ARLINE B FUENTES AB POLITICAL SCIENCE III FINAL EXAMANITATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

1. Why is there a need for us to revisit the changing definitions of public

administration?
It is important to know the changing definitions of Public Administration because it’s like
knowing Public Administration not just on the surface but also to its core.
Knowing the definition/paradigms of public administration leads you to know what and how
Public administration is. To me upon knowing the changing definitions of Public
Administration I was able to differentiate and site similarities of the terms that concerns it.
Public Administration is generating, forming, implementing, impact-assessing, and
management of government policy. In other words, public administration is not solely and
wholly implementation of government policy to effect government social interventions, not
least because government policies, like government interventions, are products of
indispensable intervening processes and agents.
Contrary to the understandable misconception especially in developing countries, Public
Administration should not be about regulating, controlling, and supervising society to
maintain or lubricate the machinery of political, economic, cultural, or social statuses quo.
I see Public Administration moving away from an activity that a government performs to a
tool that a government uses to actualize and implement its political agenda in direct
response to meeting analysed-needs of a given society. That even if the term retains its
general or traditional definition, its meaning and application are beginning to differ
dramatically from society to society.
Those are just a few to discover upon revisiting the definitions and knowing Public
Administration from its roots. The changing definitions set as example of a changing
society. Knowing every bit of the discipline is taking how important it is in our systematic life,
customs and tradition. Learning the Paradigms gives us comparison, Similarities and
evolution.
Lastly it is important to know the beginning of the discipline because administration is an
important aspect in our lives, say it may be political, social, public or personal in nature.
Administration guides us through a way on how to manage and administer our deeds in an
efficient manner which would result in ultimate satisfaction and higher output. All this makes
public administration not just a mere tool of governance but a sharp edged tool to achieve
excellence.

2. Discuss how the study and practice of public administration in the

Philippines were influenced by the Americans
ARLINE B FUENTES AB POLITICAL SCIENCE III FINAL EXAMANITATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The Philippine Public Administration, as a discipline, formally began with the Bell Report, specifically the
technical assistance brought in the country by the University of Michigan (UM) of the United States of
America with the idea of jumpstarting the colonized country’s economic progress after the world wars.
In 1952, the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) was established in the University of the Philippines
patterned after UM’s curriculum. It was created to provide a training program that would boost the
professionalization of the country’s civil service. Mr. James K. Pollock (chair of Political Science) and Mr.
John W. Lederle (director of IPA), both from the UM, came in the Philippines in that same year to set the
Institute in motion. They created the Institute’s library, managed a two-pronged program (includes an
in-service training for government employees and an academic program for university students), and
crafted a program for research and publication. The second technical assistance from the USA was from
Harvard University in 1978 to introduce public policy in the school’s curriculum

Following the tradition of the American Public Administration has its own merits to boast. The works of
a French magistrate named Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville, specifically his two-volume book
entitled Democracy in America (1835 and 1840), reveals the glory of a democratic nation. The
Jacksonian democracy, propounded by U.S.A. President Andrew Jackson, was instrumental in
democratizing their government posts. This bureaucratic practice is also found in the Philippines as for
instance the gates to being the National President is flung wide open to all constituents without any
segregation, provided the potential presidential candidate abides by mere five criteria (outlined in
Article VII, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution): natural born Filipino; registered voter; must be able to
read and write; 40 years of age at the day of the election; and, must have resided in the Philippines ten
years before the election is held.

However, the Jacksonian democracy was abused as manifest in the awarding of officials based on their
political loyalties. The Progressive Movement that came afterwards was a call to shift from a patronage
or “spoils system” to an authentic reward and merit system found in the professionalization of their civil
service through the Pendleton Act of 1883. This law is also echoed in the Philippines as can be gleaned
upon in the passage of Public Law No. 5 or “An Act for the Establishment and Maintenance of Our
Efficient and Honest Civil Service in the Philippine Island” that mandated civil service examinations and
standard for appointments in the bureaucracy.

In my opinion, the best aspect that the Philippines obtained from lifting the Public Administration
tradition of the USA is the democratic form of government (Article II Section I of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution). By being a democratic government there are inherent checks and balances imposed such
as having the three branches of the government (executive, judiciary and legislative) and receiving a
bicameral status of Congress (Senate and House of Representatives). Through this system, what is
termed by the prominent Public Administration scholar, Woodrow Wilson, as the multitudinous
monarch called public opinion is much preserved.

However, even if America’s history may have its own string of victories, its veneer of friendliness found
in the Philippines’ “benevolent assimilation” (President McKinley) was tainted by their vested interests.
The USA tried to re-build the Philippines in such a way that the latter could still be under its influence.
Some of these manipulative and abusive practices are found in the following: providing equal rights and
privileges to American corporations and citizens in the Philippines (for instance, American capitalists
could utilize Philippines’ resources just like the natives were); having provisions to dump American
surplus goods to the once-colonized country; deploying of American “advisers” in the Philippine
ARLINE B FUENTES AB POLITICAL SCIENCE III FINAL EXAMANITATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

government who advocated for pro-US moves (such as obtaining deals/projects for American
contractors in the Philippines); using of development-related institutions like the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB) and US Agency for International Development (USAID) to safeguard the
geo-political interests of America – in the words of Pres. John F. Kennedy, aid is “a method by which the
US maintains a position of influence and control around the world”.

The affinity of country’s policies to the USA has inevitably permeated other aspects of life as well. The
so-called “little brown Americans” have become so unreasonably fond of whatever American there is –
from Duty-free products to TV programs to standard of beauty, and so on. With educational textbooks
that bear anti-nationalistic texts such as “I was poorly born on top of a mountain”, this colonial
mentality has created a form of alienation of Filipinos from their very own race (de Leon). Hence, the
connotation that has been produced is that whatever American is automatically superior, and whatever
local is inferior.

As the history of colonization cannot be undone anymore and consequently its effects on the colonized
country, what can be undertaken is to continuously tread the quest of national identity in spite of the
mediation of foreign influences and to continuously chart out the road to a greater degree of authentic
freedom. Having no strings attached to any nation in an absolute sense may be utopian as all countries
are naturally doing trade to other territories in this highly globalized world. But suffice it to say that a
more independent foreign policy could be embarked upon, and not to be excessively tied to a singular
dominating power. Given the pros and cons of following the American tradition of Public Administration,
the battle is to assert what is originally Filipino and to adopt and localize as well the best practices from
the colonizers.

3. Discuss the status, terrain, focus and locus of public administration during
the period of six paradigms
All the paradigms are either Locus or Focus. These are given by Nicholas Henry in his book Public
Administration and Public Affair. He divided Locus and Focus into six paradigms of Public Administration.
Locus means “where” of the field. The Institution, Traditionally it was Bureaucracy has been the Locus of
Public Administration. For example: “your subject of Public Administration is taught in Room No. A of
Department of Public Administration. Locus of the discipline are concerned with the where of the public
administration that is more likely to be derived from Political Science-Public Policy, E governance,
Economics-Financial Management, History-Constitutional Development; whereas it does maintain a
bird-eye view on increasing the efficiency in employing management techniques.

Focus is specific “What” of field. The knowledge of the field and its expertise comprise the Focus. The
Focus of Public Administration is changing depending upon the context, sometimes it is Human
Behaviour or Management or Good Governance. Focus for example is what specifically you are studying
in Public Administration like Personnell Adm, Financial Adm etc.

For the Status during the six paradigms, Evolution of public administration can be tracked by the
confusion faced by governments globally in tackling the challenges to improve themselves. Theoretically
what sounds good was not applicable for smooth functioning of administrative mechanisms. Then came
the behavioural approach. When leaders and administrators started to settle down. Globalization and
environmental concerns posed a new challenge. Especially in third world countries. Throughout this
ARLINE B FUENTES AB POLITICAL SCIENCE III FINAL EXAMANITATION IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

transition public administration evolved to cope up with the challenges. In terms of terrain during the
changing definitions/paradigms, Public administration is a detailed and systematic application of law
where every particular law is an act of administration and the activities of the executive government like
national, state and local governments, and carried out to public interest.

4. What is governance as new paradigm of public administration? What are

its characteristics or prescriptions?
It seeks to reform public sector organizations, A critique of patterns and practices
or modern bureaucracies working and structured with the framework Weberian
Model, Developed by David Osborne and Ted Gaebler, Prescribed alternative
model called “entrepreneurial government” to replace bureaucracies and is
closely associated with New Public Management in that it seeks to apply private
sector techniques to ensure 3Es in bureaucracies. As it is associated with Public
management let me define Public Management.
It emerged as new managerial approach in the public sector to correct the
inadequacies of traditional models or paradigms of public sector management,
seeks to transform the public sector and its working relationships with the public
and various sectors of society, model seeks to reform public sector organizations
by replacing old and traditional policies and practices of the public sector that
have been perceived not to be working anymore and also known as NPM,
Managerialism, Market-based PA, The Post Bureaucratic Paradigm and
Entrepreneurial Government. Also it reforms under Privatization, Deregulation,
Reorganization to Engender Competition among Government Agencies, Use of
“Customer” as a metaphor for users of government services, Emphasis on
Performance Management, Public-Private Sector Partnerships, Reduction of Rule-
Based Management, Measurement of Outcomes and Mission-Driven
Management.
Prescriptions of Governance: Premise is to develop entrepreneurship in
government operations, it seeks to involve various sectors of society in the
management of Public affairs, Embodies host of prescriptions such as: Catalytic-
owned government, Community-owned government, Mission-driven
government, Results-oriented government and Market-oriented government
among others.