INTROUDCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Introduction:
Public Administration has been a very old discipline. It had its birth along with the
birth of the state. Public administration born when the leader of a tribe began
looking after the needs of the members of his tribe and the tribe started acting with
some organisation. There was a large content of administration in the ancient
civilizations of “Egypt” China and India. The great Indian epitomes of wisdom the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata contain elements of administrative thought.
Kautily’s Arthashastra. Aristotle’s Politics and Machiavelli’s Prince have a direct
concern with administration.
Public Administration got his recognition in 1887 when Woodrow Wilson
published his article” The study of Administration, in the political science
quarterly. His attempt gave an encouraging start to the study of Public
Administration and gradually it started developing as an emerging new social
discipline. In 20 the century public administration could gain a real form and
popularity because of the rise of modern welfare state. The welfare state concept
increased the function and importance of public administration. Now public
Administration was called upon to secure socio-economic politico-cultural
development of society. The entire universities established department engaged in
the study of public administration. Public administration emerged as a very popular
and important subject of study.
Meaning: The term Administration is a combination of two words, ‘Ad’ and
‘Minister’ which means to serve. The dictionary meaning of the term
Administration reads ‘the management of Affairs. In simple words, Public
Administration is the administration which is concerned with the activities of the
government. It is the sum total of the activities undertaken by governmental
officials to give effect to public policies.
Definitions:
Woodrow Wilson: “Public Administration is a detailed and systematic application
of laws. Every particular application of law is an act of administration”.
L.D White: “Public Administration consists of all those operations having for their
purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy as declared by a competent
authority.
Walker: “The work which the government does to affect the law is called public
Administration”.
Features:
Nigro and Nigro identify the following five characteristics/Features of public
administration.
1. Public Administration is a cooperative group effort in public setting.
2. It covers the work of all three branches of government legislative, executive
and judicial and their inter relationship. In a narrow way it covers the work
of only the executive branch of government.
3. It has an important role in the formulation of public policy and is thus apart
of the political process.
4. It is different, in significant ways, form private administration.
5. It is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals
improvising services to the community.
Scope of Public Administration
There is difference of views regarding scope of public Administration.
1. Broad view
2. Narrow View
Broad View: In its broader view, the study of public administration is
conceptualized to include the areas and activities of all the three branches
of government, Legislature, Executive and judiciary. It refers to all
activities undertaken for the implementation of all public policies, civil as
well as military. W.F Willoughby says “Public Administration involves
the work involved in the actual conduct of governmental affairs. It covers
all the three branches of government.
Majority of modern scholars of public administration advocated the
broad view of public administration.
Narrow View: Narrow view of public administration holds that the scope
of public
Administration is concerned only with the executive branch of
government at all levels-national, state, and local. It studies only those
matters of organisation, procedures and methods which are common to
all. According to this view public administration involves the activities
undertaken for the implementation of public policies means executive
activities. Lurther Gullick advocates this view that public administration
embraces only the executive branch of the government. Simon and Fayol
and Willoughby are followed by Lurther Gullick.
In contemporary times, the activities of the three organs of the
government have come to be highly related to the activities of several
non-governments, semi government, government-aided institutions like
educational institutions, and cooperative societies. In contemporary time
the scope of public administration has become very broad and
comprehensive.
Subject Matter of public Administration: A comprehensive account of the
scope of public Administration has been given by Walker. He Discusses the scope
of Public Administration in two parts: 1. Administrative Theory 2. Applied
Administration.
1. Administrative Theory : It implies that public administration is
concerned with the administrative activities of government it means
executive, legislative and judicial functions, structure, organizations, and
methods of all types of authority engaged in administration. It covers
control over administration, financial administration and issues and
problems of personnel administration.
2. 2. Applied administration: In this public administration involves the
application of all administrative decisions. Walker made an attempt to
classify the main forms of applied administration on the basis of 10
principles.
Political includes the executive legislative relationship, politico
administrative activities of the cabinet, the ministers and official
relationships.
Legislation includes delegated legislation and preparatory work done
by the officials in the drafting of bills for legislative enactments.
Financial includes the whole of fiscal administration form the
preparation of the budget to its execution.
Defence includes military administration
Education covers all aspects of educational administration.
o Social administration includes all administration in the social field
such as housing, food, social security and employment.
Economics administration includes all administrative activities in all
economic fields
Foreign administration includes international cooperation,
international agencies for international peace and prosperity and
diplomacy.
Imperial Administration covering problems and techniques of
imperial domination over other nations.
Local or local administration covers administration of local bodies.
Public administration involvers the study of all operations of
government concerned with the making and implementing of public
policies which are designed to secure the desired goals of all round
development.
Nature of Public Administration
Regarding the Nature of public administration, two distinct views have
been popular:
1. The Integral view/ subject matter view: This view holds that public
administration is the sum total of all the activities of all the public
servants (all government employees). It covers all activities manual,
clerical, technical, managerial and others which are undertaken by all the
civil servants in all organs, department and agencies of the government.
The activities of peons, safai karmacharies, clerks, assistants, head clerks,
supervisors and managers, all are involved in the enforcement of public
policy. L.D White upholds the integral view; he says “public
administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose
the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy”.
Integral view holds that public administration involves the activities of all
the personnel engaged in the running of the administration of the state.
2. The Managerial view: The Managerial view of administration holds that
administration is really the functions of the managers or top
administrators who perform managerial functions in every organisation.
Only the activities of such personnel as are involved in the managerial
function- planning, coordination, control and constitute public
administration. A peon or clerk cannot be accepted as a manager or
administer.
Luther Gullick, Simmons, Thompson, Smithburg and other scholars
advocate the managerial view of the administration.
Luther Gullick uses the formation POSDCORB for describing the
managerial view of the public administration.
Planning means, work out in broad outline, the things to be done, and the
methods to be adopted for accomplishing a purpose.
Organisation means the establishment of a formal structure of authority
through which work is sub-divided, arranged and coordinated.
Staffing means appointing suitable persons to various posts
Directing means making decisions and issuing orders. Guiding the
enterprise
Coordination means inter-relating the work of various divisions, section
Reporting means informing the agency to whom the executive is
responsible of what is going on.
Budgeting means planning, accounting and financial control.
The integral view rightly holds that public administration includes all
activities of all public officials engaged in the implementation of public
policies.
Thus both integral and managerial views of public administration have
their committed supporters and opponents but we can use both these
views simultaneously.
IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The importance of public administration in modern times can be hardly
over emphasized. It stands accepted as one of the most essential and
important areas of human activity and concern. In fact now it covers
every aspect of human life, birth to death and after death. Public
Administration is indeed one of the essential conditions of the civilized
life of human being in a society.
1. Role of public administration as a stabilizing force in society: It is a
great stabilizing force in society. It plays several different roles which
helps the society to maintain its values.
2. It helps in effectively implementing the soico economic policies of the
state: The aim of public administration is to develop the social and
economic conditions of life of common man as defined by public
policies and laws. It plays a vital role in the formulation and
implementation of developmental plan, policies and decisions.
3. It is an instrument of social change: Public administration acts as an
agency of social change and it acts as the main instrument for the
formulation and implementation of decision essential for securing the
desired social goals. It act as a public relations system and keeps the
government informed of the changing social needs and interests.
4. It is instrument of resolving the problems of society: Public
administration is instrument of action for solving the problems of
poverty, underdevelopment, unemployment, communalism and
extremism. Acting under the direction, guidance and control of the
political executive of the state, public administration is always
engaged in solving public problems and issues.
5. It gives service and protection: public administration giving service
and protection to the common man. Security, safety and order are the
most important needs of modern civilization and to secure these is an
important objective of public administration.
6. Bringing social harmony in society main aim: In India there are
several different types of classes, races, cultures in society. Public
administration has the responsibility of maintain cordial relation
among the different classes of the people. It has to preserve, protect
and defend social harmony in hours of crisis. It maintain law and
order and to restore confidence among all the communities and groups
which live in the territory of the state.
7. Important role in times of war and threats to the security of people of
the state: when in war time it is supreme responsibility of the public
administration to coordinate and cooperate with the Defence forces
foe effectively maintaining internal security and keep the morale of
the people high.
Reason behind the increased importance of public administration in
contemporary times:
Increase responsibilities of a Modern state
The new revolution (modern welfare state)
Increased interdependence
Concept of global peace.
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