Unit-1

Foundations of Public Administration

Mohammad Aslam
Assistant Professor,
D/o Political Science, AMU, Aligarh

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 Learning Objectives
• Define Public Administration
• Discuss “Nature” of Public Administration
• Examine Scope of Public Administration
• Explain Evolution of Public Administration and its Present
Status
• Highlight Significance of Public Administration
• Differentiate between Public and Private Administration
• Describe New Public Administration and its Characteristics.
• Explain “New Public Management” and its characteristics.

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 Public Administration
Public Administration as an academic discipline is barely hundred
years old whereas Public administration as an activity has existed
since time immemorial ever since men started living in organized
societies.
Due to massification of higher education and rising expectations of
the people, public administration is being increasingly loaded with
additional work and responsibilities either in the name of promoting
efficiency, egalitarianism, or rapid socio-economic development.
Gerald Ciaden has listed the following crucial roles as assumed by public administration in
contemporary society:
1. Preservation of the polity 2. Maintenance of stability and order

3. Institutionalization of socio-economic change 4. Management of large scale commercial

services
5. Ensuring Growth and Economic Development 6. Protection of the weaker sections of society

7. Formation of public opinion 8. Influencing public policies and political 3

trends.
 Meaning of Administration
The Oxford dictionary defines administration as: ‘an act of
administering’, which is then to ‘manage the affairs of’ or to
‘direct or superintend the execution, use or conduct of’.
Administration comes from the latin term minor then ministrare,
meaning: ‘to serve’, and hence later, ‘to govern’.
E.N Gladden- ‘Administration is long and slightly pompus wod,
but it has an humble meaning, for it means to care for to look after
people, to manage affairs.’
Prof. L.D. White- ‘Administration is a process, common to all
group effort, public or private, civil or military, large scale or small
scale. It is a process of work in a departmental store, a bank, a
school, a hotel or a city.’
Nigro- ‘Administration is the organization and use of men and
materials to accomplish a purpose.’ 4
 Meaning of Administration
Pfiffner- ‘Administration may defined as the organization and direction
of human and material resources to achieve desired ends.’
Marshal E. Dimock- ‘Administration is concerned with ‘the what’ and
‘the how’ of the government. The what is the subject matter, technical
knowledge of the field which enables the administrator to perform his
tasks. The how is the technique of management. The principles according
to which cooperative programmes are carried to success. Each is
indispensable; together they form the synthesis called Administration.’
G.E. Berkly-Administration is a process involving human beings jointly
engaged in working towards common goals
Therefore, the two essentials of administration are:
i. Cooperative efforts
ii. Pursuit of Common objectives.
Administration is a collective activity, which involves rational
organization and management of men and material, and permeates all
planned human activities. 5
 Meaning of Public Administration
Public Administration is one of the aspects of the larger field of
administration. The public variety of administration is distinct
because ‘it deals with the ends of the state, the sovereignty will, the
public interest, law and the coercive element in society.’
L.D. White- “Public Administration consists of all those operations
having for their purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public
policy.”
Pfiffner- “It would seem that administration consist of getting the
work of government done by coordinating the efforts of the people
so that they can work together to accomplish their set tasks.”
E. N. Gladden- “It is concerned with the administration of the
government.”
Harvey Walker- “The work which the government does to give
effect to a law is called administration.”
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 Meaning of Public Administration
Willoughby-the term administration may be employed in political science
in two senses. In its broadest sense, it denotes the work involved in the
actual conduct of governmental affairs, regardless of the particular
branch of government concerned. In its narrowest sense it denotes the
operations of the administrative branch only. As a student of public
administration we are concerned with the narrowest meaning of the term.
Marshall E. Dimock-Public administration is the fulfilment or
enforcement of ublic policy as declared by the competent authorities. It
deals with the problems and powers, the organization and techniques of
management involved in carrying out the laws and policies formulated by
the policy making agencies of government. Public administration is law
in action. It is the executive side of the government.
Woodrow Wilson-Public Administration is a detailed and systematic
execution of public law, every particular application of general law is an
act of administration.
Herbert Simon-By Public Administration is meant; in common usage, the
activities of the executive branches of the national, state, and local governments.
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 Meaning of Public Administration
F.A. Nigro-Public Administration :
1. is cooperative group effort in a public setting;
2. Covers all three branches- executive, legislative, and judicial and
their interrelationships;
3. has an important role in the formulation of public policy and is
thus a part of the political process;
4. is more important than, and also different in significant ways
from private administration;
5. As a filed study and practice has been much influenced in recent
years by the human relation approach;
6. is closely associated with numerous private groups and
individuals in providing services to the community.
Luther Gulick- “Public Administration is that part of the science of
Administration which ahs to do with Government and thus concern itself
primarily with the executive branch where the work of the Government
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done.”
 Meaning of Public Administration
Thus, in the light of the given definitions, Public Administration is
concerned with:
➢ The formulation and implementation of public policies;
➢ The executive branch of government;
➢ Organizational structures and machinery of administration;
➢ Administrative processes;
➢ Bureaucracy and its activities;
➢ Coordination of group activity or social relationship; and
➢ Interaction between organizations and their environment.
Thus, Public administration as a specialized academic field deals
essentially with the machinery and procedures of government as
these are used in the effective performance of government activities.
The basic concerns of Public Administration as a field of study:
1. Structure of public organizations, 2. Administrative processes, 3.
bureaucratic behaviour, 4. organization-environment interaction
So, Public administration is government administration, the focus being
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specifically on public bureaucracy.
 Nature of Public Administration
NATURE
Of
Public Adm.
Integral Managerial
View Point View Point

Administration
is the sum of total of The work of only those
all the activities- persons engaged in
manual, clerical, Performing managerial
technical and functions in an
managerial which enterprise, as
are undertaken to constituting
realise the objectives administration
in view Marshal E. Dimock Luther Gulick,
Supports integral view Herbert Simon,
of L.D. White supports
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public administration Managerial View Point
 Nature of Public Administration
The field public administration, since its inception, has been beleaguered by
questions surrounding its ‘identity’. What is public administration? Is there a
‘theory’ of public administration? Is public administration a discipline? Is
public administration an art or a science, or both? These and other questions
persist and dogmatize public administration from the standpoint of study,
teaching, and practice.

From ontological and epistemological standpoints, where exactly does public

administration fit into this disciplinary framework?
Public administration can never be a pure science in the sense of the physical
or natural sciences.
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Public administration is a branch of social sciences.
 Scope of Public Administration
POSDCoRB View-it corresponds with the managerial view of
administration and takes into account only the executive branch of the
government. Henri Fayol, L. F. Urwick, J.D. Mooney, A. B Reiley, Percy
Mc Queen, Herbert Simon, and Luther Gulick.
Henri Fayol-Planning, Organization, Command, Coordination, and
Control.
Luther Gulick-POSDCoRB- Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing,
Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting.

Willoughby-divides his well-known work ‘principal of public

administration’ into five major sections- (a) general or overhead
administration, (b) organization (c) personnel management (d) materials
and supply, (e) finance.

Ordway Tead-Essentials of Public Administration are POSIDDOCEM-

Planning, Organising, Staffing, Initiating, Delegating, Directing,
Overseeing, Co-ordinating, Evaluating, Motivating. 12
 Basic Functions of Administrator
Organizing

Coordinating

Planning

Commanding

Controlling

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 Scope of Public Administration
Subject Matter View-focuses on services rendered and functions performed
by an administrative agency. It lays stress upon the sustentative problems of
an agency which specifically depends upon the services and fucntions (i.e.,
the subject matter) with which it concerns itself.

a. Subject Matter means Line Agencies

b. Techniques of Administration differ according to Subject Matter
Reconciliation of the two views-Both views regarding the scope of public
administration are mutually complementary to each other.
Lewis Meriam says, “Public administration is an instrument with two
blades like a pair of scissors. One blade may be knowledge of the fields
covered by POSDCORB, the other blade is knowledge of the subject matter
in which these techniques are applied. Both blades must be good to make it
an effective tool.
Pfiffner has divided the scope of public administration into two categories:
➢ Principles of Public Administration
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➢ Sphere of Public Administration
 Planning & Strategizing
Planning is a formal process whereby managers choose goals,
identify actions to those goals, allocate responsibility for
implementing actions to specific individual or units, measure
the success of actions by comparing actual results against the
goals, and revise plan accordingly.
Thus, Managers/Administrators plan for three reasons:
1) Establish an overall direction for the organization’s future.
2) Identify and commit resources to achieving goals.
3) To decide which tasks must be performed to reach those
goals.

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 Organizing
Organizing is the process of deciding where
decisions will be made, who will perform what
jobs and tasks, who will report to whom in the
company, and how different parts of the
organization will coordinate their activities to
pursue a common goal.

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 Coordinating and Commanding
Coordinating- is the process of interrelating the various parts of the
work and synchronization of efforts in pursuit of organizational
goals.

Commanding-Managers must supervise subordinates in their daily

work, and inspire them to achieve company goals.
Likewise it is the responsibility of managers to communicate
company goals and policies to subordinates.

The commanding of subordinates should always be consistent with

company policies, and every manager should treat subordinates in
line with the standards of the company.

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 Controlling

Controlling is the process by which a person,

group, or organization consciously monitors
performance against goals, intervening when
goals are not met, and taking corrective action.

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 Significance of Public Administration
L.D.White- The Nature,
contents and scope of public
administration make it the heart
of the problem of modern
government.
Paul Pigerse- The main purpose
of administration is to preserve
the status quo in society. It
ensures the continuance of the
existing order with a minimum
effort and risk for its better
management. Its fundamental
aim is to carry on rather than to
venture new untried path.
J. A. Veig- Administration
signifies the organization,
personnel, practices and
procedures essential to
effective performance of
civilian functions of the
executive.
M.E. Dimock-“Administration
is now so vast an area that a
philosophy of administration
comes close to being a
philosophy of life.”
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 Significance of Public Administration
Gerald Ciaden has listed the following crucial roles as assumed
by public administration in contemporary society:

1. Preservation of the polity 2. Maintenance of stability and

order

3. Institutionalization of socio- 4. Management of large scale

economic change commercial services

5. Ensuring Growth and 6. Protection of the weaker

Economic Development sections of society

7. Formation of public opinion 8. Influencing public policies

Copyright © 2005 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning
and political trends. 20
All rights reserved
Thanks

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