## Notes from 23 April 2025 [[2025-04-22|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-04-24|Next note →]] I read an interesting [twitter thread](https://x.com/AkshayMangla/status/1619001567302254593) about the work of [Akshay Mangla](https://akshaymangla.com/), an Indian academic affiliated with Oxford’s business school, who conducted a three-year ethnographic study in four Indian states. He identified how social norms shape the functioning of bureaucracy in each region. In his assessment, “deliberative” bureaucracies (as opposed to “legalistic” ones) are better able to use frontline agents’ discretion to respond to social demands, increasing the effectiveness of public service delivery. The book presenting the results of this research is called _Making Bureaucracy Work_. I also skimmed through [[Philipp Krause]]'s [paper](https://odi.org/en/insights/out-with-the-calculator-in-with-the-policy-paper-not-so-fast/) (he heads the public finance team at the ODI) on ministries of finance. He distinguishes between "transactional" ministries, which focus on budget control and day-to-day cash flows, and "policy" ministries, which are more active in shaping fiscal policy. The difference, he says, isn't just in structure, but also in incentives, capabilities and political positioning. Countries move slowly from one type to the other, often after crises or shifts in demand for policy work. South Africa is an example of a country where the Ministry of Finance became a real policy actor after it was restructured into the National Treasury. This got me thinking: which type of ministry is a better ally for merit reforms? The literature often says that reformers need the support of the ministry of finance, but that only makes sense if the ministry sees itself as a policy actor, not just a budget gatekeeper. Maybe that's why the Chilean model, where the [[Sistema de Alta Dirección Pública (SADP)|Civil Service Agency]] is under the Ministry of Finance, has gone further... not just because of structure, but because of political weight and direction. Interesting stuff.