government studies presentation
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
1/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
2/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
3/21
` 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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
4/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
5/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
6/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
7/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
8/21
` 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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
9/21
Public admin derives its academic content &
theoretical framework from:
` a) Political science
` b) Management science` c) Law
` d) Sociology, and
` e) Economics
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
10/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
11/21
` 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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
12/21
` 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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
13/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
14/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
15/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
16/21
` 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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
17/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
18/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
19/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
20/21
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
-
8/6/2019 Government Studies Presentation
21/21