Name: Okwuosa Izundu

Matric No:19AH025487

College :CLDS

Department : International
Relations

Title: PAD121 Assignment

1) In your own understanding what does
‘’public Administration’’ mean?
Ans
In order to understand the meaning of the
concept of Public Administration one must
understand the words ‘Public’ and
‘Administration’. Public has to do with the
government. Administration is the
management of public affairs by the
government. It is the management and
implementation of laws put in place by an
organization or the government to achieve its
goals and objectives for societal development.
Public Administration has no generally
accepted definition because the scope of the
subject is so great and debatable that it is
easier to explain than define. The various
definitions of public Administration have one
feature in common, which is management of
public affairs in a society.Public
Administration is the implementation of
government policy and also an academic
discipline that studies this implementation and
prepares civil servants for working in the
public service. It involves the management of
public programs, the transition of politics into
the reality that citizens see everyday and the
study of government decision making. Public
Administration is centrally concerned with the
organization of government policies and
programs as well as the behavior of officials
formally responsible for their conduct.It has
to do with the purposeful or deliberate
utilization of resources in the public sector
organizations to achieve stated goals and
objectives.
2. Give two definitions of public Administration.
Ans.

i. Paul H.Appleby defined public

Administration as “public leadership of public
affairs directly responsible for executive
action”.In a democracy, it has to do with such
leadership and executive action in terms that
respect and contribute to the dignity, the
worth , and the potentials of the citizen.

ii. Dim-mock(1937:31-32): Public

Administration is the fulfillment or
enforcement of public policy as declared by
the competent authority. It deals with the
problems and powers, the organization and
techniques of management involved in
carrying out the laws and policies formulated
by the policy-making agencies of the
government.
 3. What are four examples of public Administration
activities.
Ans.
Protectional Activities : It has been argued that
government actually exists to protect lives and
properties of the citizens in any society, and this
falls under the confines of public Administration.
To achieve this goal the government sets up
specialized agencies such as the police force, and
other security agencies charged with the
responsibility to maintain law and order in the
society for a peaceful and orderly living required
to bring about development and enhance the
living standard of the people.

Promotional activities: Government in its bid to

improve the quality of lives of people in the
society involves in promotional activities. These
activities include : assisting farmers with loans for
improved agricultural production, provision of
special homes for the aged and orphans, care for
the homeless and unemployed in the Society.

Proprietary activities: To create a conducive

atmosphere for everyone in the society, the
government involves in the running of public
enterprises either as the sole owner or through
 public and private partnership initiative in the
provision of social amenities. The argument is
that if the provision of certain important
amenities in the society are left in the hands of
the private sector business ownership; these
services may likely be to expensive and priced out
of the reach of the common man. An example of
such commodity is electricity.

Regularity activities : It has been observed that where

there are no regulatory activities, society is
bound to face serious problems of lawlessness
and drug addiction arising from an antisocial
behavior of citizens towards fellow citizens in the
same society. As a result, the government sets up
regulatory agencies to monitor and enforce
compliance in both the public and private sector
organizations involved in the provision of goods
and services. An example of such agencies of
government is the National Agency for Food,Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC).