Q1) Public Administration: Meaning, Nature, Scope and Importance

Meaning of Public Administration

Public Administration refers to the work done by the government to carry out its policies and
serve the people. It includes making decisions, enforcing laws, delivering services, and managing
public programs. Simply put, it is "government in action."

According to Woodrow Wilson, Public Administration is the detailed and systematic application
of law. Every action that puts a law into practice is part of administration.
L.D. White defines it as all the operations done to enforce public policies—like sending letters,
running hospitals, building roads, or protecting the country.

So, Public Administration includes all activities carried out by the government to meet the needs
of citizens.

##Nature of Public Administration

There are two main views about the nature of Public Administration:

1. Integral View

• This view includes all types of work—manual, technical, clerical, and managerial.
• Everyone involved in these activities, from lower staff to top officials, is part of
Public Administration.
• Supporters: Henri Fayol, L.D. White

2. Managerial View

• This view includes only managerial tasks like planning, organizing, directing,
coordinating, and controlling.
• It focuses on “getting things done” rather than doing the work itself.
• Supporters: Luther Gulick, Herbert Simon

Difference:
The integral view includes all government staff, while the managerial view focuses only on
decision-makers. Both are essential for understanding Public Administration.

##Scope of Public Administration

The scope can be understood in two ways:

1. As an Activity

It covers all government tasks such as:

• Law and order

• Health care
• Education
• Transport
• Welfare programs
• Disaster management
• Industrial regulation

Public Administration affects nearly every part of daily life. In a welfare state, it’s not just about
control—it also ensures services and rights.

2. As a Discipline (Field of Study)

Two approaches define this:

(i) POSDCORB View (by Luther Gulick):

It includes basic functions in any organization:

• Planning
• Organizing
• Staffing
• Directing
• Coordinating
• Reporting
• Budgeting

This view is sometimes criticized for focusing too much on process rather than public needs.

(ii) Subject Matter View

This view says public servants need knowledge of their specific fields—for example, a police
officer must understand criminal law, not just how to coordinate or plan.

Lewis Meriam compared Public Administration to a pair of scissors: one blade is administrative
techniques (POSDCORB), and the other is subject knowledge. Both are needed for effective
work.

##Importance of Public Administration

1. Implements Laws and Policies – Turns government plans into action.

2. Delivers Services – Offers education, health care, and welfare to people.
 3. Promotes Development – Helps economic growth and social justice.
4. Maintains Order – Uses police, courts, and rules to keep peace.
5. Disaster Management – Acts during floods, earthquakes, and emergencies.
6. Encourages Public Participation – Connects people and government.
7. Ensures Good Governance – Maintains accountability, transparency, and
efficiency.

##Conclusion

Public Administration is the heart of the government. It is not just paperwork—it involves real
action to improve people’s lives. By blending theory and practice, it serves society, drives
development, and strengthens democracy.

Q2) Public and Private Administration

Administration means managing people, money, and materials to achieve a goal. It exists in
both public (government) and private (business) sectors. While both aim to organize work
efficiently, they are different in purpose and structure.

Public Administration is carried out by the government. It includes activities like maintaining
law and order, providing education, healthcare, running public transport, and more. It is based on
laws, rules, and political decisions. Public administration is accountable to the public through
elected leaders. Its main goal is to serve people and improve society, not to make profit.

Private Administration is used in private companies or businesses. Its goal is to earn profit. It is
more flexible than public administration and does not follow as many strict laws. Decisions are
taken quickly based on market needs, competition, and customer satisfaction.

Key Differences:

Herbert Simon pointed out three major differences:

1. Public administration is bureaucratic; private administration is business-like.

2. Public administration is political; private is non-political.
3. Public administration has red tape (slow process due to rules); private is faster and
flexible.

Sir Josiah Stamp gave four key principles of public administration:

It follows uniform laws and regulations.

It is controlled by elected leaders through financial checks.

It works under ministerial responsibility.

It has no profit motive.

Paul Appleby said public administration is different because it deals with public accountability
and political decisions. Government work is always under public watch and must be fair and
transparent.

##Other features of public administration:

It deals with large-scale work.

It delivers important public services like defense and roads.

It must use public money carefully.

Public officers must treat everyone equally.

##Similarities:

Both use planning, organizing, and controlling.

Both follow hierarchy and structure.

Both try to improve services and get feedback from people.

Nowadays, even public sector talks about efficiency and profit, just like private sector.

With liberalization and globalization, public and private sectors are becoming more alike. New
Public Management (NPM) supports using private-sector methods in public work for better
results.

In conclusion, public and private administration may have different goals, but they share many
methods and are growing closer in today’s world.

Q3) New Public Administration (NPA)

New Public Administration (NPA) is a modern approach to public administration that

developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, especially in the United States. It came as a
response to the traditional model, which focused too much on rules, structures, and efficiency
but ignored social problems and the needs of common people.
NPA wanted to make public administration more people-centered, fair, and socially
responsible.

##Why NPA was needed:

Traditional administration was seen as too rigid, uncaring, and disconnected from the real
problems of society. There were growing issues like poverty, inequality, and social injustice,
which the old system didn’t handle well. So, NPA called for change and reform.

##Main Features of NPA:

1. Social Equity:
NPA focuses on helping the weaker sections of society. It promotes fairness and equal
treatment for all.
2. Citizen Focus:
It believes that public services should serve the real needs of people, not just follow
rules.
3. Change-Oriented:
NPA encourages government workers to be flexible and open to new ideas to solve social
problems.
4. Participation:
It supports public involvement in decisions. People should have a say in policies that
affect them.
5. Values and Ethics:
It highlights the importance of honesty, justice, and care in government work.
6. Decentralization:
NPA supports giving more powers to local governments for faster and better decisions.

##Importance of NPA:

NPA changed the way we look at administration. It moved the focus from just being efficient to
also being effective and fair. It told administrators to not just follow rules blindly but to also
think about the impact of their work on society.

In simple words, New Public Administration says:

“Don’t just do things right — do the right things for the people.”

Q4)Here is a 300-word explanation on “Organisation and Its Importance” in simple and

easy-to-understand language:
Q4)Organisation and Its Importance

The word “organisation” is commonly used in daily life. In management, it refers to a

process where people, tasks, and resources are arranged in a structured way to achieve
common goals.

##Meaning of Organisation:

Organisation means grouping and arranging people and activities in a planned way. It
involves assigning tasks, giving responsibilities, and creating relationships among people
to complete the work. Chester Barnard, a well-known thinker, defined organisation as a
“system of consciously coordinated activities of two or more people.” This means people
come together, agree on a goal, and work as a team to achieve it.

##Other Definitions:

Davis said organisation is a group of people working under a leader to achieve common
goals.

Sheldon defined it as combining tasks and resources in a way that work is done effectively.

Terry focused on building good relationships so people work well together and feel
satisfied.

##Process of Organising:

1.Setting Objectives: Clearly decide what the organisation wants to achieve.

2.Identifying Activities: Understand what tasks are needed.

3.Grouping Activities: Similar tasks are grouped together, like sales, finance, or customer
service.

4.Assigning Duties: Specific people are chosen to handle specific tasks.

5.Creating Relationships: Define who reports to whom and how responsibilities are shared.

##Importance of Organisation:

It creates order and clarity in the workplace.

It avoids confusion by clearly defining tasks and responsibilities.

It helps in better coordination and teamwork.

It improves efficiency and saves time.

It supports goal achievement through proper planning and execution.

Q5)Span of Control

In any organization, as the number of employees grows, there are more layers of
management. This creates a hierarchy, where many employees report to a few managers,
and these managers report to higher managers, and so on. The idea of Span of Control
helps us understand how many employees a manager can effectively supervise at one
time.

The Span of Control means the number of people a manager can directly manage well. If
the span of control is large, it means one manager oversees many employees. This leads to
a flatter organizational structure, which usually costs less because fewer managers are
needed. On the other hand, a small span of control means a manager supervises only a
few employees, which creates a taller or steeper hierarchy with many management levels,
making the organization more expensive.

##There are two main parts or dimensions to the Span of Control:

1. Horizontal Dimension – This is the number of direct employees a manager

supervises. For example, if a manager directly manages 10 employees, the
horizontal span is 10.

2. Vertical Dimension – This shows how many management levels exist between the
top manager and the lowest employee. It measures how far down the manager’s
instructions or decisions reach, sometimes called the depth of control.

Good leadership is important in managing the span of control. Some other factors that
affect how many people a manager can handle include:

The manager’s experience, skills, and personality

How skilled and experienced the employees are

The type of work and how complicated the tasks are

How well communication, delegation, and teamwork happen in the organization

##How to Increase Span of Control

When a manager supervises many employees, it can become hard to keep track of work
and control quality. To handle this, organizations can:

1.Train managers to improve delegation and communication skills

2.Train employees to work more independently

3.Delegate some tasks to reduce the manager’s workload

4.Improve work systems and procedures for efficiency

5.Get help from HR for specialist tasks like recruitment and policies

6.Assign personal assistants to managers to handle routine work

7.Appoint assistant managers to share leadership duties

##Examples

1. A manager who is used to leading 40 people may feel uneasy if their team shrinks to
20, because they want more control and may interfere too much with their team’s
work.
2. A manager used to handling 5 people may feel stressed if suddenly managing 20,
especially if those employees need more help and supervision.

In both cases, finding the right span of control is important for smooth and effective
management.

Q6)Hierarchy in Public Administration: Definition, Functions, and Limitations

##Definition and Nature:

Hierarchy means a step-by-step structure of authority in an organization. It is a system

where people are placed in higher or lower positions based on their roles and
responsibilities, not personal qualities. In public administration, hierarchy is used to
manage work efficiently. Every person in the organization does not do the same work, and
not everyone is qualified for all roles. So, each one is given a duty that suits their skills and
position.

The Idea of hierarchy can be compared to religious belief. Just like in religion where
followers accept their faith without question, in an office setup, lower-level employees
usually accept the authority of their seniors. They follow orders assuming their superiors
are capable and responsible.

##Functions of Hierarchy:

1. Channel of Command: Hierarchy helps pass orders from the top (chief executive) to
the lower levels in a proper chain. This way, instructions are communicated clearly
and reach the right people.