The Public Administration Challenge of the Liberian Poverty Reduction Strategy: Opportunities and Solutions for the SEA Protocol

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the nation of Liberia finds itself at a crossroads in its development. Having identified strategic civil and administrative goals, governmental leaders are now faced with the impending challenges presented in the realization of these goals. Public administration's primary purpose is to provide effective and efficient civic service that facilitates progress toward society goals. The adoption of structured administrative practice can be vital in resourcefully and economically achieving government objectives such as those laid out in Liberia's Poverty Reduction Plan. Strengthening governance and the rule of law in Liberian government is another significant goal which can be realized through the practice of sound public administration theory. The ability of civil service to operate in such a manner is greatly dependent on the scope of its government or institutions. Analysis of a number of uniquely public administration case studies reveals that a lack of performance standards is often a key organizational hindrance. The examination of case studies and public administration theory led to the development of the strategic "Selection-Empowerment-Accountability" (S.E.A.) model for enhancing performance management and governance in the modern bureaucracy. Furthermore, the S.E.A. protocol is a method that can be applied not only to the challenges of the Liberian government but also to any organization seeking to engender innovation. The S.E.A. protocol reinforces the selection of innovative and qualified public servants, shielding them from undue political pressures, and holding civic leaders accountable for substantive advances in the field. Our research reveals a lack of theory-based models that, when implemented, improve organizational efficiency. This paper proposes the adoption of the S.E.A. protocol as a modular system for enhancing governance and the rule of law for Liberia. This paper contains an in-depth examination of the S.E.A. protocol's three components: Selection, Empowerment, and Accountability and an explanation of how they might be adopted to better serve the challenges faced by the Liberian Government.