The Effect of Reform Initiatives on Public Service Quality: The Case of Selected Public Service Sectors in Jimma Town

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to assess the Effect of Reform initiatives on public service quality; the case of selected public service sectors in Jimma town. To deal with the quality problems on quality service, five fundamental research questions were formulated to evaluate the reform initiatives on public service sectors as a result of reform implementation. To conduct the study, descriptive and inferential research design were employed, and simple random and stratified sampling methods were used to select 169 employees of the public sectors. The main instruments of data collection were questionnaire and interview. Questionnaires and interviews were important to gather primary data concerning the employee perception on the service quality practices. Specifically, structured questionnaires were distributed randomly to the employees and top managers respectively. The data was subject to analysis using application software packages named as Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Descriptive statistics was used to describe different characteristics. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze general information about respondents, mean and standard deviations were used to describe aspects of reform initiative practices. Inferential statistical analysis, correlation and multiple linear regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between the independent variable (Public service reform initiatives) and dependent variable (public service quality); and to test the effect of Public service reform initiatives practices on public service quality. The finding of the study revealed that, public service delivery trend of the public service institutions can be regarded currently as inefficient. Even after the full implementation of the reform it was characterized as time consuming, costly, incompetent, non-responsive and non-dynamic because of this public sector employees were not competent to the other organizations like NGO’s and Banks. The researcher recommends, if the commitment, ownership, and the drive for change are practically in place and the institutional transformation and new organizational change to be successful, the reform initiatives were fruitless so possible to see the structure of public organization from the bottom line to the ministry level and building employees capacity by revising the overall reforms based on the current global context.