PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

“It is a detailed and systematic application of law.” Woodrow Wilson

“To carry out the directives of the politicians” Herbert Simson

“It includes all three branches” Prof Pfiffner

SCOPE

• Deference of Opinion on definition due to vastness

Scope as a discipline

1. Managerial View

a. Public administration is made up of managerial skills

b. Henri Fayol (5 functions – POCSC - Planning; Organizing; Coordination; Staffing; Communication)
c. Management of 3 Ms
d. Luther Gulick (POSDCORB - Planning; Organizing; Staffing; Directing; Coordination and Communication;
Reporting; Budgeting)

2. Subject Matter View

a. POSDCORB is criticized; it overlooks other things
b. Many other fields – law and order, health, education
c. Public Ad is an instrument having two blades – POSDCORB and Subject matter
d. Administrative Theory (Walker)
i. Study of structure, organization, functions and problems of public authority
e. Applied Administration
i. Political
ii. Judicial
iii. Economic
iv. ……
3. Scope varies as per expectations (public) and declarations (state); all state activities

SCIENCE or ART

“Science is investigation and observation, followed by tabulation, classification and analysis.”

• Scientific theory (FW Taylor)
• POSDCORB
• It is a body of systematized knowledge derived from observation and experience
• Scientific method of study is applicable
• More and more accurate predictions
• If it is not science today, will be tomorrow
As an Art
• Running the administration
• Act of doing things

IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

• As a specialized subject of Study

o Governmental problems
o In social perspectives, impact of gov’t policies
o Used in developing countries
o Teachings in colleges
• As an practice
o Public development
o Visible face of the government (W.W)
• Basis of government
• Instrument of providing services
• Instrument of implementing policies
• A stabilizing force in the society

Democratic Values
• Liberty
• Individualism
• Equality

Another View
• Constitutional Supremacy
• Rule of Law
• Representative Government
__________________

EVOLUTION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public administration as practice

• Egyptian Pyramids – 1500 BC

• Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

As Subject Matter

• After 1914
• More welfare function of state
• In result of mark imperfections after industrialization
• In the aftermath of 1929 Great Recession
• To achieve efficiency and productivity as private sector

CLASSICAL SCHOOL

1. Woodrow Wilson – “The Study of Administration” 1887 (efficiency and productivity) – dichotomy
between politics and public ad due to corruption and private sector

2. LD White – “Introduction to the study of Public Administration” 1927 – dichotomy but values
Scientific Management

3. F W Taylor – “Father of Scientific Management” 1930 - Shoveling experiment – human cooperation;

supervision; right person for the right job

a. Assumptions
i. Human is a rational economic animal
ii. People respond as individual, not as group
iii. Human as machine

b. Based on
i. Standard mechanism
ii. Economic motivation
iii. Manager to supervise
iv. Worker to do what is told
c. Weaknesses
i. Money is not for all
ii. Human are not machine

d. Conclusion of experiment
i. Scientific measures
ii. Harmony between supervisor and employee
iii. Achieving cooperation is imperative for productivity
iv. Worker should work for maximum productivity (Piece rate)
v. Right man for the right job

4. Gant – task/ planning; human cooperation; Gant chart; PERT

5. Frank and Gilbreth – time and motion study

6. Max Weber

a. Hierarchy of authority
i. Traditional
ii. Charismatic
iii. Rational/legal
b. Impersonality
c. Written rules
d. Promotion on performance
e. Specialization

7. Henri Fayol “ Father of Modern Management”

a. Book “Industrial and General Management”

b. Fourteen Principal of General Management
i. Division of Work
ii. Unity of Command
iii. Unity of Direction
iv. Discipline
v. Authority
vi. Remuneration
vii. Team Work
viii. Line of Authority (Scalar Chain)
ix. Job security
x. Centralization
xi. Order
xii. Equity
xiii. Initiative – Keenness to work
xiv. Sub ordination of individual interests to the organizational

Features of Classic School

• Materialism – piece rate

• Efficiency and productivity
• Emphasis on Material and method rather than human being
• Administration is apolitical and technical
 HUMAN RELATIONS SCHOOL
• Good results due to classical school however 1929 Depression came
• Scholars to find causes of depression
• Human Relations Movement in 1930s

1. Hawthorne Studies by Elton Mayo

a. Two groups – control and test; both were given same physical conditions; physical conditions of test
groups were changed; to the amusement of the experimenters, the results were same; so they concluded
that some extraneous factors also are important.

b. Extraneous factors – employees were treated as special; group competition and attention of
management

c. The result:
i. Treat as special – encouragement
ii. Group cohesiveness
iii. Interpersonal relations of the supervisor

2. Chester I Bernard “The Functions of Executive”

a. Human behavior is important

b. The ultimate source of authority is subordinate
c. There are three zone of employee cooperation
i. Zone of Acceptance
ii. Zone of indifference
iii. Zone of Rejection
d. A manger should always work to increase zone of acceptation, though cooperation, interdepartmental
instructions and cross trainings

3. Herbert A Simon

a. Emphasize on Human behavior with special reference to Decision Making – he was a Nobel laureate
b. He said, the decisions are not always made on rational (step by step) grounds, rather manger use
cognitive (judgment) skills. So all decisions (Actions) are backed by conscious or unconscious experience.
c. So the org are not mechanical, rather employee conscious effects
d. Informal, interpersonal relations and group dynamics are important

BEHAVIOURAL SCHOOL
• Commonality with Human Relations School
o Motivation of employee
o Individual and group behavior
o Communication
• However HRS emphasized on group whereas BS emphasized on individual behavior
• Managers need to understand the behavior.

1. Ibrahim Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

a. Basic Needs
b. Safety Needs
c. Sense of Belongingness – tribes, association
d. Ego-Status Needs
e. Self Actualization

2. Doglous McGreggor
a. Two assumptions
b. Theory X – negative – dislike work; avoid responsibility; need supervision
c. Theory Y – positive

SYSTEM SCHOOL
• Organization is a unified system of interrelated parts to achieve certain goals and objective
• This concept is borrowed from biological sciences by social sciences
• Subsystems; Synergy; open or close org; feedback’

POWER AND POLITICS SCHOOL

Power: Ability to influence

Politics: it is about controlling and distributing the resources
.