​The Journal of Administrative Development discusses issues and topics related to administrative and development affairs

The Journal of Administrative Development Journal, issued by the Institute of public administration (IPA), shows determination to discuss issues and topics related to administrative and development affairs. It attempts to represent the educational and training activities of the IPA in a considerable number of publications. The issue released this April presents a review of the documentary book prepared by the IPA in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of its establishment. The book is entitled: "The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz: A Comprehensive vision of the Administrative Development". Upon the Kings' safe return to our  homeland following a successful medical trip abroad, the IPA reprinted the book to emphasize the Kings' organizational vision which emanates from accumulated intellectual and creative values that set the foundations for effective decisions, while focusing on the administrative aspect as one of King Abdullah's salient leadership characteristics.

The new issue of the journal addresses the status of women leaders in government agencies: Are they decision makers or mere respondents, and what are the major obstacles that stand in the way of women's assuming full responsibility at work and taking important decisions for the unit under their supervision? This, however, is carried out by inviting a number of women leaders who occupy operational, supervisory and advisory positions in their respective agencies to discuss these issues.

The issue also presents interviews with Dr. Julia Sloan, the international expert of strategic thinking, who has recently visited the Kingdom. She speaks about the latest trends in strategic thinking and their impact on the development of top leaderships. She also expressed her opinion on the interaction between the Saudi women leaders during the round table meeting organized by the women's branch last month.

The journal contains a report on the disabled and discusses the services offered to them, and stresses the need to adapt the environment to meet their needs and requirements. The report also discusses the facilities and equipments to be considered when setting up service buildings. It also attempts to realize to what extent these facilities and equipments meet the necessary requirements of the disabled.

The journal goes on to shed light on the IPA training sectors. Therefore, it carries out a survey on the Health Department, which offers specialized programs that enhance the knowledge of health workers and develop their professional capabilities. It also reviews a working paper presented by the IPA in the periodic meeting of training officials in government agencies. The meeting was organized by the IPA last year under the title: "Optimizing benefits from IPA training programs", with special emphasis on the salient topics and recommendations given in the paper.

Another important report is also included in this issue. It tackles the external training offered to the IPA training staff which it deems a gate towards the latest methods and trends of training. The report presents in figures the efforts made by the IPA to develop its human resources according to carefully thought out plans that go in line with the principle of the IPA that human resources is the cornerstone for its progress and excellence.

Moreover, the journal presents an interview with two prominent figures; the first is His Excellency Mr. Mohammad Aba Al-Khail, the first Director General of the IPA who talks about his memories with the establishment of the IPA. The second is Dr. Abd Al-Aziz bin Ismail Daghistani, former member of the Shura Council and chairman of the house of economic studies in Riyadh, who talks about his memories with the Shura Council and the most important decisions the Economic Committee made during his time as a chairman.

 host of articles that addresses the details of the administrative process, including a topic on "Centralization and its impact on the effectiveness of organizations", and "Job rotation and building administrative leadership". This is in addition to the most important news that capture the IPA's training activities, and the fixed sections that provide direct service to the readers, such as "Laws and Regulations", "Recent Publications", and the columns of "Echoes", and "Administrative Document".