DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

POLI 350/ADMN 311 – Spring 20141

INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

PRINCIPLES, PRACTICE, ISSUES

Seminars: Mondays Jan 6- April 4, 6:30 – 9:20 PM, DSB C118

Instructors: Evert Lindquist and Carol Anne Rolf
Contact: evert@uvic.ca crolf@uvic.ca
250-721-8084 250-216-7015

Office Hours: EAL: 4-6 PM Mondays or by appointment, HSD Bldg, 3rd Floor, Main Office
CAR: 4-6 PM Mondays or by appointment, A334 David Turpin Bldg.

Moodle: Postings are also opportunities to identify issues and ask for assistance.

OVERVIEW AND GOALS

This course seeks to have you develop and expand your understanding of contemporary public
sector management in Canada, specifically the structural and value context within which public
servants work, the key processes in which they are engaged, and how both these contexts and
processes are changing. It does so in two distinct ways:
 Building your understanding of public administration by introducing you to key concepts
and theories from the literature, reviewing from practice, and discussing issues; and
 Building your knowledge and skill by means of:
o a mid-term examination on the public administration landscape;
o two briefing notes which will also contribute to a team presentation on the
merits of public administration reforms; and
o an academic research paper that integrates and demonstrates your
understanding of the course material.
The course is organized around principles, practice and issues related to public administration,
with a primary focus on the federal and provincial governments of Canada. We will consider
major theories of public administration, its role and function of public administration in
democratic government and the organization of the public sector.

We will successively examine issues and trends in bureaucracy, including accountability, ethics
and values and will explore policy-making processes and service delivery and changes that are
underway. We will also look at financial and human resource management in government.

1
NOTE REGISTRATION AND CROSS-LISTING: Students may receive credit for only one of: ADMN 311 or POLI
350. Students are responsible for the completeness and accuracy of their own registration in this course.
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Written assignments will require effective research and clear and logical writing for different
audiences. This course will also require you to work in a team environment and prepare a joint
presentation. These are key public sector management skills, as is active engagement! Class
attendance and participation is very important for everyone to get the most out of this class.

READING
We have chosen two textbooks which will provide you with most of your readings:
 Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition), by Paul Barker, 2008;
 Approaching Public Administration: Core Debates and Emerging Issues, Roberto P. Leone
and Frank L.K. Ohemeng (eds.), 2011
Additional readings may be required and available either on the course Moodle site or library.

Here is a list of some websites that you might like to consult throughout the course:
 Alberta Ministry of Restructuring and Government Efficiency -
http://www.gov.ab.ca/home/index.cfm?page=62
 BC Public Service Agency - http://www.bcpublicservice.ca/
 Canada School of Public Service - http://www.myschool-monecole.gc.ca/main_e.html
 Institute of Public Administration Canada - http://www.ipaciapc.ca/
 Office of the Auditor General - http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/
 Privy Council Office - http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/
 Service Canada - http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS, PARTICIPATION, AND ASSESSMENT

Assignment Length Weight Due Date

Mid-term 1 hour 20 % February 3
Individual Briefing Note 1-2 pages 15 % February 24, 4pm
Individual Submission 5 pages 15 % March 17, 4pm
Team Presentation 15-20 minutes 10 % March 31, 4pm
Research Essay 10 pages 30 % April 11, 4pm
Participation/Attendance 10 %

We have striven to ensure a good balance between individual and team assignments. More
detail on the assignments and expectations can be found in the annexes on pp. 16-18 below.

Regular attendance and full team participation is an expectation of this course, which will result
in a B+ grade. Exemplary or outstanding participation and leadership will receive higher grades;
irregular attendance and uneven participation will result in lower participation grades.
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OVERVIEW: FLOW OF COURSE AND KEY ASSIGNMENTS

Introduction/Course Overview (Jan 6)

Moodle Postings*/Polls:
1. What is Public Administration? How does it fit in democratic
government? What are the governance and reform challenges? January 10*
January 17
January 24

February 17
February 28*
Part 1: Public Administration Landscape March 7*
March 14*
2. Public Administration and Democratic Institutions (Jan 13)
3. Public Service and Ministerial Portfolios (Jan 20)
4. Governments, Policy Communities and Public Servants (Jan 27)
5. Mid-Term Exam on Public Administration Landscape (Feb 3) Mid-Term: Weeks 1-4 on the
6. Family Day and Reading Break (no class on Feb 10) Public Administration Landscape

7.

Part 2: Theories, Critiques, and Reforms

7. Origins, Theories and Critiques of Public Administration (Feb 17) Individual Briefing Note 1 Due:
8. Reforms Part 1: New Public Management (Feb 24) Lenses on Jurisdictional Reform

9. Reforms Part 2: Service Delivery; Horizontal Government (Mar 3)

10. Reforms Part 3: New Political Governance and Beyond (Mar 10)

Individual Briefing Note 2 Due:

Full Assessment of a
Part 3: Resource Management Jurisdictional Reform
11. Financial Resources: Management of Money (Mar 17)
12. Human Resources: Management of People (Mar 24)

Team Presentation:
Making the Case for Reform

Part 4: Assessment
13. Team Presentations and Course Reflections (Mar 31) Research Essay:
Due April 11, 2014
 COURSE SCHEDULE, READINGS, POSTINGS, ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1 – January 6

Introduction: What is Public Administration? How does it fit in the Democratic

context? What are the challenges?

Topics for Class:

 Goals for the course
 Overview of the course
 What is public administration? A tour of the horizon…
 Expectations: students and professors

Readings (owed for this week):

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 1: What is Public Administration

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Introduction: Making It Happen: An Introduction to Public Administration in Canada

Moodle Posting:
 Friday, January 10, 12:00 NOON no more than 200 words.
 Question: What expectations and key questions do you have for POLI 350/ADMN311?
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Week 2 – January 13

Public Administration and Democratic Institutions

Topics for Class:

 What are the components of Canada’s system of public administration?

 What is unique about the Westminster style of government?
 How does the public service as an institution fit into democratic government?
 How do Westminster governments connect to each other in a federal system?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 11: The Executive and Bureaucracy

 Ch. 13: The Legislature and the Bureaucracy
 Ch. 14: The Judiciary and the Bureaucracy
 Ch. 15: Intergovernmental Administrative Relations (Federalism)

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 2: Do Politicians Control Government?

Dupre, J.S., 2005, Reflections on the workability of executive federalism. In Classic Readings in
Canadian Public Administration, eds.. B.W. Carroll et al, Oxford University Press.

Moodle Poll:
 Submit by Friday, January 17, 12:00 NOON.
 Question: to be determined
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Week 3 – January 20

Public Service and Ministerial Portfolios

Topics for Class:

 How is the machinery of government organized?

 What is the difference between departments, agencies, and ministerial portfolios?
 How do governments coordinate this diverse machinery of government?
 How do governments control departments and agencies? Where does authority come
from?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 5: Government Departments and Central Agencies

 Ch. 6: Crown Corporations
 Ch. 7: Independent Regulatory Agencies
 Ch. 12: Interdepartmental and Intradepartmental Relations

Moodle Posting:
 Submit by Friday, January 24, 12:00 NOON
 Question: to be determined
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Week 4 – January 27

Governments, Policy Communities and Public Servants

Topics for Class:

 Do public servants only serve governments and ministers?

 Are public servants the only source of expertise for governments?
 What is the role of public servants in dealing with citizens and other non-government
actors?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 16: Nongovernmental Actors and Bureaucracy

 Ch. 15: Intergovernmental Administrative Relations
 Ch. 9: Frameworks, Values and Bureaucratic Power

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 3: Should the Bureaucracy Be Politically Neutral?

 Ch. 5: Is Ministerial Responsibility a Dead Concept?

Week 5 – February 3

Mid-Term Exam on Public Administration Landscape

Week 6 – February 10

Family Day and Reading Break – no class!!

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Week 7 – February 17

Origins, Theories and Critiques of Public Administration

Topics for Class:

 Is ‘bureaucracy’ the same as ‘public administration’?

 What makes bureaucracy powerful? What makes it dysfunctional?
 What was the impetus for “traditional” public administration?
 Did the ‘humanistic response’ emerge after the ‘structural foundation’?
 Are these themes and tensions ‘historical’ or more enduring in nature?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 2: Public Administration and Organization Theory: The Structural Foundation
 Ch. 3: Public Administration and Organization Theory: The Humanistic Response
 Ch. 9: Frameworks, Values and Bureaucratic Power
 Ch.10: Responsibility, Accountability and Ethics

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 1: Do Contemporary Theories of Public Administration Have More Influence Than

Classical Ones?

Readings for Individual and Team Assignments:

 Bourgon, J. 2010. “The history and future of nation-building? Building capacity for public
results.” International Review of Administrative Sciences 76 (2), 197-218.
 Cameron, K.S., & R.E. Quinn. 2005. “The Competing Values Framework.” in Cameron and
Quinn, Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture. New York: Wiley, pp.31-61.

Moodle Poll:
 Submit by Friday, February 21, 12:00 NOON
 Question: Which Competing Values quadrant would you prefer to have in your work
place? Which NS quadrant do you think is most important for future government?
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Week 8 – February 24

Reform Part 1: New Public Management

Topics for Class:

 What motivated New Public Management thinking? What was the historical context?
 Was the interest in adopting private-sector management practices new?
 What are the different elements of New Public Management thinking?
 Is the New Public Management really dead?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 4, Public Administration and Organization Theory: The New Public Management

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 4: Should the public sector be run like a business?

 Ch. 6: Do Performance Management Systems Lead to Better Accountability and
Governance?

Hood, C. 1991. “A Public Management for All Seasons”. Public Administration 69(1), 3-19.

Jun, J.S. 2009. “The Limits of Post-New-Public Management and Beyond.” Public Administration
Review 69(1), 161-65.

DUE FEB 24th: Individual Briefing Note #1, ‘Lenses on a Jurisdictional Reform’ (see Annex, p.15).

Moodle Posting:
 Friday, February 28th 12:00 NOON no more than 250 words.
 Question: What do you think are the key features of the New Public Management?
Why is it still relevant? Where does it fall short?
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Week 9 – March 3

Reform Part 2: Alternative, Horizontal and Digital Government

Topics for Class:

 What motivated the search for alternative delivery of services? Was this new?
 What has motivated the search for horizontal management and governance?
 What are the ways in which digital technologies are affecting public administration?
 How does digital technology create new alternatives for delivering services, interacting
with citizens and outside groups, and coordinating departments and agencies?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 8: Alternative Service Delivery

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 10: Should governments use the private sector to deliver public services?

Lindquist, E. 2012. “Horizontal Management in Canada Ten Years Later.” Optimum Online: The
Journal of Public Sector Management v. 42(3).

Dunleavy P. et al. 2006. “New Public Management Is Dead—Long Live Digital-Era Governance.”
Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory 16 (3): 467-494.

Moodle Posting:
 Friday, March 7 12:00 NOON no more than 250 words.
 Question: Do you think digital government will reduce or increase the amount of
centralized government in Canada?
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Week 10 – March 10

Reforms Part 3: New Political Governance and Beyond

Topics for Class:

 What is the New Political Governance? Is it really new?

 Is NPG thinking the only trend or dynamic influencing public administration?
 Has a well-define new reform movement taken root in the 2010s?
 Will digital technologies lead to a new style of Westminster government/governance?

Required readings:

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 7: Do Institutions Responsible for Parliamentary Oversight Offer Better Tools for
Scrutinizing and Improving Governance?
 Ch. 13: New Political Governance

Lindquist, E. and K. Rasmussen, 2012. “Deputy Ministers and New Political Governance.” Ch. 8
in H. Bakvis and M.D. Jarvis, eds. New Public Management to New Political Governance: Essays
in Honour of Peter C. Aucoin. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Jun, J.S. 2009. “The Limits of Post-New-Public Management and Beyond.” Public Administration
Review 69(1), 161-65.

Borins, S. 2007. “Is IT Transforming Government? Evidence and Lessons from Canada.” Ch. 13
from S. Borins et al, Digital State at the Leading Edge. University of Toronto Press, pp.355-83.

Moodle Posting:
 Friday, March 14 12:00 NOON no more than 250 words.
 Question: Do you think the strategies and dynamics associated with the New
Political Governance really new? What has changed? What remains the same?
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Week 11 - March 17

Financial Resources: Budgeting and Managing Money

Topics for Class:

 Is budgeting more important than merit as a backbone of democratic government?

 Who is responsible for budgeting in the Government of Canada?
 Should governments focus more on financial “inputs” or performance “outcomes”?
 What government actors are involved in the oversight of departments and agencies?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 19: The Budgetary Process

 Ch. 20: Management of Financial Resources

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 9: Should Canadian Governments Be Required by Law to Run Balanced Budgets?

DUE MARCH 17TH: Individual Briefing Note #2, ‘Cabinet Submission’ (see Annex, p.15).
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Week 12 – March 24

Human Resources: Managing People

Topics for Class:

 Why does the merit principle remain important?

 How do deputy ministers motivate public servants with controlling governments and
when resources are tight?
 Do tensions remain between the merit principle and employment equity?
 What is the different between the merit principle and merit systems?
 How governments retain innovative public service leaders in difficult environments?
 Is the idea of a ‘career public service” salient anymore?

Required readings:

Barker, Public Administration in Canada (Brief Edition)

 Ch. 17: The Management of Human Resources

 Ch. 18: Representative Bureaucracy and Employment Equity

Leone & Ohemeng (eds.), Approaching Public Administration in Canada

 Ch. 11: Is Employment Equity Fair and Necessary?

 Ch. 17: Aspects of Leadership
 Ch. 18: Emerging Trends in Public Service Employment
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Week 13 – March 31

Team Presentation and Course Reflections

Topics for Class:

 Deliver team presentations on reform initiatives from different jurisdictions

 Reflect on reactions and insights from the Deputy Ministers’ Council
 What appear to be the differences and similarities in public sector reform movements
across different jurisdictions? Which ones do you think might be the most relevant for
BC and Canada?
 Where should governments begin in order to modernize and transform how the public
service works as well as the services it delivers?
 What did you learn about having to make presentations with time pressures?
 What did you like most about the course? Are there ways we can improve the course?

DUE MARCH 31ST: Team Presentation to the Deputy Ministers’ Council

 All of the students who examined a particular reform will form a team (the hypothetical
Task Force). Your assignment is to prepare a 15-20 minute team presentation, based on
these submissions, and to be presented to the DMC (which will be some form of senior
panel). See Annex A for more detail.

DUE APRIL 11th: Research Essay (individual assignment)

 You have been hired by an imaginary academic think tank to provide some thoughtful,
learned advice on the public service. In 2,500 words, answer the following questions:
What does the public want from public services and public servants? What does
government want from public servants? What do public servants want? What kind of
public service could deliver on these wants and needs? How does it differ from what we
have now? See Annex B for more details and suggestions.
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ANNEX A: PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM (3 ASSIGNMENTS)

The purpose of this assignment (comprised of 3 parts) is to connect and apply the theories,
ideas and practical issues in the course to assess recent public service reforms. The scenario is
that the Deputy Ministers’ Council (DMC) has been asked by the Cabinet of an imaginary
Westminster government to make recommendations on public service reform.

The Cabinet has been made aware of several reforms launched by the Government of British
Columbia (“Being the Best”), the Government of the United Kingdom (“Civil Service Reform”),
the Government of Australia (“Moran Review”) and the Government of Canada (“Blueprint
2020”) have recently embarked on significant reforms to ensure that the public service keeps
pace with the needs. and challenges of the 21st century. The Cabinet would like the DMC to
review these reforms for their applicability for their government.

The DMC has struck 4 task forces (one for each jurisdiction), each led by a deputy minister with
a mandate to examine the reform initiative and report back to the DMC with some analysis and
recommendations. You will be assigned to one task force, and asked to write a briefing note
and a cabinet submission and to contribute to your task force’s oral presentation to the DMC.
These assignments are outlined in more detail below.

1. BRIEFING NOTE (individual) – Audience: your own task force members (due Feb. 24th)
Your task force will be assigned one major reform to examine. The purpose of this
assignment is to help your task force analyze the public service reform, using the concepts
and ideas covered in the course. You will analyze the reform using one quadrant from either
the Competing Values or New Synthesis perspectives (see Week 5 or 7). Your assignment is
to conduct this analysis with the lenses from the framework, identify lessons learned, and
submit a 1-2 page briefing note explaining your findings. A template will be provided.

2. CABINET SUBMISSION (individual) – Audience: Deputy Ministers’ Council (due March 17th)
Your assignment is to be the writer for your hypothetical Task Force and to compile,
summarize and make a case for adopting your particular Reform, and recommend how best
to implement it. This is to be a synthesis note written in the form of a 5-page cabinet
submission. You will be given copies of all the briefing notes submitted on this reform. A
briefing note template will be provided.

3. PRESENTATION (team) – Audience: Deputy Ministers’ Council (due March 31st)

All of the students who examined a particular reform will form a team (the hypothetical
Task Force). You will be given all of the cabinet submissions written on that Reform. Your
assignment is to prepare a 15-20 minute team presentation, based on these submissions,
and to be presented to the DMC (which will be some form of senior panel).

In preparing your presentation, you should consider:

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 Brief explanation of the reform, including its underlying theory and motivation;
 Who is involved in carrying it out; what are their roles and what are the relationships between
them? E.g. Public servants, politicians, different levels of government, interest groups, the
public, other stakeholders.
 What are the key public administration and governance challenges and/or opportunities
involved?
 What are the accountability considerations?
 How does this reform relate or not to earlier critiques and reforms?
 Given what you have learned, what is the likelihood of successful implementation?
 Recommendations for changing the nature or aspects of the reform program.

Each person in the group will receive the same grade. As a group, you will be responsible for
assigning individual roles. For example, if your group decides that one person will do most of
the speaking, while others focus more on organization or preparing the presentation. This
should provide flexibility if someone has work or other commitments that they think may cause
them to miss a class at the last minute.

ANNEX B: RESEARCH ESSAY (individual) – Audience: an interested public audience (April 11th)

You have been hired by an imaginary academic think tank to provide some thoughtful, learned
advice on the public service. In 2,500 words, answer the following questions:

What does the public want from public services and public servants? What does government
want from public servants? What do public servants want? What kind of public service could
deliver on these wants and needs? How does it differ from what we have now?

Many of the course readings will be useful points of departure and sources of information for
you to consider, as well as the references cited in each of those readings. You may also find the
following journals useful for developing the arguments in your research paper:
 Administration and Society
 Australian Journal of Public Administration
 Canadian Public Administration
 Governance
 International Public Management Journal
 Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory
 Public Administration
 Public Administration Review
 Social Policy and Administration
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Essay writing tips:

Your paper must follow standard essay format, including an introduction, body and conclusion.
Make sure you have an argument or thesis statement and clearly state this in your introduction
and conclusion. For more information on essay structure and writing, consult this site:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/724/1.

You need to find substantial evidence to support your claims. There is no formula to determine
the number of references required in a research paper and part of the essay writing process
involves making this determination and ensuring that your assertions are properly supported.

ANNEX C: GRADING AND WRITING STANDARDS

Late assignments will receive a penalty of 5% per day (including weekends) until late work is
submitted. Exceptions may be made by the instructor in advance of deadlines and only in
extenuating circumstances. A student may be required to provide documentation (such as a
doctor's certificate if there is illness).

Numerical grades will be converted to letter grades using the Undergraduate Grading Scale:
http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2012/FACS/UnIn/UARe/Grad.html

Academic integrity: Students are expected to follow the University of Victoria’s regulations in
connection with proper attribution of other authors’ work. Plagiarism is a serious academic
offense and any cases will be treated as such. Please review the University’s plagiarism policy
at http://web.uvic.ca/calendar/FACS/UnIn/UARe/PoAcI.html. The instructor reserves the right
to analyze all assignments using plagiarism detection software.

Participation grade: Class attendance and engaged participation in class and in teams are an
expectation of this course, and crucial to getting the most out of it. You will need to do the
week’s readings in advance of each seminar and post Moodle comments when asked. Higher
participation grades will be awarded to exemplary participation performance.

Evaluation criteria for assignments:

In all of your work for this course, the instructor will be looking for evidence of clarity,
synthesis, analysis, critical thinking and creative thinking. The instructor has defined these
criteria as follows:
 Clarity: You write, or communicate, in a straightforward style, avoiding jargon where possible.
Clichés, hackneyed expressions, vague prescriptions and platitudes are avoided.
 Synthesis: You include concepts, terms and ideas from the lectures, text and readings, weekly
discussions and activities.
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 Analysis: You gather and report evidence that supports (or refutes) what you have been learning
from the text and readings, from our weekly discussions and activities and how that integrates
(or not) with your personal and career experiences to date.

 Critical thinking: You look for "what could go wrong?" or "what if?" or "what's missing?" in the
material you are addressing.

 Precise, logical, creative thinking: You use precise language to convey the insights of others as
well as your own reasoning and ideas.

Strong writing skills, and the ability to organize and communicate information effectively, are
integral elements of academic work and many careers in the public sector. As a result, the
course requires that students write and present information to professional standards.

Part of the grade for briefing notes, examination and research essay will include evaluation of
writings skills. Unless otherwise expressly stated, all written work must be:
 free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors;
 within the limit for number of words;
 written in complete sentences and paragraphs with an essay structure. This means that
each assignment will have an introduction, body and conclusion: point form will not be
accepted; and
 on each page of the assignment, please include the page number, your name, student
number and the course number (POLI 350/ADMN 311) in a header or footer.
For further assistance on assignment writing skills, please visit UVic’s Learning and Teaching
Centre at http://ltc.uvic.ca/servicesprograms/Resources.php. This document may be
particularly useful: http://ltc.uvic.ca/servicesprograms/documents/TWCWriteWell.pdf.