government studies presentation

8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation

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SESSION ONE

THE EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Definition:Public administration is the formulation, implementation,evaluation and modification of public policies

Various definitions:The management of public programs The translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every

day The study of government decision making The analysis of the policies themselves The various inputs that have produced policies The inputs necessary to produce alternative policies


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ANTIQUITY TO THE 19TH CENTURY

` Pharaohs, kings & emperors have acquired treasurers & tax

collectors to administer the practical business of government

` Public administration was rife with nepotism, favoritism & political

patronage (spoils system)

` Public administrators, eyes & ears of rulers

` Expert civil servants necessitated legal record-keeping, paying &

feeding armies & levying taxes

Why the need for a sophisticated public administration grew?

Lorenz von Stein, an 1855, German professor from Vienna is

considered the founder of PADMINI

` He taught that PAdmin relies on sociology, political science,

administrative law & public finance

` He stated PAdmin is about theory & practice


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` Woodrow Wilson is considered father of PAdmin

He wrote that:` Administrative study to discover what government can

properly & successfully do` Do with possible efficiency & least possible cost

Wilson was more influential than Von Stein due to anarticle he wrote in 1887 advocating four concepts:

` Separation of politics & administration` Comparative analysis of political & private organization

` Improving efficiency with business-like practices` Training of civil servants & merit based assessment


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USA IN THE 1940s` Luther Gulick & Lyndall Urwick are two second generation scholarsGulick developed a generic theory of organization thatemphasized:` 1. The scientific method` 2. Efficiency` 3. Professionalism` 4. Structural reform` 5. And executive

Gulick summarized the duties of administrators with an acronymPOSDCORB which stands for:` i. Planning` ii. Organizing` iii. Staffing

` iv. Directing` v. Coordinating` vi. Reporting` vii. Budgeting


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POST-WORLDWAR 11 TO THE 1970s` The politics-administration dichotomy remained the center of

criticismIn the 1960s & 1970s

government itself came under fire as ineffective, inefficient &largely a wasted effort:a) The American intervention in Vietnamb) Citizens called for efficient administration to replace

ineffective, wasteful bureaucracyc)

Public administration distanced itself from politics toremain effective1980s TO 1990s` David Osborne & Ted Garbler proposed a new theory called New

Public Management in their book Reinventing GovernmentThe NPM advocated the use of:

a) Private sector style modelsb) Organization ideas & values to improve the efficiency

& service-orientation of the public sector


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NPM is splitting large bureaucracies into:I. Smaller & more fragmented agenciesII. Encouraging competition between different public agencies

III. Encouraging competition between public agencies & private

firmsIV. Using economic incentives lines e.g. performance pay for

executives & user pay modelsv. NPM treats individuals as customers or clients, rather than as

citizens

LATE 1990s TO 2000s:Janet & Robert Denhardt proposed a new public service model calledDigital Era GovernanceDigital Era Governance focuses on themes such as:

1. Reintegration brining issues back into government control e.g. likeUS airport security after 9/11

2. Needs based holism reorganizing government arounddistinct client groups

3. Digitalization fully exploiting the potential of digital storage &

internet communications to transform governance


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SESSION TWO

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN PERSPECTIVEAdministration deals with gathering, processing, & communicating

information.` Politicians formulate policies through the legislative process` Public administrators are messengers of policy decisions` Public administration putts personnel systems to carry out

government activities` Public administrators evaluates policies to determine successes,

failures, & goodness of public policiesFrom the above analysis public administration:` Has a society service orientation` Is orientated towards policy execution` Has to be answerable to the executive, the legislature, the courts &

the public

` Needs to manage government personnel, programs & projects tobenefit society` Should have concern for public rather individual self-interest` To be concerned for socio-economic & political well being of citizens


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` Is concerned with the maintenance of law & order in line

with constitutional provisions

` Is concerned with national development & social

progressThe Scope of Public Administration

` Public administration as a field of practice & as a field of

study

As a field of practice, public administration focuses onsix fundamental functions:

` 1. Public Admin policy-making

` 2. Organizing

`

3. F

inancing` 4. Staffing

` 5. Determining work methods & procedures and

` 6. Controlling


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Public admin derives its academic content &

theoretical framework from:

` a) Political science

` b) Management science` c) Law

` d) Sociology, and

` e) Economics


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What do we focus on when we study public

admin?A. A focus on its evolution as a field of

practice.

Evolutionary process help us understand:

` How it has changed with different regimes` How it energizes itself to remain part of the

government system

` How it responds to threats from the political


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` How the bureaucracy is appointed

` How is it compensated

` How it organizes itself

` How it is given tasks, executes or effectuates these

tasks

` How its controlled & disciplined

` How it relates to the governmental system & society its

expected to serve


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` Help governments to adjust their public admin systems

` Helps rescue governments from operational confusion

` Provides the public admin academic or practitioner with

knowledge

` Helps generalizing problems within administration

` Discern public admins relationship with policy & politics in

different regimes

` See how regimes adapt elements or functions of publicadmin to their systems


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B. A focus on its intellectual heritage & theoreticalunderpinningsThese paradigms are:` The Politics/Admin Dichotomy` The principle of admin` The challenge to orthodox theories of public admin` Reactions to this challenge` Public admin as political science` Public admin as management

` Public admin as public adminPublic admin organizational focus on:` Structural configuration of public organizations` People in organizations & their behaviours` Decision processes of administrative organizations` Processes of policy execution, staff & resource utilization & control

` Administrators use of delegated regulatory powers` Accountability for the faithful execution of the laws of the land` Responsiveness to the people


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C. A focus on the external forces thatimpinge upon public admin:` Constitutional & legislative controls

` The role of the judiciary in controlling theexercise of the power of public admin

` Public admin interactive process with private

admin` Relationship between political & administrative

bureaucracy

` Socio-economic & political factors

` International forces


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The role of the public administrator

The following responsibilities can be

enumerated:` 1. Setting for the purposes, aims, &

objectives of the organization

` 2. Structuring organizations

` 3. Recruiting & organizing the staff` 4. Delegation & allocation of authority &

responsibility

` 5. Seeing that delegated activities are carried

out` 6. Positions standardization & establish

quality performance


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` To understand administrative operations & thebehavior of administrators

` Gather information & public opinion on administratorsconduct & bureaucratic excesses

` To understand administrative environments forimproving occupational skills in the field

` To link public administration to other disciplines &show connections between them

`

To understand the theoretical framework of publicadministration

` Improve participation in public affairs


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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: Art or science?

` Public administration is both a science and an art

` Public admin requires scientific analysis to arrive atcertain conclusions

` A science is a corpus of verified knowledge, based ontheorems, paradigms & axioms

This Knowledge is obtained through scientific

method that involves:` i. Making propositions

` ii. Describing a situation

` iii. Observing its manifestations

` iv. Explaining it` v. Drawing conclusions & generalizations to justify or

reject initial propositions


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Scientific method involves the following steps:

` 1. Identifying a problem

` 2. Obtaining preliminary information on the

problem` 3. Posing a tentative solution to the problem

` 4. Investigating the problem area

` 5. Classifying the information

` 6. Stating a tentative answer to the problem

` 7. Testing the answer


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Problems in the study of public administration` Efficiency` Public context` Political context` Government powers

The Problem associated with whole

governmental context` Reconciling liberty & the duty to govern` Striking a balance between achieving the common good &

demands from multiplicity of interest groups` Balancing present actions with long term plans

` Balancing traditional attitudes with current scientific findingsthat can describe governmental action


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Administrative problems`

Macro-administrative problems` a. Globalization

` b. Political

` c. Economic

`

d.

Social factorsMicro-administrative problems

` a. Interpersonal relationships

` b. Management styles

`

c. Administrative skills` d. Dedication to duty within organizations

` e. Decision making skills


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