Natural vs social science

**Natural Science (like Physics, Chemistry, Biology):**

- In natural science, scientists try to find clear and provable laws that explain how
things work in the physical world. These laws are often based on things we can
see and measure.
- Scientists in natural science follow a clear process. They observe, investigate,
experiment, and test their ideas. This method helps build a solid body of
knowledge.
- They can make general rules that apply to many situations because their
findings are based on concrete evidence.

**Social Science (like Sociology, Psychology, Economics):**

In social science, researchers also study and explain things, but the laws and rules
they find are often less precise compared to natural science.
- Social scientists focus on understanding human behavior and how societies
work. People are complicated, and societies are diverse.
- They have a tougher time following a strict process like natural scientists
because human behavior is influenced by many things and can be hard to predict.
- While they can make general rules, they might not always work for everyone or
every situation. Human behavior and society can vary a lot.
So, in simple words, natural science deals with finding clear laws about how the
physical world works, while social science tries to understand people and
societies, which can be more complicated, making it harder to come up with strict
rules.
Public Administration and Political Science
 • Close Connection: Public administration and political science have a strong
connection. To understand one, you often need to understand the other.
• Blurred Lines: Sometimes, it's hard to tell where politics ends and administration
begins. They can mix together, and it's not always clear where one starts and the
other stops.
• In the Past: In the past, people thought of politics as making the rules and
administration as carrying out the rules efficiently.
• Woodrow Wilson's Idea: A long time ago, Woodrow Wilson said that
administration is like a separate business. It should be separate from the influence
of politics.
• Modern Differences: Nowadays, we see differences between political and
administrative officers. Political officers are often new to the job, while
administrative officers are experts. Political officers are more connected to political
parties, while administrative officers are not.
• Working Together: Even though they're different, politics and public
administration work together. Politics sets the big goals and motivations for
government actions. Administration handles things like collecting data, making
policies, and putting them into action.
• Limits: Even though they're closely related, there are limits to what each field
covers. Administrators can help make policies, and top administrators often know a
lot about politics. The line between the two can be blurry.
In simple terms, politics and public administration go hand in hand. They're like two sides
of a coin, and even though they have differences, they work together to make government
work.

Public Administration and Sociology

• Sociology and Human Behavior: Sociology is like the study of how people behave
when they are in groups or societies. It looks at how different groups influence the
way people act.
• Public Administration and Society: Public administration is about how we
manage and organize society. When lots of people work together, they form groups
within bigger groups. These smaller groups have their own rules, which can affect
how things work.
• Sociology Helps Understand Groups: Sociology gives public administration
important information about these groups. For example, it looks at things like
people's status (their place in society), their class (how much money they have), and
their power (how much influence they have).
• Max Weber's Ideas: A guy named Max Weber said that bureaucracy (the way
organizations are structured) helps communities work together in an organized
 way. This is important for understanding how power and relationships work in
organizations.
• A New Perspective: Sociology gives public administration a fresh way of looking at
things. It helps public administration see how people act in groups and how society
is organized, making it work better.
So, in simpler terms, sociology helps public administration understand how people behave
in groups and how society is structured. It's like looking at the big picture to make public
administration run smoothly.
PA and economics

• Back in Time: In the past, government work was mainly about keeping order and
making sure justice was done. But things changed with the industrial revolution.
• Government Gets Economic: The industrial revolution brought new challenges, so
governments started getting involved in economic and industrial matters. They
made rules for work hours and conditions.
• Expanding Role: As time passed, governments began taking part in business and
the economy to make society fairer. In many places, they started owning and
running industries.
• Economics Knowledge Needed: Now, it's clear that people working for the
government need to understand economics. Things like money management,
banking, trade, and government businesses affect public administration.
• Shared Interests: Both government workers and economists care about money-
related topics like public finance, banking, and how finances are managed. These
topics are important for both.
• Learning from Business: Public administration has picked up useful ideas and
words from how businesses are run. Businesses are closely tied to economics, and
these ideas help public administration.
• Modern Issues: Today, governments deal with economic problems like strikes,
housing, and trade unions. In Nigeria, they want to make a more social and fair
society. To solve these issues, government workers need to know economics.
• Comparing with Others: Looking at how different countries handle their
economies can teach government workers a lot. They can learn from what works
elsewhere.
So, simply put, public administration and economics are closely connected because
government decisions often involve money and economics. Knowing economics is
important for government workers to make smart choices and run the country well.

Public Administration and History

 • History Isn't Just About Kings and Queens: Many people think history is just
about recording what kings, queens, and other important people did in the past. But
that's not quite right. History is more than that.
• History Tells Us How Society Changes: History actually helps us understand how
societies grow and change over time. When we study the history of a place like
Nigeria, we're really studying the history of its people, their beliefs, and how they
lived. This is super important for understanding how governments and societies
work.
• Records Are Key: Governments keep careful records of their actions in archives.
These records are like a treasure trove for students of public administration. They
give us a glimpse into how things were done in the past.
• Historical Research Is Growing: In recent times, students of public administration
have started looking into the history of how governments worked. They've studied
how administration worked in different countries in the past. For example, L.D.
White looked at early American administration, and S.B. Chrines examined the
administrative history of Medieval England.
• Changing History: Historically, many records focused on battles, wars, and royal
families. But that's changing. Historians now pay more attention to how society,
politics, and the economy developed.
• Helping Each Other: Studying history isn't just for historians. It also benefits other
fields like social sciences. If historians look at things from an administrative
perspective, it makes history more useful. And if administrative scientists consider
history, it broadens their understanding of how societies work.
In simple terms, history isn't just about famous people; it's about understanding how
societies change and develop over time. Governments keep records of their actions, which
are like gold for students of public administration. Recently, people have started looking
more into the history of government work. This helps everyone learn more about how
society and government function.

Public Administration and Law

• Laws are important to make government plans work.
• Public administrators use these laws to make good things happen in society.
• For example, if Nigeria wants to change things for the better, they need laws to
support those changes.
3. Following the Law:
• People in public administration must always follow the law.
• They can't do anything against the rules.
• If they break the law, they can get in trouble.
4. Helping Make Laws:
 • People in public administration help create new laws.
• They use their knowledge to suggest ideas for better rules.
• Sometimes, they can even make small rules on their own.
5. Law Execution:
• Public administration is like making sure the laws work.
• It's about doing things according to the rules.
6. Law Protects Everyone:
• Laws also help protect people who might need help.
• They make sure everyone gets treated fairly.
7. Rules and How They're Shared:
• Public administration is connected to how we decide who gets to make decisions in
the government.
• It's important to make sure decisions are made clearly and fairly.
So, laws are like rules for a happy group, and public administrators use these rules to make
good things happen while always following them. They also help make new rules, and both
law and public administration work together to keep society fair and orderly.

Public Administration and Psychology

Public Administration and Psychology:
• In the past, public administration didn't pay much attention to psychology.
• They thought they could figure everything out without it.
• But later, they realized that psychology is super important.
2. Human Behavior Isn't Always Rational:
• People don't always make logical decisions.
• So, understanding how people think and act is key.
• This is where psychology comes in.
3. Administrators Need Psychology:
• Administrators are the people who manage things, like in government.
• They have to work with other people, not just things.
• So, they need to understand how people's minds work.
4. Informal Connections Matter:
• It's not just about rules and orders.
• Talking and connecting with people in a friendly way is crucial.
• These informal talks can make administration work better.
5. Training and Public Relations:
• Psychology helps train staff and improve how the government deals with the public.
• It's a big help in making government work smoothly.
So, psychology is like the key to understanding people's behavior, and it's super important
for public administrators. It helps them connect with others, and it's also used to train staff
and make government interactions better.

Development of Administration or Administrative Development

Development Administration is all about making sure that government work is efficient
and effective. To achieve this, it needs to focus on improving administrative skills,
structures, and behavior. This process is known as Administrative Development or
developing the administrative system. In simple words, it means making the government's
way of doing things better, more organized, and healthier. This is not just about changing
how things are done but also making sure it leads to:
• Political progress.
• Economic growth.
• Changes in society.
The administration should evolve to match what society wants to achieve. Administrative
development also means changing the way things are done in government to fit the needs
of today's world. Some of the old rules and laws don't work well anymore.
Administrative development includes:
• Making sure the administrative system can handle new challenges and meet big
goals.
• Growing in size, specialization, and having professionals in the government.
• Using resources efficiently and effectively.
• Getting better at managing things.
• Using new technology and methods.
• Making bureaucracy more modern.
• Reducing bureaucracy's slowness and corruption.
• Changing the way things are done based on real needs.
• Training local people instead of relying on foreign experts.
• Encouraging people to take the lead in improving their communities.
• Reorganizing and improving the government's structure.
• Giving more power to the government workers.
• Having administrators who can lead and support social and economic
improvements.
Administrative development is essential for development administration, which is all about
planning and running programs to achieve specific goals. These goals are usually about
making things better for the country. The behavior of government workers is just as
important as the rules and structures they follow.
Administrative development helps get rid of problems that slow down governments from
making positive changes. It's all about making sure the government can plan and execute
programs to make the country better.
In short, both administrative development and development administration are connected.
They rely on each other. You need a strong and modern government system to achieve
development goals, and you need development programs to make administrative
improvements. They support each other, like a chicken and egg situation, where one is not
more important than the other.

Development Administration: by Riggs

Development Administration by Riggs
Riggs talks about two important aspects:
• Administration of Development: This means carrying out plans and policies for
the development of a country. It's about making sure these development goals
happen.
• Development of Administration: This means improving how the government
works. It's about making the government more efficient and effective.
In countries that are still developing, the way the government works is influenced a lot by
politics, the economy, and culture. Western models of government don't always work well
in these unique situations.
Riggs also looked at how different governments around the world compare and what we
can learn from them. This is called comparative administration.
When we talk about "administrative development," we mean creating new institutions,
especially government agencies. These agencies help governments achieve new goals,
especially in newly independent countries.
So, Riggs helped us understand that improving how a government works and making it fit
the specific needs of a country is a big part of helping that country develop. He called this
"development administration."