Development of modern public administration in East Asia: similarities and dissimilarities among China, Japan, and South Korea*

Abstract

Today, East Asia has one of the most successful economies in the world; arguably, public administration as a practice, as well as a discipline, has played a pivotal role in the development of this region. However, not much literature is available on this topic. Accordingly, this paper first discusses East Asian development models and, subsequently, the civil service entrance examinations as an East Asian model of bureaucratic recruitment and selection. This is followed by a discussion on the development of modern public administration in three dimensions (i.e., practice, education, and research) and, then, the major issues of and challenges faced by public administration in China, Japan, and South Korea.