International Students’ Experiences of Public Administration Activity in the Host Country: Revealing Patterns of Administrative Culture

Abstract

The conducted research is aimed to identify those patterns in which administrative culture is distinguished while addressing the immigrants’ experiences related to administrative behaviour of state institutions and public servants in the host country. The conducted research particularly focuses on international students’ experiences in Lithuania. Therefore the analysis draws insights using a qualitative survey data where the international students’ of Kaunas municipality in Lithuania reveal their experiences, related to the behaviour of public service officials. For so, the conducted research explores students’ socio-demographic characteristics in their relation to experiences while carrying administrative activities. Consequently, the data is being used to support and illustrate the given arguments in how administrative culture distinguishes itself in the migration-related performance field. The main findings from the analysed data support arguments that in those cases when migrant's situation is being addressed, the administrative culture of the host country is admitted to have its own distinctive features. The case study of Kaunas municipality of Lithuania reveals that the immigrant-related administrative culture distinguishes oneself while facilitating such features as (I) restrictiveness in language usage policy which in turn creates obstacles for immigrants to obtain optimal access to information and (II) features of not sufficiently responsive administrative behaviour. Overall, the originality and the value the research gives additional input by revealing in what way administrative culture distinguishes oneself while addressing the immigrants case and at the same time, indicates the scope for public leadership in migrant related public administration activity.