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Basic Concepts of Public Administration
Contents
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1 Meaning
o 1.1 Definition
2 Summary
3 International public administration
4 Scope
5 Outcomes
o 5.1 Definition
6 Summary
7 Distinction between Public & Private Administration
8 Reading
Meaning
Public administration can be broadly described as the development, implementation and study of
branches of government policy. It is the management of affairs of the government at all levels --national, state, local. It is a branch of the wider field of administration dealing with machinery &
procedures of government activities. It is the systematic ordering of affairs & the calculated use
of resources aimed at making desired things happen.
Public administration is carried out by public servants who work in public departments and
agencies, at all levels of government, and perform a wide range of tasks. Public administrators
collect and analyze data (statistics), monitor budgets, draft legislation, develop policy, and
execute legally mandated government activities. Public administrators serve in many roles:
ranging from "front-line" positions serving the public (e.g., peace officers, parole officers, border
guards); administrators (e.g., auditors); analysts (e.g., policy analysts); and managers and
executives of government branches and agencies.
The use of word “public” in public administration restricts the area of administration. However
defining the restricted area is debatable issue. There are two views regarding it: a) It refers to the
study of the government (legislature, executive or judiciary) or b) it is restricted to the executive.
In any case it means government. Public administration is also an academic field. In comparison
with related fields such as political science, public administration is relatively new, having
emerged in the 19th century. Multidisciplinary in character, it draws on theories and concepts
from political science, economics, sociology, administrative law, behavioral science,
management and a range of related fields. The goals of the field of public administration are
related to the democratic values of improving equality, justice, security, efficiency, effectiveness
of public services usually in a non-profit, non-taxable venue; business administration, on the
other hand, is primarily concerned with taxable profit. For a field built on concepts
(accountability, governance, decentralization, clientele), these concepts are often ill-defined and
typologies often ignore certain aspects of these concepts (Dubois & Fattore 2009)
Definition
Definition
Some well known definitions of Public administration are as follows
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L.D. White “Public administration is the direction, coordination & control of many
persons to achieve some purpose or objective”
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McCanny “Administration is the organization & use of man & material to accomplish a
purpose. It is the specialized vocation of managers who have skills of organizing &
directing men & materials just as definitely as the engineer has the skill of building
structures or a doctor has the skill of understanding human ailments.”
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Herbert A.Simon “ By public administration is meant, in common usage, the activities of
the executives branches of national, state & local government”
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Waldo “ Public administration is the art & science of management as applied to the
affairs of state.”
Summary
From the above discussion on the meaning of public administration, it may be concluded that it
deals with the study of
1. The executive in action i.e. public bureaucracy;
2. Policy making
3. Non governmental agencies like political parties, interest groups, mass movement,
terrorism etc, seeking to mould government’s action & behaviour;
4. Corporate sector, at any rate that of it which is dependent on governmental funding; and
5. Both the process of administration & the substantive concerns.
International public administration
There are several organizations that are active. The oldest is the International Association of
Schools and Institutes of Administration (IASIA). Based in Brussels, Belgium, IASIA is an
association of organizations and individuals whose activities and interests focus on public
administration and management. The activities of its members include education and training of
administrators and managers. It is the only worldwide scholarly association in the field of public
management. Visit their Web site at www.iiasiisa.be/schools/aeacc.htm.
Also the International Committee of the US-based National Association of School of Public
Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) has developed a number of relationships around the
world. They include sub regional and National forums like CLAD, INPAE and NISPAcee,
APSA, ASPA. For general information about these regional networks, visit
www.GlobalMPA.net.
The Center for Latin American Administration for Development (CLAD), based in Caracas,
Venezuela, this regional network of schools of public administration set up by the governments
in Latin America is the oldest in the region. Information about CLAD is accessible at
www.clad.org.ve.
The Institute is a founding member and played a central role in organizing the Inter-American
Network of Public Administration Education (INPAE). Created in 2000, this regional network of
schools is unique in that it is the only organization to be composed of institutions from North and
Latin America and the Caribbean working in public administration and policy analysis. It has
more than 49 members from top research schools in various countries throughout the
hemisphere, www.ebape.fgv.br/inpae.
NISPAcee is a network of experts, scholars and practitioners who work in the field of public
administration in Central and Eastern Europe, including the Russian Federation and the Caucasus
and Central Asia. Their English Web site is located at www.nispa.sk/_portal/homepage.php.
The US public administration and political science associations like NASPA, APSA and ASPA.
These organizations have helped to create the fundamental establishment of modern public
administration. For more information visit the Web sites of American Political Science
Association, www.apsanet.org, and the American Society of Public Administration
www.aspanet.org.
Scope
It is widely acknowledged that the scope of the discipline of Public Administration has to be
wide enough to respond to the complex social realities of today. Major concerns of the discipline
are:
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Promoting (public ness): In a democratic society, Public Administration has to be 'public'
in terms of democratic values, power-sharing and openness. This calls a new climate in
the bureaucracy. Public Administration, in practice, has to absorb the of democracy as an
overarching form of the government.
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Policy Sensitivity: As governments are called upon to play increasingly active roles in of
rapid changes and social crisis, innovative and timely policy formulation becomes a
prime necessity in the government. This would necessitate a new preparedness within the
administrative set-up that had hardly any precedence in the past.
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Implementation Capability: Effective policy implementation is going to test the coping of
the governments in today's complex situations. Goals have to be clearly set;programming
and projections have to be followed step by step; and project in all its ramifications has to
have top priority in government. The strength of the government itself would depend
more and more on the administration's capacity to deliver the goods in time and in
response to the demands of the citizens.
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Shared understanding of social reality: The capacity to cope with social and complexity
can be enhanced by a deliberate policy of organizational The underlying assumption here
is the administration needs to understand the interests and influences. In today's complex
administrative world, construction of reality has to be based on the shared understanding
of its actors such as the men at the top, the middle managers, the employees and the
citizens.The centralized,insular bureaucracy does not fit in with the contemporaneous
socio-administrative reality.
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Administration as a learning experience: Shifting social reality and complex conditions
impose certain rigorous conditions on Public Administration today. Principles of the past
or the administrative recipes of bureaucratic routine are no longer appropriate tools for
analysis of today’s problems & solutions. Public Administration in modern time has to be
proactive, innovative, risk-taking, and often adventurous. This new, entrepreneurial zeal
is expected to transform 'bureaucracy' into a new kind of learning organization, more
adaptable to changes, more open to new insights and innovations, and more accessible to
the clientele.
Outcomes
Outcomes of the above discussion is
These are the major concerns of government in all democratic countries. In the developing
countries, these have added significance, as Public Administration has a pivotal role to play in
the socio-economic reconstruction of post-colonial societies. The discipline of Public Administration cannot live in isolation. It has to develop' in close association with the dynamic
social changes. As a body of knowledge, it must develop explanatory strength to analyze socioeconomic complexity and (assist in the ushering in of a new society free of exploitation and
human misery, poverty.
Definition
Definition
Some well known definitions of Scope of Public administration
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Henry Fayol “Every employee is an undertaking- workman, shop manager, head of
division, head of department and if it is a state enterprise, the series extends to the
minister or head of the state – takes a larger or smaller share in the work of
administration.”
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L D White “ Public administration consists of all those operations having for their
purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy “
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John H Corson “ Public administration is the action part of the government, the means
by which the purposes & goals of the government are realized.
Summary
In view of various definitions of the scope of public administration , it is cleared that public
administration is concerned not only with the how of the government but also with the what.
The how is the process or processes, while the what is the subject matter. The essential
components of the public administration may be described through the famous acronym
PODSDCORB standing for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting &
budgeting.
Distinction between Public & Private
Administration
Distinction between the public and the private sector is however, greatly influenced by the
political philosophy of each nation. In the USA, for instance, the private sector plays a very
important role in the American economy and society.The public sector is in many days
dependent on the private sector for the supply of goods and services. Hence,the tendency in that
country is toward a blurring of lines rather than a distinct bifurcation of responsibilities. In India,
by contrast, the public sector is slowly emerging as the dominant sector in the context of mixed
economy. The steady expansion of the public sector in India if continues unabated, is expected to
draw a sharper distinction between the public and private management.
Considerations of general welfare should be the common concern of both public and private
business administration.. At the other hand, Public administration hardly ignore the needs of,
efficient management. Yet, the 2 types are basically different, as discussed below:
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The major purpose of Public Administration is to serve the public hence general welfare
and,in specific cases, public satisfaction are the ends that public administration must
serve.By contrast business administration is basically oriented toward earning profit for
the business proprietors. Inability to earn profit will soon drive a private enterprise out of
business.
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Public Administration has to operate strictly according to law, rules &
regulations.Adherence to law brings in a degree of rigidity & operation in the public
sector.There is always the fear of audit or accountability that acts as a.constraint on
performance.On the contrary business administration is relatively free from such
constraints of law and regulations. There are of course general laws regulating business,
but individual business firms have considerable flexibility to adapt their operations to
changing situations. This is possible because of their relative freedom from specific laws
and rules that abound in Public Administration.
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The actions of Public Administration are much more exposed to the public gaze.An
achievement rarely gets publicity, but a little fault hits the newspaper
headline.Organizations like the police have to be on their toes to make sure that their
operations do not incur the public wrath. This wide publicity is not to be found in
business administration, nor is it so very closely watched by the public and the media.
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In Public Administration, any show of discrimination or partiality will evoke public
censure or legislative commotion. Hence, the administrators are to be very consistent and
impartial in their dealings with the public. In business administration,discrimination is
freely practiced due to competitive demands. In the choice of products and in fixing
prices, business administration overtly practices discrimination which is almost a part of
business culture.
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Public Administration, especially at higher levels of government, is exceedingly
complex.There are many pulls and pressures, many minds have to meet and
discuss,consultations go on in several rounds of meetings before decisions are
taken.Activities in open department have ramifications that spread over several other
departments.By contrast, business administration is, generally speaking, much more wellknit and single-minded in operation. There is much less complexity in organization and
operations. The pressures are certainly almost non-existent.
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Public Administration as organization is thus much more complex,compared to business
or private organization. Any unit of government administration is 'tied' up with network
of allied public organizations and has to work in close interaction with them.A private
organization by contrast, has more compactness, insularity and autonomy of action.
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Public Administration has overarching responsibilities in terms of nation-building, and
shaping the future society. It is therefore, much more. Value oriented.Business
organizations have to follow the guidelines laid down by the public authorities.
Reading
www.coursework.info/.../The_Definition_of_Public_Administration_L86418.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_administration
http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/25474/1/Unit-1.pdf
To be continued...
Work in progress, expect frequent changes. Help and feedback is
welcome. See discussion page.
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