Nature & Scope of Public Administration

Introduction
● There is hardly anyone in the society who does not have to deal with
PA.
● In A Philosophy of Administration, Marshall E Dimock asserts that
administration is now so vast an area that a philosophy of
administration comes close to being a philosophy of life.
● PA is differs from Political Science in its emphasis on bureaucratic
structure & behaviour & in its methodologies.
● Administration differs from Management with regard to the techniques
used.
 Nature/Characteristics
● Monopoly: usual in government sphere
● Consciousness of Community Service: essential virtue
● Anonymity: official acts not in personal capacity but as an agent of
authority.
● Public Responsibility: Ministerial responsibility, Questions individually or
in the press or from representatives of the people in the Parliament.
● Public Information: Information must made available to the public
(except matters of national interest)
● Large Scale Organisation: different governmental bodies.
 SCOPE
● PA covers many area and today it has increased in magnitude and direction to
look after the welfare of the people. New tool & techniques also evolved vis
Science & Technology.
● There is no definite subject matter of PA; it is not static but dynamic.
● Different writers gave different opinions: Macqueen talked about three factors
namely men, material and methods. Pfiffner divided into 3 categories; a)
organisation, management of personnel, method and procedure material and
supply, public finance and administrative responsibility, b) Central & state
government, its regional & local authorities and also public corporations.
Walker - administrative theory (concepts, theories etc) & applied
administration (hospital administration, educational administration, revenue
administration etc.)
 Scope: Major views
● Integral view: Sum total of all activities undertaken in pursuit of public
policy. Henry Fayol- (in undertaking) from workman to Manager & (state
enterprise) the series extend to the minister or head of the state. LD
White-PA consists of all those operations having for their purpose the
fulfillment or enforcement of public policy. (peon to the top level secretary)
(includes clerk & manual).

It is a whole complex of activities undertaken to complete the common

purpose. No bond of unity except that of the common purpose.

It scope is vast and is unlimited in number.

 Managerial View
● H. Simon, Smithburg, Thompson and Luther Gullick.
● Administration is the use of men & materials in the pursuit of common
objectives.
● Not all activities but involves the techniques of management common to all
sorts of organisations. It is the specialised vocation of managers (executives)
who have the skills (just like doctors & engineers)
● Gullick- POSDCORD (Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing,
Coordinating, Reporting & Budgeting-all management techniques)
● Ordway Tead: activities of executives who are charged with ordering,
forwarding & facilitating to realise defined purpose.
 Broader & Narrow View
● Broader View: all activities of the government-legislative, executive & judicial
sphere. All work involved in the actual conduct of government affairs. LD
White, W. Wilson, Dimock, Pfiffner & Corson.
● Narrow view: the study of PA includes primarily the activities of the executive
organ of the government. Simon, Smithburg & Thompson. Executive
branches of national, state and local governments but excluded Judicial,
Legislative agencies of the government & NGOS.

Merson: PA is an enquiry as to how policies may be carried into operation.

 POSDCORD VIEW
● Those activities which involve the techniques of management.

P - Planning i.e. outlining the items & methods to achieve the purpose

O - Organising i.e. building up the structure - subdivision & coordination

S - Staffing i.e. the whole personnel functioning

D - Directing i.e making decisions & orders/instructions for the guidance of the staff

CO - Coordinating i.e interrelating the various parts of the work

R - Reporting i.e. keeping both the superiors and subordinates informed & arranging for the collection of such
informations through inspection, research & records.

B - Budgeting i.e all that goes in the form of fiscal planning, accounting & control.

They are common to all large scale organisations. These activities are performed by PA. (technique oriented not
subject matter)
 The Subject-Matter View
● The real core of administration consist in the various line of functions or
services produced by the people-law & order, education, social service,
public health, justice, defence etc. The real content of PA should be the main
functions or services for which the government comes into existence.
● The questions of policy and programming in the fields of education, social
security, public health, justice and defence are much as part of PA as staffing,
coordination or budgeting. Techniques of various department may be
different.
● PA as both an academic discipline & government in operation have
always been matters of continuing debate & controversy.
 Conclusion
● As a study PA examines every aspect of government’s effort to discharge laws &
give effect to public policy.
● As a process it is all the steps taken between the time and enforcement agency
assumes jurisdiction & the last brick is placed.
● As a vocation, it is organising & directing the activities of others in a public agency.
● PA is dynamic ; once upon a time in crisis-intellectual crisis.
● Major areas (consensus) of specialised study: Administrative or Organisation
Theory, Public Personnel Adm, Public Financial Administration, Comparative PA &
Public Policy
● Today it is becoming multifarious & multi-dimensional