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FUNDAMENTAL REFERENCE HANDOUT - I

MEANING, SCOPE
AND
SIGNIFICANCE
OF
PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Administration - Meaning
2. Public Administration - Meaning
3. Administration, Organization and Management
4. Characteristics of Public Administration
i. Monopoly
ii. Consciousness of community service
iii. Consistency of treatment
iv. Anonymity
v. Public responsibility
vi. Public information
vii. Large-scale organization

5. Nature of Public Administration

i. Integral view
ii. Managerial view

6. Scope of Public Administration

i. Broader and Narrower view

7. Significance of Public Administration

i. Role and importance of Public Administration in a modern state
ii. Government in action
iii. Stabilizing role in society
iv. Role of Public Administration in social change
v. Increasing role of Public administration in policy making
vi. Public administration essential for successful planning
vii. Public administration essential for social harmony
viii. Public administration role in war
ix. Public administration as an agency for development
x. Growing importance of Public Administration

8. Public and Private Administration

i. Similarities
ii. Differences
iii. Contemporary view of public and private administration

9. Public Administration in Developed and Developing Countries

10. Previous Year Questions

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The term „Public Administration‟ stands for two implications. First, it refers to the activity of
administering the affairs of government, like enforcement of law and order. Second, it refers to a field
of study, like that of political science, history, sociology and so on. Public Administration as a
discipline is not a very old one. In fact, it was born in 1887 when Woodrow Wilson‟s article entitled
„The study of Administration‟ was published in „Political Science Quarterly‟. It may, thus, be regarded
as among the newest of the social sciences.

However, Public Administration, as a practice, is as old as our civilization. From the earliest
times our monarchial system used public administration in executing government functions. Both
Sumerians and Egyptians demonstrated their administrative skills in the construction of pyramids. The
history of Indian administrative system begins from Vedic period. The book written in the fourth
century B.C., Kautilya‟s Arthashastra is the oldest text on public administration. The Ramayana and
Mahabharata and the maxims and teachings of Confucius‟ thought contain many profound
observations about the organization and the working of government system. Aristotle‟s „Politics‟ in
ancient west and Machiavelli‟s „The Prince‟ in medieval west contain significant observations about the
organization and functioning of government.

1. ADMINISTRATION

The term „administer‟ is derived from a combination of two Latin words „ad‟ and „ministrare‟
meaning „to serve‟ or „to manage‟. The term administration therefore refers to the direction and
management of affairs – public or private.

The concept of administration is defined by different writers. Some of the definitions are as
follows:
 According to Herbert Simon, “Administration can be defined as the activities of groups
co-operating to accomplish common goals”.
 Pfiffener states, “Administration is the organization and direction of human and
material resources to achieve desired ends”.
 L.D.White, “The art of administration is the direction, coordination and control of many
persons to achieve some purpose or objective”.
 Luther Gulick, “Administration has to do with getting things done, with the
accomplishment of defined objectives”.
 D.Waldo, “Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has a high degree
of rationality”.
 F.M.Marx, “Administration is a determined action taken in pursuit of a conscious
purpose. It is the systematic ordering of affairs and the calculated use of resources,
aimed at making those things happen which one wants to happen and foretelling
everything to the contrary”.

2. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Public Administration is a segment of the wider field of „administration‟. According to some, the
use of the word „public‟ before „administration‟ restricts its coverage to the administrative
activities of the government – government being the only organization which covers within itself
all the people living in the state.

Some of the well-known Public Administration definitions are:

 Woodrow Wilson, “Public Administration is detailed and systematic execution of law.
Every particular application of law is an act of administration. Administration is the

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most obvious part of the government; it is the government on action; it is the executive,
operative, the most visible side of the government.”
 Luther Gulick, “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, when the work of the government is done through there are, obviously,
problems also in connection with the legislative and judicial branches”.
 L.D.White, “Public Administration consists of all those operations having for their
purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy”.
 Pfiffener, “Public Administration consists 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 consists of getting the work of government done by coordinating
the efforts of people so that they can work together to accomplish their set tasks.
 Willoughby, “The term administration may be employed in political science in two
senses. In its broadest sense, it denotes the work involved in the actual conduct of
governmental affairs, regardless of the particular branch of government concerned. It
is, thus, quite proper to speak of the administration of the legislative branch of the
government, the administration or judicial affairs, or the administration of the executive
branch as well as the administration of the affairs of the government generally. In its
narrowest sense, it denoted the operations of the administrative branch only”.

3. ADMINISTRATION, ORGANISATION AND MANAGEMENT

Oliver Sheldon states, “Administration is the function in an industry in the determination of the
policy. Management is the function in an industry concerned with the execution of policy within
the limits set by administration and the employment of the organization for the particular objects
set before it. Organization is the formation of an effective machine, management of an effective
executive, administration of an effective direction. Administration determines the organization,
management uses it. Administration defines the goal; management strives towards it.
Organization is the machine of management in its achievements of the ends determined by the
administration”.

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRTION

i. Monopoly:
Monopoly conditions are usual in the government sphere. From this characteristic
springs many of the features of Public Administration which arise from the absence of the
normal process of competition.

ii. Consciousness of community service:

Community service is an essential virtue of the public official who, in carrying in the
public business, is not concerned to derive financial profit or other direct advantages from
his labors.

iii. Consistency of treatment:

It must be the watch word of the public official who is duty bound to meet out equal
treatment to the individual citizen under the law. Unlike the businessmen, he cannot please
himself as to whom particular benefits should be given.

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iv. Anonymity:
It must be preserved by the official in carrying out the public business. The official acts
not only in his personal capacity but as an agent of authority and in virtue of the post he is
holding.

v. Public responsibility:
It must be ensured by special means so that the official‟s actions may be publicly
questioned and any deviations from the correct path put right. In Britain and India this
objective is particularly achieved through the doctrine of ministerial responsibility and the
existence of facilities for dealing with questions from the public, individually or in the press
and from the representatives of the people in the parliament.

vi. Public information:

Public information from the activities of the administration must be readily available to
enable citizens to exercise their right under public responsibility. This means that special
informational methods must be derived and that secrecy in operation is only tolerable when
it is definitely in the public interest. Public administration is everybody‟s business.

vii. Large-scale organization:

It is fairly general characteristic of public administration and from this many of the
present day problems of the subject take their shape. This is by no means an essential
characteristic, however, since small governmental bodies continue to exist and large scale
organization is an increasing characteristic of most other fields of activity.

5. NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

i. Integral view:
According to this view, public administration is the sum total of managerial, technical,
clerical and manual activities. Administration constitutes the activities of all persons from
top to bottom. L.D.White and Dimock subscribed to this view. Administration depends upon
the subject matter of the concerned agency ie., it differs from one sphere to another sphere.
In this sense, public administration would become a heterogeneous mass of activities and
operations having no bond of unity except that of the common purpose towards which they
are directed.

ii. Managerial view:

This view postulates that administration is the organization and use of men and materials
in pursuit of common objectives. It, thus, does not include all the activities of an
organization into its ambit but takes out only those activities for its study which involve the
techniques of management and are, therefore, common to all sorts of organizations.

6. SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

i. Broader and Narrower view:
Willoughby highlights, “The term administration may be employed in political science
in two senses. In its broadest sense, it denotes the work involved in the actual conduct of
governmental affairs, regardless of the particular branch of government concerned. It is,
thus, quite proper to speak of the administration of the legislative branch of the
government, the administration or judicial affairs, or the administration of the executive
branch as well as the administration of the affairs of the government generally. In its
narrowest sense, it denoted the operations of the administrative branch only”.

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According to the broader point of view, public administration is conceived in a
comprehensive sense to include all the activities of the government whether falling in the
sphere of the legislative, executive or judicial branch of government.

7. SIGNIFICANCE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The importance of public administration can hardly be overemphasized. If public
administration fails, the whole structure of modern society and civilization would collapse like
a house of cards. The individuals in the modern society are concerned with public
administration at the every turn of his life, from cradle to grave.

The modern state is described as administrative state. Administrative state is a state

where the executive branch is more active and powerful and compared to other two branches.
Here the state is everywhere it leaves no gap.

i. Role and importance of Public Administration in a modern state:

Public administration is common to all nations irrespective of the system of government,

whether monarchial, totalitarian, socialist, parliamentary or presidential. All countries
require machinery to put into effect the policies of government.

Charles Mariam regarded, “Administration as the evolution of another human

technology leading to man‟s adaptation to the environment.
Laizefaire State – No interference of state

Police State – Tax collection and interference of state (e.g. Bali)

Welfare State – Tax collection, law and order maintenance, welfare of

the people (after First World War)

Administrative State – Welfare state and Administrative state are similar.

Executives will have more power because
of the increased complexities. State is everywhere and
performs all functions.
The following points high lights the importance of Public Administration in a modern state:

ii. Government in action:

In every major problem and challenge we turn to government – whether it be the
cultivation of the ocean bottom, control of the weather, training the disadvantaged for jobs,
controlling population growth, etc., The variety and range of government responsibilities,
coupled with the continuing development of new knowledge and new techniques with
which to deal with them, have added enormously to the reliance of the whole society upon
the people who man governmental posts.

iii. Stabilizing role in society:

The administrative functions ensure the continuance of the existing order with a
minimum of effort and risk. According to Paul Pigors, the administrative function insures the
continuance of the existing order with a minimum of effort and risk. Its fundamental aim is to
“carry on” rather than to venture along new and untried paths. Administrators are,
therefore, the stabilizers of society and guardians of tradition.

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iv. Role of Public Administration in social change:
Public Administration is essential to assure social stability for facilitating social change.
Public Administration is an integral part of the development process and has a significant
role to play the gigantic task of national, social and developmental change. Public
administration is responsible for ending social inequalities and providing social justice to
the weaker section.

v. Increasing role of Public administration in policy making:

The executive looks at Public administration to identify major policy area, preparing
major policy proposals, analyzing various alternatives and solution, dividing the major
policies into sub-policies, determining programme of action and suggesting modification in
existing policy on the basis of its experience on the implementation front (Policy – a plan of
action for any particular action; policy making includes formulation, implementation and
evaluation).

vi. Public administration essential for successful planning:

In a democracy there can be no successful planning without the clean, efficient and
impartial administration. Administrative problems are complex and the ministers are
immature to solve the problems of administration.

vii. Public administration essential for social harmony:

From time immemorial there have been different sections in the society. Some are
powerful while others are weak and downtrodden so the interest of social harmony and
order in the society, there must be clear, efficient, honest and impartial public
administration which may suit the convenience of all sections.

viii. Public administration role in war:

War ruins economy, so an efficient and capable public administration can alone save the
country during the period of war. Public administration runs not only during peace time
but also safeguards the interests of the country during storming circumstances.

ix. Public administration as an agency for development:

The development if not survival of civilization depends on science and practice of
administration.
Gerald Caiden, in his book, „The Dynamics of Public Administration‟, says that the
Public Administration has assumed the following importance in contemporary modern
society:
 Preservation of the polity
 Maintenance of law and order
 Institutionalism of socio-economic changes
 Management of large scale commercial services
 Ensuring growth and economic development
 Protection of the weaker sections of society
 Formation of public opinion and
 Influencing public policies and political trends

x. Growing importance of Public Administration:

 Industrial revolution and technical development of our times led to various
complexities like concentration of wealth, huge crowded cities, societal mixing, etc. So
it is imperative to have a Public Administration which ensures protection and justices
for all.

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 Emergence of welfare state necessitated efficient and powerful organization of Public
Administration.
 Growth of democracy – now administers for the hope of every individual the electorate
now expect more and more services from Public Administration. As such the
importance of Public Administration is bound to increase with its increasing activities.
 Post-war economic problems
 Process of reconstruction
 Bringing about economic and political stability made to feel Public Administration
should be entrusted with more and more power.
 Concept of total war
 Increased natural calamities
 Decline in social harmony

8. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ADMINISTRATION

i. Similarities:
 All undertakings require planning, organizing, command, coordination and control. In
order to function properly all must observe the same general principles.
 There are many skills, techniques, procedures which are common to public as well as
private accounting, statistics, office management and procedures, purchases,
disposals, stockings.
 Many other activities are common to both public and private. This is the reason why
people in government get post retirement assignment in private sector.
 In the recent times, business practices and standards have exercised profound
influence upon Public Administration especially in matters like office management and
running of cabin system (William Ouchi‟s main recommendation).
e.g. value added services – done by both public and private corporation (ICICI
and SBI), Zero based budgeting and Performance budgeting.
 The whole idea of the public corporation and companies is to impact into Public
Administration, the organization and management of private administration
 Public corporation is a halfway house between commercial prototype and traditional
government department. It shows clear affinity between private and public
administration.
 Both have certain kinds of hierarchy and administrative set up, organizational structure,
higher and lower status employees and both have clear demarcation of work, duties
and responsibilities.
 In both the cases we find that there are people who are responsible for taking policy
decisions while others are there to implement them.
 Public relations – both public and private sector believe that there should be maximum
contact with the masses. E.g. Customer service department of BSNL, RBI, etc.
The institution like administrative staff college imparts training to personnel, industry
and commerce and government organization, in the belief that administration in these
different spheres has many common features.
 Both the classical and human relations theory, first originated in private administration.
Similarities between the two are been constantly and peacefully emphasized by NPM.

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ii. Differences:

Points Public Administration Private

D Administration
I Concern for ethics High Low
F Motive Service Profit
F Legal framework Strict Flexible
E Consistency of treatment High Low
R Public accountability High Negligible
E Transparency High Low
N Orientation Political Non-political
C Scale of administration Large Small
E Essentiality of some public services Law and order, National NA
S security
Financial control External Internal

iii. Contemporary view of public and private administration:

Private component of private administration is seemed to be decreasing by narrowing
the distance between private administration and public administration. In modern times
(especially after 1990s) it is extremely difficult to clearly demarcate the spheres of the two
types of administrative activities. There are many private agencies which also perform
public functions which were hitherto strictly considered to be domain of private.
Conversely, there are many tasks performed by the government bureaucracy which may
be of private nature. In fact, in many countries, including India, there is a growing
interaction between public and private sectors. In India, administrators from private
establishments are often being recruited through senior administrative positions in the
government. E.g. Investment companies like TATA.

In fact, a large share of funds currently available with private sector comes from
private institutions and this also weakened the line of demarcation between public and
private. E.g. escorts, Infosys.

Off late private sectors also made increasingly accountable for their actions and
regulatory framework of government over the private sector also increased tremendously
by means of several mechanisms by special legislations, independent regulatory
communication, etc. E.g. In India - TRAI, IRDA, SEBI, Competition Act.

With increasing size, the private enterprises have been developing into huge
administrative chains. With widening network of offices all over the country, private
administration has become impersonal in character as public administration.

With the popularization of the concept of democratic welfare state the principle of
democratic control, public accountability and the popular checks on administrative
behavior are increasing in all private administration. E.g. Coco cola – groundwater issue.

The city managerial plan of municipal government, is an adaptation from business

administration.

Private sectors are also come into the direct contact in social service provisions. E.g.
Tsunami issue.
According to the changing environment, public administration too developing to that
changes. E.g. devolution, decentralization and disinvestment, MoU concept after 1990s.

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after 8th plan, indicative planning has been adopted. Metropolitan planning committees are
established to make administration adoptive to the changing environment.

In the actual administration, there is often a great difference between small and large
organization than between public and private. As a matter of fact, government
administration should be compared to the corporate form of business administration and
not to the non-corporate of individual form of private organization.

Thus the public is penetrating the private administration and to that extent, the
dichotomy becomes less and less rigid.

9. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES
In developed countries, Public Administration is generally viewed as playing a limited
role. The infrastructure in them is very developed and is widespread and is under private
ownership and management. This sets a limit to the role and functions of public administration.
In developing countries the prerequisites and basic amenities of good life are either absent or
inadequately developed with the result that the state is called upon to create and manage the
infrastructure itself. The state, in other words, must set up educational institutions because
there are no educational facilities available in the society and besides, the private enterprise is
not strong enough to take up the responsibility.

It follows from the above that public administration‟s role in a developing country is
much more quantitative while in a developed country it is much more qualitative. In a country
like India, a critically important thing is to first open a school manned by one teacher. It is only
when the schools have been set up that the question of quality arises. But in the developed
countries the concern of public administration is basically of a qualitative nature.

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10. PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS
1. “Public Administration is the translation of politics into reality that citizens see everyday”
(Donalt F. Ketti and James W. Fasler) Explain. (2016/I/1b/10)

2. Waldo‟s „The Administrative State‟ provides a fundamental challenge to some of the orthodox
premises. Explain (2015/I/1a/10)

3. “British philosophy of Administration is based on a unification of science of Administration with

ethics.” Analyze. (2014/I/8c/15)

4. How did traditional public administration “resolve a fundamentally irresolvable problem –

creating and administration strong enough to be effective but not so strong enough to endanger
accountability”? (2013/I/1a/10)

5. “The study of administration should start from the base of management rather than the
foundation of law.” Explain. (2010/I/1d/20)

6. “Public and Private Administrations are two species of the same genus, but they also have
special values and techniques of their own.” (2007/I/1a/20)

7. “If Public Administration is to play a major legitimizing role in governing complex society, it
needs to be more fully conceptualized.” Discuss. (2006/I/1a/20)

8. “Though there are certain points of similarity between public and private administration yet no
private organization can ever be exactly the same as a public one” – Examine. (2002/I/1a/20)

9. “Publicness” of Public Administration in an ideal democratic government remains the ultimate

value in theory and practice. Elucidate. (2001/I/1a/20)

10. “A science of administration would be a body of formal statements describing invariant

relationships between measurable objects, units or elements. Unquestionably, administrative
research has produced definite precepts and hypotheses that are applicable to concrete
situation” (Fritz Morstein Marx). Comment. (2000/I/Ib/20)

11. “What do you understand by the term under administration?” (1999/I/7a/30)

12. “As long as the study of Public Administration is not comparative, claim for a „science of Public
Administration‟ sounds rather hollow.” Explain. (1998/I/7b/30)

13. “The scope of administration is determined by the scope of government functions which is
decided politically.” Comment. (1997/I/1a/20)

14. “In the science of administration, whether public or private, the basic „good‟ is efficiency.”
Comment. (1997/I/1a/20)

15. How far is it true to state that the bureaucratic state began to displace predominant function of
the government changed from regulation to operation of business? (1996/I/4/20)

16. “The scope of Public Administration is ever expanding.” Comment. (1996/I/1a/20)

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17. “A theory of Public Administration means in our time a theory of politics also. Comment.
(1995/I/1a/20)

18. “The postwar formulations of White and Pfiffener reflect the new „public policy‟ orientation – the
conception of administration as a political process”. Comment. (1994/I/1b/20)

19. How does Public Administration differ in the developed and developing societies? How far can it
modernize the traditional political culture of developing countries? (1993/I/2/60)

20. Waldo speaks of the fears of F.M.Marx that Public Administration has grown so broad and so
much is involved at its periphery that it stands “in danger of disappearing completely as a
recognizable focus of study”. Comment. (1993/I/1a/20)

21. „The identity and scope of Public Administration both as an academic discipline and government
in operation, have always been matters of continuing debate and controversy.‟ Discuss.
(1991/I/3a/30)

22. „Public Administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfillment or
enforcement of Public Policy.‟ Comment. (1991/I/1a/20)

23. „……………… the development, if not survival of civilization depends on the science and
practice of administration.‟ Comment. (1990/I/1a/20)

24. “Popular belief is that ownership change from public to private brings about improved
performance.” Comment. (1989/I/5b/20)

25. Management of the flow of work upward and downward within human hierarchies and between
human hierarchies is the art of administration (Appleby). Comment. (1989/I/1c/20)

26. Do you think that contemporary administrative theory supports the „art‟ of Public Administration
and generally ends to place less emphasis on the „science‟ of public administration?
(1988/I/2/60)

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