Public Administration || Paper I || Introduction

Meaning- "Public Administration (PA) is the art and science of management as applied to the affairs of the State"-Dwight Waldo

Scope - As an activity the scope of PA is no less than that of State. 

             As a discipline - POSDCORB view and Subject-Matter view

Significance

1.   As a discipline to understand impact on society;

2.   It is the basis of government;

3.    Intrument of providing service

4.   Implementing policies.

5.   Institutionalization of Socio-economic changes

Wilsonian Vision

1.   Politics and Administration dichotomy;

2.   Multitudonous Monarch and Authoritative Critic called Public Opinion-makes reform slow and full of compromises;

3.   Administration is a field of Business – removed from the hurry and strife of politics;

4.   Emphasised on historical and comparative methods.

Evolution – Stages

1.   Era of Dichotomy(1887-1926)

2.   Era of Principles(1927-37)

3.   Period of Challenge(1938-47)

4.   Identity Crisis(1948-70)

5.   New Horizons(1970 onwards)

Nicholas Henry’s Paradigms

1.   Paradigm 1- PA is different from Political Science – Woodrow Wilson’s “The Study of Administration”; Frank J Goodnow’s “Politics and Administration”; L.D. White’s “Introduction to the study of administration”; The Locus was Bureaucracy and the Focus was Policy Implementation.

2.   Paradigm 2 – PA is similar to Science (1927-50); W.F.Willoughby’s “Principles of Administration”; Gulick’s POSDCORB; Fayol’s POCCC; Gulick and Urwick’s “Papers on science of administration”; Mooney and Reiley’s “Principles of Organization”. The Focus was on Principles and Locus was indeterminate.

3.   Paradigm 3 – PA is Political Science (1950-70) – The Hawthrone Studies; Critique of Principles; 3 Problems by Robert Dahl; John Gaus’s “Trends in the theory of PA”. Locus moved to that of Political Science and Focus lost relevance.

4.   Paradigm 4 – PA is Administrative Science (1956-70) – Journal of Administrative Science Quaterly was published; March and Simon’s “Organization” ; Public Choice Theory; Critical Perspective; Locus moved to that of Administrative Science and Focus lost relevance.

5.   Paradigm 5 – PA is PA – NASPAA founded. The Locus came back to Bureaucracy and Focus to Public Interest.

New Public Administration(NPA) – Significant landmarks in this direction

1.   Honey report on Education for Political Science.

2.   The Philadelphia Conference.

3.   The 1^st Minnowbrook Conference.

4.   The 2^nd Minnowbrook Conference.

Goals of NPA – Relevance; Values; Social Equity; Change and Client Orientation.

Anti Goals of NPA – Anti-Positivism; Anti-Hierarchy & Anti- Technology.

Public Choice Theory – Methodological individualism and rational choice; Institutional Pluralism; Duncan Black and Vencent Ostrum; lack of incentives to voters; Niskanan “Bureaucrats are biudget maximizers”; Rent-Seeking Behaviour and DUPs (Directly unproductive profit seeking activities).

Good Governance – As given by the World Bank..

1.   Public sector management

2.   A legal framework for development.

3.   Accountability

4.   Information and Transparency.

 General charecterstics of Good Governance – Participatory; Consensus Oriented; Responsive; Responsible; Rule of Law; Independent judiciary etc.

New Public Management(NPM)

1.   Influenced by New-Right philosophies i.e. Thatcherism and Reaganism;

2.   Localization; Externalization and Debureaucratization – Delayering, Downsizing, Decentralization;

3.   EEE – Efficient, economic and effective;

4.   Reinventing Government – By Ted Gaebler and David Osborne – Result oriented, entrepreneurial, anticipatory, Decentralizing, Mission Driven, market Oriented, Catalytic, Competitive, Community Owned and Customer Driven [ READ(MC²)² to remember the 10 points]

Genesis of NPM – Increase in the government expenditure; Influence of neo-libralism; Impact of New-Right philosophies; Washington Consensus.

Minnowbrooks at a glance

Minnowbrook I (1968) – Presided by Dwight Waldo – Values; Equity; change; relevance; constitutional administration. Tone was combative as attended by young scholars of the yound discipline.

Minnowbrook II (1988) – Presided by Dwight Waldo – Leadership; technology Policy. Tone was much more constructive and settled.

Minnowbrook III (2008) – Presided by Rosemary ‘O’ Leary – Networks; CPA; Personnel Management

Independent regulatory Commissions (IRCs) – USA – 1^st was Inter-State Commerce commission; Aka Islands of Autonomy; 4^th Branch of US Administration; Indian counterparts have members from Legislature and Executive;