Subject: Public Administration Course: Public Administration: An Introduction Title of the Module: Public Administration: Meaning, Nature, Scope & Importance Module Introduction: The module introduces the student to the discipline of Public Administration. After reading the module the reader will be able to understand the meaning of Public Administration and its characteristics as a discipline. A comprehensive account of the scope and importance of Public Administration both as a process and discipline has also been the part of this module. The text of the module is organized to cover the brief description on the need and evolution of the process and discipline of Public Administration. The meaning and definitions of administration and Public Administration have also been presented in it. There is also a detailed discussion on the nature, scope and importance of Public Administration in this module. Key words: Administration, public administration, public affairs, organization, management, legislative, executive, judicial, public and private Introduction: The historical evidences indicate that every society sooner or later has felt the need for an organized and well ordered system of life. Therefore, the society concerned has established a suitable system and mechanism for the said purpose. Perhaps, this paved the way for the emergence of public administration and hence this profession has an ancient origin. Therefore, Administration as an activity is as old as Civilization itself. However, the system and mechanism of public administration has changed with the evolution and growth of civilization or according to the societal needs over a period of time. However, it is Woodrow Wilson s article The Study of Administration published in 1887, which is considered as the beginning of this discipline as a subject of study. It is observed that despite the enormity of diversities of needs or political settings of the people around the world, the public administration in democratic, complex and fast changing modern society has become imperative for the sustenance, progress and quality of life of all human beings. Further, the improvement of the operation of governmental administration is to be
more than a matter of mere a chance, it must arise from the systematic study of public administration (Millett: 1956). Therefore, the scientific study concerned with all those public affairs which have not been considered as personal and private by the people of a particular culture or society at a particular point of time and in definite political setting, is termed as the discipline of public administration. Hence the study of Public Administration is inevitable. Administration: Meaning The public administration is one dimension of a more generic term administration. The English word administer is derived from the combination of two Latin words ad plus ministiare which means to serve, to direct, to control, to govern, to run, to oversee, to manage affairs. E N Gladden defined to care for or to look after people, to manage affairs and defined as determined action taken in pursuit of common purpose. It is the management of affairs of an organization, the functions of a political state in discharging its responsibilities, the body of people who administer an organization (Collins English Dictionary: 2009). Pfiffner and Presthees rightly defined it as the organization and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired ends. The organisation generally means combination of the necessary human beings and physical resources in a systematic and effective co-relation to accomplish some common desired objectives and management refers to the guidance and directions given to an organisation to accomplish predetermined desired objective/goal. Administration is the management or proper ordering in the collective activities of human beings, and as most human activities are collective and cooperative, administration is a general process discernible in every group activity. It is observed that Where men live together, they have to work together and where they work together, they have to be so put to their jobs and to each other as to create a harmonious combination of men and material that is called administration. (A. R. Tyagi: 2001). It (administration) is a cooperative human effort towards achieving some common goals. In simple words it is a cooperative activity undertaken jointly by a group of people (two or more than two persons) for a common purpose and therefore goal oriented one. Dwight Waldo states: Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has high degree of rationality. It is an endeavour to maximize one s goal or achievement by rationally relating means to ends. For example, for rolling a stone to a fixed place, persons are
put to stone in such a relationship as to maximize their efforts in a certain given direction. This arrangement of persons in relation to the stone, i. e., the job is called organization and the act of arranging the relationship is called management. These two factors, namely organization and management, are special features of administration activity. Keith Henderson defined the administration in this sense and defined it as: Administration is the arrangement of men and materials in the rational carrying out of purposes. The administration is a universal process and performed in every kind of organization, i.e., public or private, business or charitable, sovereign or dependent established under diverse institutional settings. The people, actions and interactions are the three components associated with the term administration. In other words without these there cannot be any administration. Administration: Definitions The term administration is defined in number of ways: E N Gladden states: Administration is a long and slightly pompous word, but it has a humble meaning, for it means to care for or to look after people, to manage affairs and defined it as determined action taken in pursuit of conscious purpose. Pfiffner elaborated it further and defined the administration as the organization and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired ends. Similarly, Nigro put it as: Administration is the organization and use of men and materials to accomplish a purpose. George E Berkley also defined it in almost a similar fashion. He states: Administration is a process involving human beings jointly engaged in working toward common goals. John A. Vieg has given an explicit definition and according to him Administration is determined action taken in pursuit of conscious purpose. It consists in the systematized ordering of affairs and calculated use of resources, aimed at making those things happen which we want to happen and simultaneously preventing development that fail to square with our intentions. It is the marshalling of available labour and materials in order to gain that which is desired at the lowest cost in energy, time and money. F. M Marx also states that Administration is determined action taken in pursuit of conscious purpose. It is the systematized ordering of affairs and calculated use of resources, aimed at making those things happen which we want to happen and forestalling everything to the
contrary. Luther Gulick has defined is very precisely and stated that Administration has to do getting things done, with the accomplishment of defined objectives. L D White termed the administration as an art. He considered that The art of administration is the direction, coordination and control of many persons to achieve some purpose or objective. Defining differently, Herbert Simon says Administration is the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish common goals. Public Administration: Meaning Public administration is a term used for a specific type of administration carried out in certain specific institutional setting say political and usually taken as distinct from private administration. It is a specialized kind of administration which operates in a specific ecological setting and considered as a device to carry out policy decisions of the State. The focus in public administration is on public bureaucracy and public policies which assign a formal status to mean as government administration, government in action. Millett states: Public Administration is a vital part of the whole process of government, the part which provides the machinery whereby political decisions bring about every action. Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as the application of a policy of a state through its government. Thus, it is that part of administration, which performs the administrative activities of the government. Hence, the meaning of the term public in public administration requires clear understanding in order to understand the meaning of the term public administration. Nicholas Henry has identified three dimensions (agency, interest and access) for differentiating publicness and privateness. He believes that the term public in public administration means a government agency, entrusted with the social responsibility and these public agencies are outrageously accessible to the people at large. But, Henry himself is of the opinion that these are in no way mutually exclusive rather mutually reinforcing. The definitions of public administration based on three dimensions not only clarify public in public administration but demonstrates publicness, as well. Hence public administration is one of the species of the generic term administration and also unique because of its agency, interest and access. Public Administration Defined
Public administration is an aspect of more generic concept of administration. It has been defined by scholars in two different ways. First category of scholars is of those who defined it in traditional and narrower sense. The second category is of those who defined it in modern and wider sense. Traditional Definitions Woodrow Wilson states that Public administration is detailed and systematic execution of law. Every particular application of law is an act of administration. Every particular application of law is an act of administration. He also observed that Administration is the most obvious part of government; it is government in action; it is the executive, the operative, the most visible side of government (Woodrow Wilson). Herbert A. Simon, D.W Smithburg and V. A. Thompson also consider that it is the executive which performs the functions of public administration. In their words By public administration is meant, in common usage, the activities of the executive branches of the national, state and local governments, government corporations and certain other agencies of a specialized character. Specifically excluded are judicial and legislative agencies within the government and nongovernmental administration. Percy Mc Queen defined that Public Administration is related to the operations of government whether local or central. J. S. Hodgson states: Public administration comprises all activities of persons or groups in governments or their agencies, whether these organizations are international, regional or local in their scope, to fulfill the purposes of these governments or agencies. Similarly, Luther Gulick also stated that 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 government is done, though there are obviously administrative problems also in connection with the legislative and judicial branches. Similarly, F. M. Marx states that Public administration has come to signify primarily the organization, personnel, practices and procedures essential to effective performance of the civilian functions entrusted to the executive branch of government. James W. Davis defined Public Administration can be best identified with the executive branch of the government. W F Willoughby states that In its broadest sense, it (public administration) 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. Corson and Harris also defined in almost in similar sense and according to them Public administration. is the action part of government, the means by which the purposes and goals of government are realized. E. N. Gladden observes that Public administration is concerned with the administration of the government. L. D White considers that Public administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy. Dwight Waldo states Public Administration is the art and science of management as applied to the affairs of State. The process of public administration consists of the actions involved in affecting the intent or desire of a government. It is thus continuously active, business part of government, concerned with carrying out the law as made by legislative bodies(or other authoritative agents) and interpreted by courts, through the process of organisation and management. The field of study- putatively a science or discipline- of public administration focuses upon public administration as a process. H. Walker states: The work which the government does to give effect to law is called Public administration. Modern Definitions M. E. Dimock & G. O. Dimock state that Like the study of politics, the study of public administration is a study of what people want through government and how they go about getting it. In addition, administration also emphasizes the methods and procedures of management. Thus public administration is as much concerned with what government does as it is how it does it. Public administration is the area of study and practice where law and policy recommended are carried out. James W. Fesler has further extended the scope of the public administration and defined that Public administration is policy execution and also policy formulation, public administration is bureaucracy and public administration is public. Nicholas Henry opines that Public Administration is a broad-ranging and amorphous combination of theory and practice; its purpose is to promote a superior understanding of government and its relationship with the society, it governs, as well as to encourage public policies more responsive to social needs and to institute managerial practices attuned to effectiveness, efficiency and the deeper human requisites of the citizenry. Rosenbloom states: Public administration does involve, it is concerned with politics and policy making, it tends to be concentrated in the executive branch of the government. It does
differ from private administration, and it is concerned with implementing law. Public administration is the use of managerial, legal and political theories and processes to fulfill legislative, executive and judicial governmental mandates for the provision of regulatory and service functions for the society as a whole or some segments of it. F. A. Nigro and L. G. Nigro described it in a broader sense as: Public Administration: i. is cooperative group effort in a public setting; ii. covers all three branches- executive, legislative and judicial ---and their interrelationships; iii. has an important role in the formulation of policy and is thus a part of the political process; iv. is different in significant ways from private administration; and v. is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals in providing services to the community. Public Administration: Characteristics 1. The public administration operates through a tool known as bureaucracy, which is a professional and non-political institution and discharge the responsibilities as per the standard determined for the purpose. 2. The democratic state and its political system decide its purposes and scope and direct its public administrative system and the bureaucracy keeping in view the political, constitutional and social, economic and cultural context of the society concerned. It is a means to an end and not an end in itself. 3. Public administration normally refers to the executive branch of the government but its meaning always cannot be restricted to the executive branch only as there has been overlapping and interdependence especially to achieve the objectives of the state. Hence public administration has become a complex system of managing public affairs. 4. Traditionally, policy execution role has been assigned to public administration but it has also been performing a role in policy making domain. 5. Public and private administration are considered distinct to each other especially in terms of the process adopted and objectives pursued by them but both of them share their efforts, innovations, strategies and resources in order to fulfill larger objective of betterment of mankind. The emphasis has always been on public good.
6. It is interdisciplinary in theory and practical in its application. Hence the knowledge of all branches of social sciences is utilized to the possible extent to solve practical problems confronted by the society. 7. It is a dynamic process and will be alive as long as civilization itself. 8. It is art and science. 9. It has political character and functions in a specific political setting. 10. It seeks the assistance and cooperation of and actively associated with various groups and agencies to provide services and performing functions assigned to it. Public Administration: Nature What constitutes the nature of a discipline like public administration? The answer lies in its properties or the characteristics. In simple words the properties of the issues in the domain of the discipline determine its nature. Further, the Public Administration is a process and therefore the series of activities undertaken determine the nature of the process of public administration. Thus, the nature in Public Administration means the type activities and of functions performed by it. The scholars put up two divergent views (integral and managerial) regarding the nature of public administration. Integral View or Integral School of Public Administration The integral view considers that every activity manual, clerical and managerial performed in an organisation to accomplish its goal is administrative activities. It means all acts performed by lowest level official say attendant and up to the head of the department say the secretary are the acts of administration. In other words the sum total of all activities performed by the workers, employees and officials and managers and executives positioned at different hierarchical levels of organisation in order to accomplish the objectives and goals are considered as the activities of administration by this view. Woodrow Wilson, L. D. White, Marshall E. Dimock, John Pfiffner and Percy McQueen advocated this view. L D White states: Public administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy as declared by competent authority. Woodrow Wilson considers it is detailed and systematic application of law. Pfiffner observes: Public Administration consist of doing the work of the government whether it be running an X- ray machine in a health laboratory or coining money in the mint. Public Administration consist
of getting the work done by coordinating the efforts of the people so that they can work together to accomplish their tasks. Percy McQueen says Public Administration is administration related to the operation of government whether central or local. Thus, the supporters of the view believe that public administration in a comprehensive sense include all those activities, which fall in the domain of the government and even if those are legislative, executive and judicial in nature. Managerial View or Managerial School of Public Administration Luther Gulick, Merson, Herbert Simon, Henry Fayol are the supporters of this view. They emphasize that public administration is concerned only with such activities of the executive branch of the government which involves in the organizational and managerial activities. The managerial view of administration means the managerial activities of people who are involved in planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling constitute Public Administration. The view believes in getting things done instead doing things. It means the manual, clerical and technical non-managerial acts are not included in public administration as per this view. Luther Gulick states: Public Administration is that branch of the science of administration which has to do with government and thus concern itself primarily with the executive branch where the work of government is done, though there are obviously problems in connection with the legislative and judicial branches. Merson states: The administrator gets things done, and just as the science of politics is an enquiry into the best means whereby the will of the people may be organized for the formulation of policy so the science of Public Administration is an enquiry as to how policies may best be carried into operation. Herbert Simon states By public administration is meant, in common usage, the activities of the executive branches of the national, state and local government. Thus, both views are important. Exact meaning of administration would depend on the context in which the term is used. Dimock, Dimock and Koeing rightly observed that as a study Public Administration examines every aspect of Government efforts to discharge the laws and to give effect to public.
Modern Comprehensive View There have been tremendous changes in the role of public administration and government in the modern world. It has incorporated so many activities and agencies to suit the needs of modern society. Therefore, the nature of public administration cannot be described as per the traditional integral and managerial views. As already stated F. A. Nigro and L. G. Nigro have made an attempt to describe the public administration in a comprehensive manner. They state Public Administration: i. is cooperative group effort in a public setting; ii. covers all three branches- executive, legislative and judicial ---and their interrelationships; iii. has an important role in the formulation of policy and is thus a part of the political process; iv. is different in significant ways from private administration; and v. is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals in providing services to the community Public Administration: Scope: The scope of Public administration is discussed under two headings as under: 1. Public Administrative as a State activity 2. Public Administration as a discipline Public Administrative as a State activity: The Scope stands for the area of operation of a discipline. The scope of activities of the Public Administration in a country normally corresponds to the state activities. Obviously the democratic state deals with vast range of issues and activities under its jurisdiction endowed and entrusted by the constitution and welfare philosophy. Therefore, in traditional sense, Public Administration is about the State in action and in interaction. It performs the activities regulating public life, extending welfare and social security, delivering different kind of services and protecting citizens against natural and human designed threats. In addition to this, the management of various government owned enterprizes and regulating private industrial, business
and non business entities. Thus, Public Administration in a modern State covers every area and activity within the ambit of public policy and that makes the scope very wide and open. The traditional writers like F.M Marx and Luther Gulick Smithburg, and Thomson restricted the scope of public administration to the executive branch of the government only. F.M Marx states: Public Administration covers primarily the organization, personnel practices and procedures essential for effective performance of the civilian functions entrusted to the executive branch of the government. Smithburg and Thomson states: By public administration is meant in common usage, the activities of the executive branches of the national, state and local governments. However, the scholars like Nigro and Nigro considers that all three branches of government are part of the study and practice of public administration. In other words, the activities of all the three branches of the government-legislature, executive and judiciary- that is whole government is the public administration. The modern writers consider that civil servants now-a-days; not only execute policies or in delivering services but also activities engaged in policy information and performing quasi judicial functions. Similarly, the administration actions of executive have been influenced by the policies (laws) made by legislature and judiciary is frequently restricting or guiding the executive as per the constitutional provisions or spirit of natural justice and democracy. Public Administration as a discipline: Public Administration is a subject of study and every issue, institution and process which is concerned with the people s affair and which requires the governance in order to have an order in society is under its domain. The scholars like Henry Fayol, Gulick, P. McQueen, Willoughby, Pfiffner, Walker, F.M. Marx, Nigro and others deliberated on the scope of Public Administration as a discipline. The literature on the subject indicates that, according to Henry Fayol, Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating, and Controlling are the five functional elements which convey the scope of administration. But, Luther Gulick has modified this domain of activities perceived by Fayol to be in administration and suggested these as: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting which are popularly abbreviated as POSDCORB. Percy McQueen has attempted to define the scope in much simpler manner and
stated that men, material and methods constitute the scope of administration. Similarly, Willoughby divided the scope of public administration into five categories namely: general administration, (consisting of the functions of direction, supervision, and control); organization, personnel, material, and supply and finance. POSDRCORB View Gulick is the opinion that the POSDCORB activities are common to all organizations and there are common problems of management in all organizations although they may engage in different nature of the work. Planning means the working out in broad outline the things to be done, the methods to be adopted to accomplish the purpose. Organisation means the establishment of the formal structure of authority through which the work is sub-divided, arranged, defined and coordinated. Staffing means the recruitment and training of the personnel and their conditions of work. Directing means making decisions and issuing orders and instructions. Coordinating: It means inter-relating the work of various divisions, sections and other parts of the organization. Reporting means informing the superiors within the agency to whom the executive is responsible about what is going on. Budgeting means fiscal planning, control and accounting. POSDCORB gives unity, certainty and definiteness and makes the study more systematic. The POSDCORB view propounded by the Luther Gulick was criticized on the ground that POSDCORB activities were neither the whole of administration, nor even the most important part of it. The organizations (public or private) or administrative agencies are faced with different kind of administrative problems and those are specific to the nature of functions or jobs performed by them or the services carried on or delivered by them. In simple sense, it takes into consideration only the common technologies of the administration and ignores the study of subject matter in which an organization or an agency is engaged in or concerned with. Moreover, it does not take into consideration the process and activities related to the formulation and implementation of policy. It is also opined that the POSDCORB has defined the scope of public administration inward looking and too conscious of the top management.
The subject matter view The functions of the Public administration cannot be carried out on the basis of common techniques expressed in POSDCORB view. The performance of all these activities requires an in depth understanding of the subject matter and according to certain specialized techniques. For example, discharging a function to protect the country s border of the country is entirely different from imparting elementary education to the children. Therefore, the systematic understanding of a field of administration is also highly important and in no way lesser than the common POSDCORB techniques utilized in the process of administration of an organization. Therefore, Lewis Meriam States that Public Administration is an instrument with two bodies like a pair of scissors. One blade may be the knowledge of the field covered by POSDCORB; the other blade is the knowledge of the subject matter in which these techniques are applied. Both blades must be good to make an effective tool. In India, the Scope of Public Administration is very wide and comprehensive. The democratic nature, welfare state policy and myriad problems facing the nation makes the intervention of state inevitable in all walks of life. Moreover, there is so much interaction and interdependence between three organs of Government that the scope of public administration cannot be restricted to executive branch only. It must necessary study and cover all the organs of Government V12 Legislature, executive and judiciary. Summing up the scope of public administration Dimock and Koeing opined that As a study public administration examines every aspect of government s efforts to discharge the laws and to give effect to public policy; as a process, it is all the steps taken between the time an enforcement agency assumes jurisdiction and the last break is placed (but includes also that agency s participation, if any, in the formulation of the programme in the first place); and as a vocation, it is organizing and directing the activities of others in a public agency. Importance of Public Administration Charles E. Beard states that the administration is both a subject of study (science and philosophy) and an activity (practice of administration competent to discharge the functions of civilized society). He further states Administration is the science of contemporary civilization. There is no subject more important than the subject of administration. The future of civilized life and even, I think, of civilization itself rests upon our ability to develop a
science and philosophy and practice of administration competent to discharge the function of civilized society. Therefore, it is pertinent to study the importance of Public Administration as a subject of study and as an activity. Importance of Public Administration as a subject of Study C. Merriam states that Administration is evolution of another human technology leading to man s adoption to his complex environment. The statement not only reminds the Woodrow Wilson s that the increasing complexities of society have been responsible for growing functions of the state rather refer to complex conditions under which the administration has to deliver its role. Obviously, how the administration will discharge role and in what direction the function be effectively performed mainly depend on the understanding of the administration its need, principles, techniques and conditions determining its operation. Wilson believed that the object of administrative study is to discover what government can properly and successfully does and how it can do things with utmost efficiency and economy. Therefore the research and understanding in the field of Public Administration has always been significant in catering the needs and delivering services to the citizens. It is well understood and the governments across the world appointed study groups, committees, commissions, etc. to enquire into the administrative matters and for bringing administrative reforms. Marshal E. Dimock states : Administration is now so vast an area that a philosophy comes close to being a philosophy of life. In simple words, quality of life is determined by the capacity and capabilities of the governance of the society concerned. Therefore as Dimock pointed out that It does not take much through to realize that popular government can only be made competent enough through proper administration to survive the complexities and confusion of a technological civilization. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand not only the philosophy and policies, devised for the betterment of society but also to understand and assess how those are likely to be delivered to the people concerned. Besides, the feedback has always been important for framing and reframing state s policies, programmes and strategies, therefore is essential to study the administration as cooperative
effort on the part of society arrive at proper tools and strategies based on past experiences. The subject provides that kind of wisdom to those concerned. Ordway Tead defined Administration is a moral act and administrator is a moral agent. The study in the subject provides for the values, principles, norms and code of conduct for governing the act of administration. Brook Adams considers that Administration is an important human faculty because its chief function is to facilitate social change and to cushion the stock of social revolution. How and what way, the answer to this question is searched in the study of ideology of the state, political philosophy and its administration. Public Administration as an activity: Public administration has become an essential and dominant part of society as it plays important role in people life. W.B. Donham underlying its significance states that If our civilization fails, it will of administration C.P. Bhambri that With the breakdown of machinery of Public Administration, civilization itself shall go to pieces. It means that the Public Administration brings continuity and sustainability to the society. The violent changes in administration are exception and co existence of old and new order has always been valued norms of the administration. Basis of Government: Edmund Bruke states that Without proper management, your commonwealth is no better than a scheme on paper and not a living, active, effective constitution. Administration is there under all situations. There would be no existence without administration. Alternatively the government can be operative in the absence of legislature or judiciary but cannot be imagined without administration. Thus, administration is an essential base for the existence of government. Tool for delivering services: Nigro believes that The real core of administration is the basic service which is performed for the public. The modern governments under the welfare philosophy deliver
number of services especially in the area of health, education, recreation, sanitation, social security etc. The performance of government is normally evaluated in terms of the efficiency, effectiveness and economy ensured while performing functions to deliver these services. An instrument for implementing policies: Modern governments go a long way in formulating and adopting sound policies laws and regulations. It should not be forgotten that such policies, laws, etc. are not merely printed papers. Such paper declarations of intent are translated into reality by public administration thus converting words into action and form into substance. An instrument of social change and economic development: Public administration s role as a change agent is particularly crucial in developing nations. It is expected of the state at present to work for accelerating socio-economic change and not to be a passive agency to maintain the status quo. Technical character: The present day government is expected to provide various services to its population. The increase in the number of functions undertaken by the government requires highly specialized, professional and technical, services. Modern public administration usually represents a galaxy of all of a nation s occupations. According Gerald Caiden public administration has assumed the following crucial roles in contemporary modern society: 1. Preservation of polity; 2. Maintenance of stability and order; 3. Institutionalization of Socio-Economic changes; 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; and 8. Influencing Public policies.