Dr. I. Ramabrahmam
Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Email: rbi.pdg@gmail.com

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In the post-globalization era, no other academic discipline has undergone as many changes as Public Administration did(Guy
Peters and Vincent Wright :1998).
The study of public administration in traditional manner laid focus laid on:
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Organisation Theory
Weberian Theory of bureaucracy
Structures rather than process
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Inputs rather than outcome
Rules rather than outcome
Hierarchy etc.( Bhattacharya, 2004)
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 In addition to this, the managerial practices in private sector have influenced the functioning of the public sector (Osborne and Gaebler:1992).
 These changes have questioned the following fundamentals of public administration, such as,
1. The assumption of self-sufficiency
2. The assumption of hierarchy
3. The assumption of uniformity
4. The assumption of Accountability upward
5.The assumption of standardized establishment procedure
6. Apolitical nature/Neutrality of civil service
(Guy Peters and Vincent Wright :1998)
 Denhardt and Denhardt (2008) rightly took note of this paradigm shift as shown in the following table:
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Concept of the Public
Interest
Old Public Administration
Defined in politically and expressed in law
New Public
Administration
It represents the aggregation of individual interests
To whom public servants responsive
Clients and constituents Customers
Role of government Rowing Steering
Approach to accountability
Administrative discretion
Hierarchical
Limited
Assumed
Organisational
Bureaucratic structure
Assumed motivational Pay and benefits, civil basis of public servants service protections
Market-driven
Wide
New Public Service
It is the result of a dialogue about shared values
Citizens
Serving
Multi-faced
Discretion needed but constrained and accountable
Decentralised
Entrepreneurial spirit, ideological desire to reduce size of governments
Collaborative structures with leadership shared internally and externally
Public service, desire to contribute to society
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In addition to these developments, governance has become one of the prime areas of interest in contemporary research. Civil society groups are now asking for a more inclusive and participatory governance which has political implications.
Given this background, it has become imperative to know:
What are governance reforms?
What are their implications to efficiency, delivery and accountability in managing public affairs?
A paradigm shift in the study of public administration and corresponding changes can be well understood through revising the existing traditional curriculum.
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Accordingly, the new curriculum should encompass the recent developments, such as, governance and related concepts, public management techniques, leadership, public finance, disaster management etc.
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Such efforts enhances the validity and relevance of Public
Administration at local, national and global level.
This is reflected in the proposed course on Public
Administration designed for INFLIBNET purpose.
Keeping these developments in view, the following course have been identified:
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11)
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Theories of Public Administration
Public Policy Formulation and Implementation
Public Management
Governance: Theories and Concepts
Human resources management
Organizational Behavior
Public Finance and Tax Administration
Administrative Law and Comparative Public Management
Public Sector Strategic Management
Public Sector Project Management
Governance and Leadership
Civil Service Ethics and Professionalism
Public Sector Reforms in India
Indian Administration
Administrative Reforms
Management Information Systems
Research Methodology in Public Administration
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The specific objectives of the Public Administration Curriculum are to :
 familiarize the students with basic theories, concepts and principles of public administration;
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 enable them to understand the evolution and growth of public administration as a discipline; become familiar on how governance as theory and practice transforms the state and politics at different levels - global, national and local; and equip them with an understanding on various aspects pertaining to management, good governance, public policy, civil service reforms
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After completing the course, the following outcomes students are expected to: have a thorough understanding of the evolution and phases of public administration;
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 establish the linkages between the public administration and socio-economic development; think of devising strategies for better management of human resource and capacity building; and conceptualize ‘good governance’ and examine its role in development of the country.
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Bhattacharya, Mohit, 2004, New Horizons of Public
Administration, Jawahar publishers, New Delhi.
Denhardt, J,V. and Denhardt, R, B.,2007,The New Public
Service: Serving, Not Steering. M. E. Sharpe. New York.
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Osborn, David and Gabler, Ted, 1992, Reinventing the
Government: The Spirit of Entrepreneurial Government,
Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi.
Peters Guy and Vincent Wright, 1998, Public Policy and
Administration: Old and New in Robert Goodman (ed) A
Handbook of Political Science, Oxford University Press,
New York.
World Bank, 2003, World Development Report 2004,
Making Services Work for Poor People, World Bank,
Washington. D.C.
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