Research on Development Administration and the Challenges of International Development

The article addresses in greater depth someof the central issues of the contemporaryinternational development discourse. The focusof my article is the perspective of 'developmentadministration', a research area inadministrative science'. The central issuesof the article include the conceptual issuesconcerning development administration inadministrative science and the challengesdeveloping countries are facing in: (a.) copingwith modernisation and economic globalisation;(b.) promoting good governance by ensuringadministrative decentralisation and localdevelopment; and (c.) ensuring thesustainability of Non-GovernmentalOrganisations (NGO)-led developmentinitiatives. The article argues that there existsvery little scientific research, neither conceptualnor empirical, on development administration inFinland. Therefore, academic study on issuesrelated to 'development administration' and'international development' has vital importancefor the current development discourse in Finlandand abroad