Public institutions in transforming societies

This research comprises of a comparative case study of two public revenue organisations in the post-conflict state building context of Kosovo. The key aim is to understand effectiveness and efficiency of public institutions in transforming countries. It relies mainly on the theory of prismatic society proposed by Riggs, which states that institutions in transforming societies are ineffective and inefficient due to multiplicity of norms leading to corruption. It holds that bureaucracies interfere in the political decision-making due to the weakness of political institutions. I found that the context of Kosovo could be described as neo-prismatic due to prior societal diffraction. As a consequence political institutions are relatively developed compared to bureaucracy and political interference in public institutions is widespread. Yet, effective institutions can be built if there is insulation from political interference. While there are views that political influence has negative consequences for institutions, an opposing view suggests that bureaucratic autonomy would lead to corruption. I found the ways in which political interference takes place through various forms of prismatic behaviour affecting the institutions I studied. My findings help inform future organisational design efforts.