Advisory Committee Chair
Akhlaque Haque
Advisory Committee Members
Erin L Borry
Peter A Jones
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2018
Degree Name by School
Master of Public Administration (MPA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Since the Taliban collapse in 2001, Afghanistan has made progress in providing public services to its citizens. The quantity of public services provided by governmental agencies has increased but whether the quality of these services has increased remains a question. The purpose of this thesis is to study the quality of public services delivered by governmental agencies in Herat City, Afghanistan. A modified Gap Model of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) Scale was used in this study to assess the citizens’ perceptions and expectations of public services. A survey was administered to a sample of 2,565 citizens receiving services from 57 governmental agencies, resulting in 2,495 complete questionnaires, for a response rate of 97 percent. The study results indicate significant gaps between citizens’ expectations and perceptions in all five dimensions of public service quality in the city. The overall average gap was -2.37, which shows the Afghan government's inability to meet citizens’ expectations. The study reveals growing expectations of public service quality in the Herat City, Afghanistan, but perceptions of the reality indicate Herat City is not meeting these expectations, indicating a need to improve the quality of services.
Recommended Citation
Jahani, Firooz, "Improving the Quality Of Public Service in Developing World: A Case Study of Governmental Organizations in Herat City, Afghanistan" (2018). All ETDs from UAB. 2026.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/2026