Page 53 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Mahtab Jafari: The Relationship between Performance of the Administrative System and
National Authority of Governments: An Islamic Point of View

Conclusion

Based on the results of the current study, we found that one of the factors for
building legitimacy is the positive performance and efficiency of governments. But
it must be explained that according to Islamic teachings and principles, legitimacy
and desirability of governments are not confined to the structural legitimacy of the
governments. Therefore, since the governments implement their programs and
actions through their functional dimension and administrative bodies, it can be stated
that the legitimacy of a government depends on both structural and functional
dimensions of the government. We discovered a direct causal relationship between
the two variables, including the performance of the administrative system (cause)
and the national authority of governments (effect). We used a diagram to describe how
the administrative system influences the national authority of governments (Fig. 1).

It must be mentioned that in a significant number of Islamic countries, despite the
existence of Islamic principles provided for monitoring the performance of
administrative systems, there are deficiencies such as the lack of transparency,
accountability, reward and punishment systems, and meritocracy as well as the
weakness of the regulatory structures, and the unfair distribution of wealth, etc. In
regard to the understanding the cause of these problems in the administrative system
of all countries, including both Islamic and non-Islamic countries, we can mention
the basis of the legitimacy of governments. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believes that “if
a government and authority is delegated to an individual by the public will, it is
legitimate; however, other routes for transmitting the political power are not
legitimate”. But from the standpoint of Nahj al-Balagha, people cannot be the sole
origin of legitimacy. Because a society may suffer from intellectual, ethical and
practical deviations and the people’s ideas may not be rational, logical, and divine,
and corruption may be embodied in the intellectual bases of the community. Indeed,
such an issue is quite evident in many of the past and current societies. Obviously,
these problems will lead to a reduction in the efficiency, acceptance, legitimacy, and
finally the national authority of governments.

References

Agha Piroz, Ali; Khedmati, Abu Taleb; Shafeie, Abbas; Beheshti Nejad, Seyed
Mahmood. (2015). Management in Islam. Publication: Research Institute of Hawzah
and University.

Alagappa, M. (1995) Political Legitimacy in Southeast, Asia, Stanford, Stanford
University press.

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