Public Administration Definition evolution and difference with Business

Public Administration Definition, evolution and difference with Business Administration

Definitions of Public Administration § Administration can be defined as the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish common goals. By Public Administration is meant, in common usage the activities of the executive branches of national, state and local governments; independent boards and commissions set up by the congress and state legislatures; government corporations; and certain other agencies of a specialized character. Specifically excluded are judicial and legislative agencies within the government and non -governmental administration. (Simon, Smithburg and Thompson)

Definitions of Public Administration § Public Administration is concerned with the administrative activities of government, it means to care for or to look after people, to manage affairs: the administrator is a servant and not a master. (E N Gladden). § Public Administration as a field is mainly concerned with the means for implementing political values. (Pfiffner and Presthus)

Definitions of Public Administration § Public Administration is the management of public programmes. (Denhardt and Grubbs) § Public Administration in all modern nations is identified with the executive branch. (Fesler) § Public administration …is action part of government, the means by which the purposes and goals of government are realized (Stillman) § Public administration as a field is mainly concerned with the means for implementing political values. . (Stillman) § Public administration can be best identified with the executive branch of the government. (Stillman)

Definitions of Public Administration § The process of public administration consists of the actions involved in effecting the intent or desire of the government. It is thus the continuously active, ‘business’ part of a government, concerned with carrying out the law, as made by legislative bodies (or other authoritative agents) and interpreted by the courts, through the processes of organization and management. (Stillman) § Public administration: (a) is a cooperative group effort in a public setting; (b) covers all three branches –executive, legislative, and judicial– and their interrelationships; (c) has an important role in the formulation of public policy, and is thus part of the political process; (d) is different in significant ways from private administration; and (e) is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals. (Stillman)

Public and Private Administration Public Administration Private Administration § Works in a legal framework § Susceptibility to criticism. § Evaluation in terms of value added to the society § Slow promotion process, characterized with redtapism and least innovation § No accountability to statute § No attention to criticism even if faced § Evaluation in terms of profit § Quick promotion and speedy processes

Public and Private Administration Public Administration Private Administration § Fosters legalistic and self protective attitude § Multiple objectives § Pluralist decision making § Publicness (“living in a goldfish bowl”) § § No self protective attitude so more adaptability Single and clear objective Limited scope of decision making Privacy

Evolution of the study of Public Administration § As a study it is an invention of 20 th century but as a practice, it is as old as man. § Many administrative activities were being performed throughout the history but the academic status of Public Administration was recognized after first World War. § Public Administration was first taught as a part of training program in Persia. § In English speaking countries, no emphasis was made on Public Administration. § Essay by Woodrow Wilson (1887) paved the way of Public Administration in US.

Evolution of the study of Public Administration Stages of Evolution (First Stage) • First stage of evolution began with the publication of Woodrow Wilson essay. • This era is also known as politics-administration dichotomy. • Impact of reform movement in US helped popularizing the study of Public Administration in US universities. • American Political Science Association (1914) declared preparing specialists for government positions as one of the objectives of teaching Political Science. • First book on the study of Public Administration was written by L. D. White (1926) titled as “ Introduction to the Study of Public Administration”.

Evolution of the study of Public Administration Stages of Evolution (Second Stage) • Reinforcement of the idea of politics-administration dichotomy and to evolve a value free science of management. • W. F. Willoughby’s “Principles of Public Administration” in 1927. Mooney and Reliey’s “Principles of Organization”, Mary Parker Folletts’s “Creative Experience”, Fayol’s Industrial and General Management and papers on Science of Public Administration by Gulick and Urwick. • Pure scientific approach along with the politicsadministration dichotomy. • POSDCORB (Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting & Budgeting) was coined by Lyther Gulick and F W Tylor professed for scientific management.

Evolution of the study of Public Administration Stages of Evolution (Third Stage) • This era is characterized by the reaction against mechanical and scientific approach. Focused on interpersonal and human relations. • Major contributions are “Hawthorne experiment” in (1953) by Elton Mayo, “Functions of Executives” and “Organization and Management” by Chester Barnard and “Practice of Management” by Peter Drucker in 1954.

Evolution of the study of Public Administration Stages of Evolution (Fourth Stage) § Two significant publications took place. “Administrative Behavior” by Herbert Simon and “The Science of Public Administration” by Robert Dahl. § Simon rejected the classical principle of Public Administration and politics-administration dichotomy and widened the scope of Public Administration. § Robert Dahl identified three problems in the evolution of Public Administration: § Impossibility of excluding values § Compulsory inclusion of the study of human behavior. § Deriving principles based on limited national and historical setting.

Evolution of the study of Public Administration Stages of Evolution (Fifth Stage) § Post war development with the transformation in both theory and practice of Public Administration. § Development of two approaches § Comparative study approach § Separate study of Public and Private Administration. § Major work by F. W. Riggs in “The Ecology of Public Administration” in 1961. § “The New Science of Management” By Simon.

Evolution of the study of Public Administration Stages of Evolution (Final Stage) § Honey Report on Higher Education for Public Service (1967). § Philadelphia Conference in 1967 in US on theory and practice of Public Administration. § Minnowbrook Conference in 1968 introduced “New Public Administration”. Two factors were focused § 1960 was a turbulent period with no active participation by Public Administration § Need of young scholars. § Frank Marini and Dwight Waldo were the representatives of this school of thought. F. Marini edited a publication “Toward a New Public Administration: Minnowbrook perspective in 1971”. While Waldo has edited a publication of “Public Administration in a time of turbulence” in 1971.

Epistemology of Public Administration § The field of Public Administration, since its inception, has been struggling by questions surrounding its “identity”. What is public administration? § These and other questions persist in public administration from the standpoint of study, teaching and practice. § At this point in the history of public administration, the debate over its identity may seem somewhat boring, dull and even irrelevant. Public administration has a very rich and intellectual heritage which guides its research, teaching and practice. Question is not on its legitimacy as a discipline but disagreement is on “how we should study public administration? ”