited British system of administration, which is noted for prompt and efficient service, an argument many scholars like Badmus (2012), Igwilo (2012) and Alalade (2006) noted was due to improper learning, clave for wealth, poverty and insincerity on the part of the technocrat who collect the instrument of administration from the British. This has constituted a serious impediment to effective implementation of government policies; and thereby culminating into dwindling standard of service provided by government institutions.
The urgency to address these issues stems from the recognition that robust public institutions are essential for sustainable development and inclusive growth. As articulated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), effective governance relies on institutions that are transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs of citizens (UNDP, 2017). Existing research has identified several factors contributing to institutional weaknesses and their adverse effects on public service delivery. These include corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, political interference, lack of capacity building initiatives, and inadequate resource allocation (Kaufmann et al., 2010; World Bank, 2019). While numerous studies have examined these issues in isolation, there remains a dearth of comprehensive analyses that explore the interplay between institutional strengthening efforts and the efficiency of public service delivery.
Badmus B.G (2017) opined that public service delivery is very paramount to the government and citizens of any country; hence the need for effective service delivery to meet the demands of citizens can never be exaggerated. Eigeman (2007), states that the level of citizen satisfaction in service offered by the government is an important factor in the acceptance of any government; he further opined that the key element that shape the relationship between elected representatives and voters is trust.
According to Grönroos and Ravald (2011) high quality services delivery is a vital pursuit for service providers that aim to create and provide value to their respective customers. in the daily lives of many, people go out in search of services they need. Agba et al. (2013) opined that one of the ways of bringing government closer to the people at the grassroots is through effective service delivery in a satisfactory, efficient, effective and adequate manner. Leni et al. (2012) despite several plans and massive injections of international and domestic resources to improve service delivery system; public service delivery is still failing in many developing countries. The Nigerian public service may well be known for its poor service delivery system, most local government workers and in fact, the public servants have been described as inhibiting poor work attitude detrimental to productivity. Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Institutional Strengthening and the Efficiency of Public Service Delivery.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that many public institutions lack the necessary capacity to deliver services efficiently, resulting in bureaucratic delays, red tape, and inefficiencies (World Bank, 2017). It is pertinent to say that every organization is set up or established for a purpose; some are for profit making and other are not profit oriented, some are manufacturing, trading or service industry. The public service is an institution that is established by the government for the purpose of service delivery.
Furthermore, insufficient stakeholder engagement hampers the inclusivity and responsiveness of public institutions, leading to policies and services that do not adequately address the needs of diverse populations (UNDP, 2019). Also, there is scarce financial and human resources constrain the ability of public institutions to innovate, upgrade infrastructure, and deliver quality services at scale (OECD, 2020). It is on this backdrop that the researcher intends to investigate the impact of institutional strengthening and its efficiency in public service delivery.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between institutional strengthening efforts and the efficiency of public service delivery. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To assess the effectiveness of various strategies and mechanisms employed for institutional strengthening;
- To identify the key factors influencing institutional strengthening initiatives within the public sector;
- To investigate the role of government policy on the quality of service delivered by the public sector;
- To analyze the impact of institutional capacities on the efficiency of public service delivery; and
- To provide recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to enhance the efficiency of public service delivery through institutional strengthening efforts.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Can public service delivery be enhanced through institutional strengthening efforts?
- What are the key factors influencing institutional strengthening initiatives within the public sector?
- What is the role of government policy on the quality of service delivered by the public sector?
- What is the impact of institutional capacities on the efficiency of public service delivery?
- What is the effectiveness of various strategies and mechanisms employed for institutional strengthening?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: Implementation of institutional strengthening initiatives negatively correlates with improvements in the efficiency of public service delivery.
- H1: Implementation of institutional strengthening initiatives positively correlates with improvements in the efficiency of public service delivery.
Hypothesis Two
- H0: Institutional strengthening has no impact on the efficiency of service delivery
- H1: Institutional strengthening has a significant impact on the efficiency of service delivery.
1.7 Significance of Study
The findings of this research will be of great importance to the federal government in strengthening the public service to ensure efficiency in service delivery. Also, it will be of important to the head of civil service in ensuring that rules are adequately adhered to and policies are adequately implemented.
Furthermore, the research will also be of importance to researcher who wishes to embark on research on similar topic as the findings will serve as a guide to further studies, finally the study will be of great importance to academia’s as the findings will add to the pool of knowledge.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Institutional Strengthening and the Efficiency of Public Service Delivery using Servicom, Sokoto as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, there were some problems encountered which stood as limitations to the research work. Some of the limitations include:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- Initial Cooperation Delay from Respondents: A particular limitation of this work came as a result of the respondent refusal to offer their cooperation at the initial time they were contacted. This contributed in making the success of this research study difficult.
1.10 Definition of Terms
Institutional Strengthening:
It is the process of enhancing the organizational capacities, structures, and systems within public institutions to improve their effectiveness, responsiveness, and sustainability.
Efficiency of Public Service Delivery:
It is the extent to which public services are delivered in a timely, cost-effective, and resource-efficient manner, while meeting the needs and expectations of citizens.
