Assignments of public administration

Summary
Ch.1
Public administration could be defined as the art and science of managing government affairs,enforcing laws
and fulfilling public policy
Public administration originates from to latin word:publicus,which means people or the public and
ad+ministaire which means to look after people or things
Public administration is a collective mechanism for the expression of the will of the people and
the wellbeing of the environment
Public administration can also be referred as the political system

Relationship between politics and administration

Politics:in its more specific sense is concerned with the acquisition and use of state power
Administration:is concerned solely with the most efficient means for achieving any given set or
political objectives

Distinguish between the politics and administration,because public administrators are in

Various ways,involved in both public policy making and policy implementation
One way of differentiating politics from administration is term of careers and vocations

Difference between administration and management

Can be differentiated in to major ways:
 The nature of the organization and management levels
 The kind of decision involved

Difference between management and administration

Basis Management Administration

Meaning Is an art of getting things
done through others
Nature Is an executing function
Process Decides who should as it and
how should he do it
It is concerned with
formulating of broad
objectives,plans,policies
Is a decision making function
Decides what is to be done &
when it is to be done
 Function Is a doing function because
managers get work done
under their supervision
Skills Technical and human skills
Level Middle and lower level
function
Is a thinking function because
plans and policies are
determined under it
Conceptual and human skills
Top leve function

Difference between business public and private administration

 Public administration:is some times referred to as public management and some times
the two words are used interchangeably
 Private administration:is in the domain of private organization or institutions which are
establishments that are not owned (either jointly or principally) by the government

Difference betweens public and private administration

Are settings,formation and structures
 Setting:
1.public administration is for service orientation,that is capially intensve e.g civil
service commission (csc)while private organization is a profit-oriented entity.

2. Public administration performs numerous activities e.g external defence whereas the
private organizations have limited activities e.g engineering

3. Accountability In the public administration is not well established or accounted for

but in the private organization the level of accountability and efficiency is well
established

 Formation
1. Public administration are being financed from various taxes or being owned by
the public. But private organization are owned by limited number of people not
Asa large as a country

2. Public organization is opened to more criticism (Either constructive or

otherwise)while the private organization are not all that prune to frequent
criticism as their operations are not widely known

 Structure
1. The size of public organizations is usually larger than those of private organizations.
Many private organizations structures do not extend beyond their locality
2. Recruitment into the public service is based on geographical spread those of the private
sector, are mostly on merit irrespective of applicant’s state of origin
3. Personnel procurement in the public sector is done by a centralized body, while private
sector,individual organization is responsible for the living of its staff
4. Decisions making in public administration is control by the government or elected
officers while the shareholders private organizations or sectors