Public administration during the Indenture System

Naidu, Suwastika and Chand, Anand and Dayal, Maureen and Pandaram, Atishwar and Lako, Jone (2020) Public administration during the Indenture System. In: Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer Nature, Switzerland. ISBN 978-3-319-31816-5

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Abstract

The traditional model of Fiji’s public administration was changed when Fiji was ceded to Great Britain in 1874 and more so when the first Indian labourers came to Fiji to work in the sugar cane plantations. The public administration system during the colonial time period was based on the major philosophies of scientific management. The purpose of this paper is to examine the public administration system during the indenture system in the Fiji Islands. This study found that Taylor’s principles of achieving maximum productivity from workers while ignoring the worker’s personal welfare and interests dominated the British rule during the indenture system in Fiji. The indentured labourers were compelled to work in harsh conditions with lack of incentives to improve their performance. The public administration system during the indenture system viewed workers as commodities that would assist the British rule and the Colonial Sugar Refinery Company to achieve their macroeconomic goal of establishing revenue generating activities around Fiji. The contracts made during the indenture system were not purely enforceable and amendments were needed to suit the political interests of the British rule. Economic policies made during the indenture system lacked collaboration and consultation between the important stakeholders, and the main goal of the policies were to serve the interests of the British colonial administration.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions:	Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Management and Public Administration
Depositing User:	Suwastika Naidu
Date Deposited:	14 Aug 2020 02:38
Last Modified:	14 Aug 2020 02:38
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/12274

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