Public administration encompasses various activities

within governmental agencies and non-profit

organizations that serve the public interest.

Public administration refers to the implementation,

management, and organization of government policies,
programs, and services.

Some responsibility for determining the policies and

programs of governments. Specifically, it is the planning,
organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling of
government operations.
• Meaning of Public Administration
The word Administration has been derived from the Latin
words ‘ad’ and ‘ministiare’ which means to serve.
• In simple language it means the ‘management of affairs’ or
‘looking after the people’.

• In general sense Administration can be defined as the

activities of groups co-operating to accomplish common
goals.

• According to L. D. White, Administration was a ‘process

common to all group effort, public or private, civil or military,
large scale or small scale’.
Public administration is "centrally concerned with the organization of
government policies and programmes as well as the behavior of
officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their conduct.

Generally Public Administration has been used in two senses.

In the wider sense it includes all the activities of the government whether falling in
the sphere of legislature, executive or judicial branch of the government,
in the narrow sense Public Administration is concerned with the activities of the
executive branch only.
Definitions of Public administration
•L D White (American historian) observes, “Public Administration consist of all
those operations having for their purpose the fulfilment or enforcement of public
policy”.
•Pfiffner defines it as “Public Administration consists of getting the work of
government done by co-ordinating the efforts of the people so that they can work
together to accomplish their set tasks”.
•Prof: Woodrow Wilson (American politician) defined Public Administration as
detailed and systematic execution of public law; every particular application of
general law is an act of administration.
•Luther Gullick (American political scientists)‘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.
• Dwight Waldo (American political scientists) defines Public Administration as
‘the art and science of management as applied to the affairs of state’.
Nature of Public Administration:
There are two divergent views regarding the nature of the Public administration.

Integral View. According to this view, Public administration is a sum total of all the activities undertaken in
pursuit of and in fulfillment of public policy.

These activities include not only managerial and technical but also manual and clerical.
The administration is concerned with the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of government. scholar Marshal E
Dimock, The ‘what’ is the subject matter, the technical knowledge of a field which enables the administrator
to perform his tasks. The ‘how’ is the technique of management, the principles according to which
cooperative programs are carried to success.

Managerial view. According to this view, the works of only those persons who are engaged in the
performance of managerial functions in an organization constitute administration.
In this managerial view the administration has the functions of planning, programming and
organize all the activities in an organization so as to achieve the desired ends. Luther Gullick says
‘Administration has to do with getting things done; with the accomplishment of defined objective’.

In simply the nature of Public Administration deals the execution.

Scope Of Public Administration

• Some argues that the neo-liberal time the term Public administration has
significant one because the neo liberal state has faced many problems like
environmental and technological issues.

• The scope of Public administration deals in many ways Public

Administration and People.

• Public Administration is an organizational effort that needs a close relation

to people. A good relation between people and administrative agencies is
a must in every Administrative system. It influenced the day-to-day life of
the common people.
• Neoliberalism is the dominant ideology permeating the public policies of many
governments in developed and developing countries and of international agencies such
as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and many
technical agencies of the United Nations, including the World Health Organization.

• This ideology postulates that the reduction of state interventions in economic and
social activities and the deregulation of labor and financial markets, as well as of
commerce and investments, have liberated the enormous potential of capitalism to
create an unprecedented era of social well-being in the world's population.

• Example: The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has

endorsed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the Philippines
for 2019-2023, which will prioritize investments in human capital (health,
education, nutrition), competitiveness and job creation, peace-building,
climate and disaster resilience, governance, and digital transformation.
• Neoliberalism first came In the Philippines, in the form of the structural adjustment
program imposed by the World Bank in the early 1980's, in the latter's effort to
strengthen the economy's capacity to service its massive external debt.

• Public Administration and Democracy or In a Democratic political

system scope of public administration is related in many ways.

• It have close link to people and at the same time they are the watch -dog
of the political system.

• The Modern democratic state gave more important to the welfarism,

• In a welfare democracy the effective administration is essential.

There are many other reasons also contribute the scope
of Public Administration.
Ø Development of Communication and Technology
Ø The Development of Neo-Liberal State
Ø The concept of Participatory Development
Ø Good Governance.
Ø E-Governance
Ø Environmental concerns
Ø Human rights approach
Ø New Social Movements and State
Evolution And Growth Of Public Administration
• The growth of public administration has many facets.
• As a discipline the term Public Administration has emerged in the late 19th
and beginning of 20th century.
• American President Woodrow Wilson contributed very much to the subject
of Public Administration, he is also known as the father of Public
Administration. Public Administration is not very old and emerged during
the 19th century last.
• During these years Public Administration has passed through several
phases of development.
o The growth of Public Administration has five stages.
Period I 1887 – 1926
Period II 1927 - 1937
Period III 1938 - 1947
Period IV 1948 - 1970
Period V 1971 - continuing
Period I (1887 – 1926) Public Administration Dichotomy:
• The discipline of Public Administration was born in the USA.

• The credit for initiating as an academic study of Public Administration goes to Woodrow
Wilson. He is regarded as the father of the discipline of Public Administration.

• In his article entitled “The Study of Administration”, published in 1887, he emphasized

the need for studying Public Administration as a discipline apart from politics.

• This is known as Principle of politic administration dichotomy, i.e., a separation of

Politics and Administration.

• Wilson argued that, “Administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics.

• According to Frank J.Goodnow, politics “has to do with the expression of the state will”
while administration “has to do with the execution of these policies.”

• In short, Goodnow posited the politics-administration dichotomy and he developed the

Wilsonian theme further and greater courage and conviction.
Period II (1927 - 1937) Principles of Administration:
• The central belief of this period was that there are certain ‘principles’ of administration and
which is the task of the scholars to discover and applied to increase the efficiency and
economy of Public Administration.

• Scientific management handled the business of administration becomes a slogan.

• Administrative practitioners and business school join hands to mechanistic aspect of

management.

• They claim that Public Administration is a science.

• The great depression in the America contributed a lot to the development.

• These periods were the golden years of ‘principles’ in the history of Public Administration.
This was also a period when Public Administration commanded a high degree of respect
and its product were in great demand both in government and business.
• The Great Depression of the late 1920s and ’30s remains the longest and
most severe economic downturn in modern history.

• Lasting almost 10 years (from late 1929 until about 1939) and affecting nearly
every country in the world, it was marked by steep declines in industrial
production and in prices (deflation), mass unemployment, banking panics,
and sharp increases in rates of poverty and homelessness.

• the stock market crash of 1929; the collapse of world trade due to the Smoot-Hawley
Tariff; government policies; bank failures and panics; and the collapse of the money
supply.

• The Smoot-Hawley Act was created to protect U.S. farmers and other industries from
foreign competitors. The Smoot-Hawley Act increased tariffs on foreign imports to
the U.S. by about 20%. At least 25 countries responded by increasing their own
tariffs on American goods.
Period III (1938 – 1947) Era of challenge:
• The main theme during this period was the advocacy of ‘Human
Relationship Behavioural Approach’ to the study of Public Administration.
The idea of administrative dichotomy was rejected.

• It was argued that Administration cannot be separated from politics

because its political nature and role, Administration is not only concern
with policy decision but it deals with the policy formulation.

• Similarly, the principle of Administration was challenge

Period IV (1947-1970):
• The mid-1940s theorists challenged Wilson and Gulick. The politics-administration
dichotomy remained the center of criticism.
• In the 1960s and 1970s, government itself came under fire as ineffective, inefficient,
and largely a wasted effort.
• There was a call by citizens for efficient administration to replace ineffective, wasteful
bureaucracy.
• Public administration would have to distance itself from politics to answer this call
and remain effective.
• Concurrently, after World War II, the whole concept of public administration
expanded to include policy-making and analysis, thus the study of ‘administrative
policy making and analyses was introduced and enhanced into the government
decision-making bodies. Later on, the human factor became a predominant concern
and emphasis in the study of Public Administration.
• This period witnessed the development and inclusion of other social sciences
knowledge, predominantly, psychology, anthropology, and sociology, into the study of
public administration.
• Fritz Morstein Marx with his book ‘The Elements of Public Administration’ (1946), Paul
H. Appleby ‘Policy and Administration’ (1952), Frank Marini ‘Towards a New Public
Administration’ (1971), and others that have contributed positively in these
endeavors.
Period V (1971) Continuing:-
• After the 1970s the evolution of Public Administration has gained new
ways. The emergence of Development Administration, Comparative Public
administration and New Public Administration etc were contributed to the
evolution of Public Administration.

• The emergence of globalization further contributed to this growth.

• Globalization means increasing global economic interconnectedness, repositioning of

political space and national sovereignty, and last but not least the growing and
deepening enmeshment of global and local cultures’ (Held and McGrew 2003).
Development of Public Administration:-
• The term Development administration first coined by U L Goswami in 1955, however the term was
popularized by F W Riggs, Joseph La Palambara et.al.
• The emergence of welfare state and the end of colonial era are the two significant factors contributed
to the concept.
• The third world countries were moved to underdevelopment to development, these countries face
many problems in this time.
• Development administration is focused to their administrative problems.

Development administration is process of guiding an organization toward the achievement of

progressive political, economic and social objectives that are authoritatively determined one manner
the other. Development administration is concerned with following matters
1. The formulation and implementation of plans, policies, programes and projects for national
development.
2. D A focused to the national development; it is ‘action oriented’ and ‘goal oriented’ administrative
system.
3. Socio-economic change
4. Time Framework
5. Client Orientation
6. Goal Orientation and innovation
• In a modern democratic welfare State, the Government has to provide many
services for the welfare of its citizens.
• It includes the provision of schooling, medical facilities and social security
measures.
• With the breakdown of joint families, the problem of looking after the old and
infants, orphans and widows comes up.
• With the slowing of economic activity, the problem of unemployed youth crops up.
• The development process brings up many new problems like those of urban slums
and juvenile delinquents.
• The welfare State has to identify these problems and devise solutions for them.
• The formulation of these schemes and their implementation is another significant
function of public administration.
• The public administration is thus not only a protector of citizens from external
dangers or internal disorders, but has become the greatest provider of various
services.
• The welfare of the people depends very much on the way the public administration
functions. No wonder today’s state has been called an “Administrate State”. Prof.
V.V. Donham has rightly said, “if our civilization fails, it will be mainly because of
administration”.
Public policy refers to the government’s stance
toward, and efforts to address, issues of public
concern.
Examples of public policy include housing
policy, education policy, health policy, etc.

The housing policy would describe

how the government tries to provide
adequate housing to citizens and tackles
discriminative practices..
• Public healthcare in the Philippines is administered by PhilHealth, a
government-owned corporation.
• PhilHealth subsidizes a variety of treatments including inpatient care
and non-emergency surgeries. Both local citizens and legal residents
are entitled to join a PhilHealth program.
Source:

https://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploa
ds/Transparency/2021-OCIO/NGA-COMPLIA
NT-2021.pdf
 Key aspects of public administration include:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Policy Public Service: Management and Decision-Making: Regulation and Public Strategic Planning:
Implementation: Public Leadership: Public Public Compliance: Public Accountability: Public
Public administrators administrators administrators administrators Public administrators
administrators are work to address oversee the day-to- make decisions enforce regulations administrators are engage in strategic
responsible for societal needs by day operations of related to resource and ensure accountable to the planning to address
putting providing essential government allocation, program compliance with public, elected long-term
government services such as agencies. They development, and laws and policies. officials, and other challenges, develop
policies and laws education, manage budgets, policy They may work in stakeholders. They sustainable
into action. They healthcare, public personnel, implementation. areas such as are responsible for solutions, and
ensure that safety, resources, and They often balance environmental transparency, improve public
government transportation, and other various interests protection, public ethical conduct, services. They
programs and social welfare organizational and stakeholders' safety, or business and responsiveness assess community
services are programs. aspects to achieve needs while making regulations. to public concerns. needs and plan for
delivered efficiently public policy goals. decisions that the future.
and effectively to impact the public.
the public.
•Public administration is a
multidisciplinary field, drawing on
knowledge from areas such as political
science, economics, law, sociology,
management, and public policy.
•Professionals in this field can work in
various sectors, including government
agencies, non-profit organizations,
international organizations, and
consulting firms, contributing to the
betterment of society by ensuring the
effective delivery of public services
and programs.
Public Administration is a field of study and a profession that focuses on the development and
application of administrative, management, and leadership principles in the public sector.

Studying public administration

offers several important benefits If you have an interest in serving
and advantages, making it a the public and impacting your
valuable field of study and community.
profession.

Public administration programs These programs also emphasize

focus on social responsibility and ethical behavior and decision-
civic engagement, so it’s a perfect making, preparing you to confront
area of study if you like working the challenges facing our diverse
with people. communities.
•skills to develop:
• Critical thinking
• Written and verbal communication
• Leadership and management
• Planning, policy analysis, decision-making,
and more
•These skills are useful for understanding
different perspectives working with a variety
of communities and groups.
•jobs might be pursued:
• Human Resource Manager
• City Director
• Urban Planning Director
• Education Administrator
• Non-Profit Director
• Legislator
• Public Relations Manager
•With so many career options, this degree can
be a great steppingstone for skills specific to
serving the public.
Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected
officials. Today, bureaucracy is the administrative system governing any large institution, whether publicly
owned or privately owned.
• In theory, bureaucracy is supposed to make government more efficient
by dividing up its work so that each department can specialize in a
particular area. In practice, bureaucracy often leads to delays and red
tape as decisions have to be made by a large number of officials.
• Bureaucracy has dozens of different departments and agencies, each
with its own area of responsibility.
• Example of a bureaucratic organization is the United Nations, which
has a complex structure with many different organs and committees.