PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Definition:

Public administration is a field in which leaders serve communities to advance the common good and effect positive change. Public administration professionals are equipped with skills to manage at all levels of government (local, state, and federal) as well as nonprofit organizations.

The text has accordingly provided 18 definitions to capture the intrinsic richness and subtlety of the broad phrase “public administration.” These are clustered into four main categories: 

1) political,

2) legal,

3) managerial, and

4) occupational.

Political:

Public Administration is a discipline which is concerned with the organization and the formulation and implementation of public policies for the welfare of the people. It functions in a political setting in order to accomplish the goals and objectives, which are formulated by the political decision makers.

Legal:

Administrative law encompasses the body of laws, procedures, and legal institutions affecting government agencies as they implement legislation and administer public programs. As such, administrative law implicates important political and social values, including democracy, fairness, and efficiency.

Managerial:

Public administration is a field in which leaders serve communities to advance the common good and effect positive change. Public administration professionals are equipped with skills to manage at all levels of government (local, state, and federal) as well as nonprofit organizations.

Occupational:

Public administration is a field in which leaders serve communities to advance the common good and effect positive change. Public administration professionals are equipped with skills to manage at all levels of government (local, state, and federal) as well as nonprofit organizations

Types of Public Administration

  • Classical Public Administration. …
  • New Public Management (NPM) …
  • Postmodern Public Administration.

Classical public administration:

The central assumption of the classical approach to public administration is that hierarchy involves direct control, with the civil servant being accountable only to their superior.

New public management:

New Public Management (NPM) is an approach to running public service organizations that is used in government and public service institutions and agencies, at both sub-national and national levels.

Post modern public administration:

Postmodern public administration theory is the antithesis of positivism and the logic of objective social science. Particularism in postmodernity is overly preoccupied with efficiency, leadership, management, and organization.

Who is the father of new public management?

The Father of Public Administration, Woodrow Wilson, introduced the concept of public administration in the United States of America.

Important characteristics of Public Adminstration :-

  1. It is part of executive branch of government.
  2. It is related with the activities of the state.
  3. It carries out the public policies.
  4. It realise the aspirations of the people as formulated and
    3
    expressed in the laws.
  5. Waldo and other thinkers insist on the commitment and
    dedication to the well being of the people. Otherwise Public
    Adminstration behaves in a mechanical, impersonal and
    inhuman way.
  6. Public Adminstration is politically neutral.Scope :-Following are the three important perspectives about the scope ofPublic Adminstration.Narrow perspective or posdcord perspective.Broad perspective or subjectmatter view.Prevailing view.

scope of public administration:

scope of public administration includes;

  1. ‘P’ stands for planning
  2. ‘O’ stands for organization
  3. ‘S’ stands for staffing.
  4. ‘D’ stands for Directing.
  5. ‘Co.’ stands for Co-ordination.
  6. ‘R’ stands for Reporting
  7. ‘B’ stands for Budgeting

p stands for planning:

Planning is the first step of Public Adminstration. i.e. working out the broad outline of the things that need to be done.

O stands for organization:

It means establishment of the formal structure of authority through which the work is sub-divided, arranged and co-ordinated for the defined objective.

S stands for staffing:

It means the recruitment and training of the staff and maintenance of favourable conditions of work for the staff.

D stands for directing:

It means the continuous task of making decisions and embodying them in specific and general orders and instructions, and thus
guiding the enterprise.

Co stands for co-ordination:

It means interrelating the various parts of organization such as branches, divisions, sections of the work and elimination of
overlapping

R stands for reporting:

It means informing the authority to whom the executive is responsible as to what is going on.

B stands for budgeting:

It means accounting, fiscal planning and control.

Evaluation:

POSDCORB Perspective about the Scope of Public Adminstration is limited and narrow. It stressed on the tools of PublicAdminstration. It does not show the substance of administration. Itis a technique oriented perspective, not a subject oriented.

Prevailing view:


Prevailing view divides the scope of Public Adminstration into two
parts.-
1) Administrative theory
2) Applied administration

Administrative Theory :

Administrative theory includes:

a) Organisational Theory –
The Structure, organization, functions and methods of all types of public authority engaged in administration, whether national,
regional or local and executive.
b) Behaviour –
The functions of adminstrative authorities and the various methods appropriate to different types of functions. The various forms of control of administration.
c) Public Personal Adminstration –
The problems concerning personnel e.g. recruitment, training, promotion, retirement etc. and the problems relating to planning,
research, information and public relation services.

  1. Applied administration –
    It includes the following aspects :-
    a) Political functions –
    It includes the executive – legislative relationship, administrative activities of the cabinet, the minister and permanent official
    relationship.
    b) Legislative function –
    It includes delegated legislation and the preparatory work done by the officials in connection with the drawing up of bills.
    c) Financial functions –
    It includes total financial administration from the preparation of the budget to its execution, accounting and audit etc.
    d) Defence – Functions relating to military adminstration.
    e) Educational function – It includes functions relating to educational administration.
    f) Social welfare administration –
    It includes the activities of the departments concerned with food; housing, social security and development activities.
    g) Economic Adminstration –
    It is concerned with the production and encouragement of industries and agriculture.
    h) Foreign administration –
    It includes the conduct of foreign affairs, diplomacy, international cooperation etc.
    i) Local administration –
    It concern with the activities of the local self-governing institutions:
  2. Conclusion :– The modern state cannot confine its field of activities to only maintenance of law and order, dispensation of justice, collection of revenue and taxes. The modern state is expected to provide more and more services and amenities to the people. This results in tremendous growth both in the governmental responsibilites as well as in the administrative machinery of the state. Naturally the scope of public administration is increased.
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