Meaning, Nature and Scope of

Public
Administration
 Meaning of Public Administration
‘administration’ - derived from Latin words;
‘ad’ = to and ‘ministiare’ = serve
‘Public’ =people or citizens
• administration means to execute the policy of government
• administration and management are used interchangeably
• simply means governmental administration
• operates in a political setting
• its focus is specifically on public bureaucracy
• the study and practice of public bureaucracy
• coordinating and controlling of governmental operations
Why Public Administration Received
Impetus as A Subject?
• Expanding welfare role of the government
• The emergence of private sector
• Regulatory role of government
• The need for increased efficiency
• Development of Science and Technology
• Better management of public matters
Definition of Public Administration
• the action part of government
• the means - the purposes and goals of government
• as a field - mainly concerned - political values
• consists of the actions
• a cooperative group effort in a public setting
• covers all the three branches
• Executive
• Legislative
• Judicial
Cont… seen as the activities of groups
Such common goals include
• defense,
• safeguarding the frontiers
• maintenance of law and order
• fire protection
• communications
• public health
• education, etc.
Cont… Public administration focuses
principally on the;
• Planning
• Organizing
• Directing
• The study of public administration overlaps a number of other disciplines,
including;
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Economics
• Psychology
• Business Administration
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public administration is the area of study and practice where law and policy
recommended and carried out.

M.E. Dimock. and G.O.Dimock

PUBLIC ADMINISTATION

J.W. Felse:
Public administration is policy execution and also policy formulation.
Public Administration:
is cooperative group effort in a public setting covers all three branches and
their interrelationships has an important role in the formulation of policy has
an important role in a part of the political process is different in significant
ways from private administration is closely associated with numerous private
groups and individuals in providing services to the community

F.A. Nigro and L.G. Nigro

Public Administration

Public Administration is a detailed and systematic application

of law.

Prof. Woodrow Wilson

Public Administration
Public Administration is meant the activities of the executive
branches of the national, state, & local governments.

L. D. White
Public Administration
Public Administration is meant the activities of the executive
branches of the national, state, & local governments.

Simon
Public Administration
Public Administration in broadest sense denotes the work
involved in the actual conduct of governmental affairs, and in
narrowest senses denotes the operations of the administrative
branch only.

Willoughby
Public Administration
Public Administration is that part of the science of
administration which has to do with government and thus,
concerns itself primarily with the executive branch where the
work of the government is done.

Gullick
Public Administration
Public Administration is the art and science of management as
applied to the affairs of the state.

Waldo
Public Administration
Administration is concerned with ‘what’ and ‘How’ of the
government.
The ‘what’ is the subject matter, the technical knowledge of
afield which enables the administrator to perform his tasks.
The ‘How’ is the technique of management according to which
co-operative programmes are carried to success.

 Marshall E. Dimock
Nature of Public Administration
The Integral View
The Managerial View
The Integral View
• L.D. White is a supporter of this view
• is viewed as doing the work of government
• regarded as the sum total of all the activities;
• Manual
• clerical, mental
• technical and managerial
• all the activities of government employees
• all those operations - enforcement of public policy
• the scope of public administration vast and unwieldy
• includes a heterogeneous mass of activities
• may not develop into a distinct academic discipline.
 The Managerial View
• Luther Gulick - important champion of the managerial view
• viewed as getting the work of government done
• consisting of the managerial functions of top administrators
• emphasizes the basic POSDCORB functions of managers
• denotes the work of the chief executive as a general manager
• excludes the activities of the non-managerial personnel
• controls the activities of all others
• getting things done, not doing things
• getting things done with the accomplishment of objectives
• emphasis on managerial techniques
The Integral and The Managerial
View
• the integral view is wider than the managerial view
• inclusive view of administration, covering both
managerial and non-managerial activities
• the latter restricts administration to the work of
managers
• the difference between the operation and
management
• not mutually exclusive to each other
• both a process and a vocation
Public Administration
As a process:
is concerned with all the steps from the first to last
taken in the implementation of public policy.
As a vocation:
it is concerned with the management of the activities
of others) in a public agency.
Characteristics of Public
Administration
• part of executive branch of government
• related with the activities of the state
• carries out the public policies
• realize the aspirations of the people
• non-political public bureaucracy
• the monopoly of the state
• concentrated in the executive branch
• naturally a big and complex organization
• concerned with policy execution
• to an end, and not an end in itself
• merely a tool of government to implement its policies
Scope of Public Administration
1. The views of L.D. White and traditionalist
2. Gullick and the scientific management school

Following are the three important perspectives

1. Narrow perspective or POSDCORB perspective
2. Broad perspective or subject matter view
3. Prevailing view
Narrow perspective or POSDCORB
perspective
Luther Gullick is the main exponent
According to him the scope is narrow or limited.
It is also regarded as POSDCORB view.

Seven types of functions:

1. Planning
2. Organizing
3. Staffing
4. Directing
5. Coordinating
6. Reporting
7. Budgeting
Broad perspective or subject oriented
perspective

Prof. Woodrow Wilson, L D While

According to them:
Public Administration covers all three branches of the
government.

Scope of Public Administration is like a cooperative group.

Public Administration is a part of the political process.
 Prevailing view
Administrative theory:
• Organizational Theory
• Behaviour
• Public Personal Administration

Applied administration:

• Political functions
• Legislative function
• Financial functions
• Defense
• Educational function
• Social welfare administration
• Economic Administration
• Foreign administration
• Local administration
 Elements of Public Administration
Planning
Organizing
Commanding
Coordinating
Controlling
Significance of Public Administration
• Basis of Government
• An Instrument for Implementing Laws and Policies
• Participation in Policy Formulation
• A Great Stabilizing Force in Society
• Provides Continuity When Government Change
• Provides a Wide Variety of Services in the Public Interest
• An Instrument of Social Change and Economic Development
• Essential for the Development of Civilization
• Reasons for the Growing Importance of Public Administration
• New Agenda Items
Public Administration in Developing
Countries

• has to meet the Rising Expectation of the People.

• Role - Socio-Economic Development
• Effective Performance of Traditional Functions
• Developing a Sense of National-hood
• Helps Democracy Survive
• The Impact of Developmental Activities
The Benefits of the Study of Public
Administration
• Helps the student to learn
• Helps explain the purposes, functions, and continuation of bureaucracy
• Provides knowledge of public organizations and the context
• Promotes a superior understanding of government
• Is useful as training for citizenship
• Makes us learn how to promote the public interest more effectively
• Promotes among the people an awareness
• Is useful to make public policies
• Provides knowledge which is helpful to the policy makers
• Prepares students for employment in the government services