Mogadishu University

Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences

Course title: Introduction to Public Administration

Credit hrs (3)

Department of Public Administration

Semester Three
Lecturer: Ahmed-Nor Mohamed Abdi

E-mail: ahmednor2012@gmail.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction to Public Administration course is a 45 hrs course taught at the under graduate level
within Mogadishu University, Department of Public Administration. The course is taught in the
third semester in the second year of under graduate studies. This course introduces 2 nd year
students to the basic ideas and theories of public administration.

Whether we need government or not, what is bureaucracy and whether it is a bad thing, how can
we reform the public sector, what tools does the government use in order to reach its goals and
how does the decision-making process takes in the public sector are among the primary
questions the course addresses.

The course will cover basic concepts like public vs. private organizations, approaches to study of
public administration, decentralization and good governance. Last but not least, the course
approaches the problem of public sector ethics, corruption, its causes and consequences and the
most common alternatives for fighting against it. A special attention will be granted to
widespread corruption behavior in the Somali public sector.
 Prerequisite: Proficiency of English language

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are as follows:

To describe the functions of government and the role of public administrators in carrying
out those functions.

Make students discuss the history, scope, and environment of public administration.

Articulate the basic theories and concepts relevant to the field of public administration.

Explain and identify the importance of ethics and accountability in public organizations.

Course outline

Weeks Topic Learning Objectives

Week one

Public Administration: Evolution of a Discipline Students will be able

Meaning of Public Administration
Nature and Scope of Public Administration
Public and Private Administration
Significance of Public Administration
Week two
To explain the meaning, nature, and
scope of public administration
To distinguish between public and
private administration
To describe the importance of public
Administration

Approaches to the Study of Public Administration To understand the different approaches

Evolution of Public Administration as a to the study of public administration
Discipline To trace the evolution of public
administration as a discipline
To figure out the new trends unfolding
in the discipline
Week three

Relations of Public Administration with other Social To understand the relationship between
Sciences public administration and other social
Public Administration and Political Science sciences
Public Administration and Economics
Public Administration and History
Public Administration and Statistics
Public Administration and Sociology
Public Administration and Psychology
Week four

Environmental Influences on Public Administration To understand the different

Social Environment and Public Administration
Political Environment and Public Administration
Cultural Environment and Public Administration
Economic Environment and Public Administration
Constitutional Environment and Public Administration
environmental influences on public
administration
To figure out the role of social,
political, cultural, economic and legal
environment on public administration

1. New Public Administration To understand contemporary

Week
five

2. New Public Management developments in the discipline

3. Theory and Practice of Governance To comprehend the paradigm shift in
4. The concept of good Governance the discipline
5. Digital/E-Governance; meaning and importance To dwell on the new approaches to
6. Corporate Governance public administration
Budget and Financial Administration To understand the concept of
Week
six

Financial Administration: Meaning, nature, scope, budgeting

importance and Objectives To familiarize with the different
Tools of Public finance Administration types of budgeting
Concept of Budget; its significance, types and budgetary To examine the process of budgeting
process

PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION To understand the concept of

seven
Week

Bureaucracy: meaning and features bureaucracy

Functions and Role of Civil Servants
Recruitment in public sector: Methods of Recruitment
Sources of recruitments)
Training ( objectives and types of training)
Promotion: Meaning and Importance
Principles of promotion in public sector
Public relations
eight
Week
To explain the functions and role of
civil servants
To comprehend the recruitment in
public sector and its methods and
sources
To describe the training and its
objectives and types
To understand the concept of
promotion in public sector and its basic
principles
To understand the concept of public

Public relations and publicity relation

Public Relations and Propaganda To understand the difference between
Media of Public Relations public relation and propaganda
To figure out different media of public
relation
 Relations of Public Administration with other Social To understand the relationship between
Week
nine

Sciences public administration and other social

Public Administration and Political Science sciences
Public Administration and Economics
Public Administration and History
Public Administration and Statistics
Public Administration and Sociology
Public Administration and Psychology
Organization and Its Principles To explain the meaning, nature, and
Week
ten

Meaning and Nature of Organisation principles of organization

Principles of the Organization; To describe the each principle isolation
i. Hierarchy
ii. Span of Control
iii. Unity of command
iv. Morale
v. Communication
vi. Supervision and control
Decentralization and Local Governance To explore the concept of democratic
Week
elven

decentralization and local governance

Decentralization: meaning and Significance of To see how the democratic
Decentralization decentralization has paved the way for
Approaches to Decentralization local governance
Types of Decentralization
Democratic Decentralization and Local Governance

Public Policy To understand what is public policy?

twelve
Week

What Is Public Policy? To elucidate the objectives and

Significance of Public Policy significance of public policy
Types of Public Policy To be familiar with different types of
Models and Approaches to Public Policy public policy
Public Policy: Functional Dimensions To explain the various models and
Public Policy Process approaches to public policy
Public Policy Formulation To examine the policy-making process,
Public Policy Implementation that is, policy formulation,
Policy Evaluation implementation, and evaluation
Public Ethics and Corruption To understand what is corruption?
three
Week

To elucidate the corruption in Somali

Corruption: meaning and types
Corruption in Somalia
Accountability and transparent in the public sector
Ethics: meaning
Principles for Managing Ethics in the Public Service
public service
To be familiar with the accountability
and transparent in the public sector
To explain the meaning of ethics
To examine the principles for
managing ethics in the public service
 Development Administration To understand the concept of
Week fourteeWeek

Genesis of Development Administration development administration

Development Administration: Meaning To trace the origin and evolution of
Characteristics of Development Administration
development administration
Traditional Administration versus Development
To examine the changing patterns
n

Administration of Development and Development

of Administration: A Chicken and Egg Relationship of development administration
fifteen

Class Presentation of Coursework In this assignment, students should

Topic: Corruption in Somali public sector
Cause, consequences and cures
Critically examine the causes of
corruption in Somali public sector
Empirically find out the
consequences of corruption in
public sector
Come up with possible solution
sand cures

Course examination

The course shall be examined as follows:

1) First test 20%

2) Course-work and Presentation (17%)

3) Class attendance and participation (3%)

4) End-of-semester examination (60%)

Course Reference Materials

Henry, Nicholas. 2007. Public Administration and Public Affairs. New Delhi:

Prentice-Hall of India.

P.B.Rahod (2010). Contemporary Public Administration (Ideas and Issues)

Dr. Asha. V(2013). Principles and theories of public administration, lecture

notes prepared Calicut university, India.

Bidyut Chakrabarty & Prakash Chand( 2012).Public Administration in a

Globalizing World Theories and Practices, Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd.

Bang, Henrik, Esmark and Anders, (2009).Good Governance in Network

Society: Reconfiguring the Political from Politics to Policy. Available at

http://findarticles.

Carlson, C. 2007. A Practical Guide to Collaborative Governance: Policy

Consensus Initiative. Available at www.policycinsensus.org .com.

Corson, John and Joseph Harris. 1967. Public Administration in Modern

Society. London: McGraw-Hill.