What Is Public Administration?

Public administration refers to the domain of government that is

responsible for providing essential services, implementing policies,
and ensuring the welfare and interests of the general public.

1) Public administration has two main jobs.

The rst job is to give services people need. The government
gives important services like money for poor people, health
care, schools, buses and security. Public administrators
organise and manage these services.
The second job is to make rules for things that a ect
people's lives. The government needs to make rules for
businesses, shops and the economy so people get a fair deal.
Public administrators make and carry out these rules.
2) Public administration works at all levels of government- local,
state and national. At the local level, they do programs for
things like cleaning, water and buses.At the state level, they
deal with police, hospitals and schools. Finally, at the national
level, they manage things like the military, dealing with other
countries and trade.
3) The major things public administrators do are: make rules,
organise work, hire people, give instructions, make di erent
parts work together, give information, and spend money.
4) Public administrators have an important and di cult job. They
have to do what politicians want. At the same time, they should
be fair and serve all citizens equally. They must please di erent
groups while using limited money.
5) To do this well, public administrators need good qualities like
always telling the truth, being fair and inspiring people who
work for them.
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 Evolution Of Public Administration
Public administration has changed a lot over time. It used to work
in a strict way. Now it works in an easy and helpful way for people.
1. In the past, public administration followed xed rules.
Government workers had to follow the rules exactly. The
persons who made policies and the public administrators
worked separately.
2. This old way developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Persons like Weber, Taylor and Fayol a ected it. They
emphasised rules like hierarchy, division of work, authority,
discipline and one boss.
3. But this old way had problems. It made decisions slowly. It did
not improve government services. So public administration
started to change in the mid-1900s.

1. Modern ways emphasise exibility, asking people and citizens

to take part in decision-making and checking their performance.
Asking people involves taking ideas from citizens.
2. Technology has also changed public administration. The use of
computers, the internet and mobile phones has changed how
governments function and give services. It has made
administration more open, time- saving and easy for citizens.
3. Globalisation and competition between countries have also
pushed governments to improve the e ciency and quality of
public services. Governments have started using business
practices in public administration.
4. Changes in societal values have also contributed to the
evolution. Citizens now expect more responsive, citizen-centric
and inclusive administration. This has led administrators to give
importance to ethics, social justice and equality.

◦ In future, public administration is likely to become even

more exible, participatory and technology-enabled. The use
of arti cial intelligence, big data and blockchain technologies
will transform how governments work.
◦ Future administrators will need new skills like data analytics,
digital literacy, networking and negotiation. They will have to
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 become more collaborative, transparent and accountable to
citizens.

In summary, the evolution of public administration shows that while

traditional rules remain useful, modern changes are needed to
make governance e ective and responsive. Both tradition and
transformation are important for successful public administration.

Scope Of Public Administration

The scope of public administration is very broad. Public
administration deals with the governance of a country. Lots of
activities of the government come under public administration.

1) The government makes policies, laws and rules on various

subjects. It implements these policies through various departments
and ministries. Public administration includes implementing these
government policies and programmes properly through proper
coordination of the concerned departments and ministries.

2 )The government manages many institutions to deliver services

to citizens. Schools, hospitals, post o ces, police stations and
courts are government institutions. Public administration helps
make these institutions work well and provide good services to
people.

3) The government collects taxes from people. It generates income

from other sources too. Public administration ensures this income
is collected properly and used wisely. Good funds management is
part of public administration.

4) The government appoints many o cers and sta at di erent

levels. Public administration helps recruit the right people for
government jobs. It trains o cers to perform their duties well. It
manages the promotion and other service conditions of
government sta .

5) The government works for the welfare of citizens. It implements

various welfare schemes. Public administration helps implement
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these welfare schemes honestly and e ciently. It helps schemes
reach deserving people.

6) The government makes laws and rules for various activities.

Public administration helps implement these laws properly. It
monitors if people follow these laws. It punishes those who break
the law.

7) The government has to work with other governments at the

state, national and international levels. Public administration helps
the government coordinate its work properly with other
governments. It represents the government at various forums.

8) Public administration helps maintain the law and order

situation in the country. The police and other security agencies
come under public administration. They ensure internal and
external security.

Therefore, public administration covers a broad scope of

government activities. Almost every task done by the government
to serve citizens falls under the scope of public administration.
Good public administration results in good governance. It ensures
that government policies and programmes serve citizens properly.

Signi cance Of Public Administration

Public administration helps the government run a country properly.
So public administration is important. Good public administration
has many bene ts.

1) Public administration helps implement government plans well.

The good implementation helps citizens get bene ts. Bad
implementation wastes money and does not give good results.
So good implementation through public administration is
important.
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 2) Government gives services to citizens through schools,
hospitals etc. Good administration makes these institutions
give good services.

3) Public administration collects taxes properly. It uses

government money wisely. Good funds management is
important for development. Wasting money leads to less
development. So responsible public administration of money is
important.

4) Public administration recruits good o cers and sta for

government jobs. It trains them to do duties well. Only capable
government employees can implement government plans
properly.

5) It helps implement welfare schemes and makes sure that the

bene ts reach the deserving people. Only then do bene ts
reach people who need help. So the proper implementation of
welfare schemes is important.

6) Public administration makes sure citizens follow laws and

rules. Only then can society be orderly and developed. So
enforcing laws properly is important.

7) Public administration helps the government work with other

governments. This coordination is important for the country's
development in various elds.

8) It helps keep law and order. Only with peace a country can
develop. Public administration keeps internal security through
the police. It keeps external security through armed forces. So
public administration for law and order is important.
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Public and Private Administration

What is Public Administration?

Public administration refers to the domain of government and its
related institutions that are responsible for providing essential
services, implementing policies, and ensuring the welfare and
interests of the general public. It encompasses the management
and execution of the governmental functions, covering areas such
as healthcare, education, infrastructure development, law
enforcement, and more.

Advantages of Public Administration

◦ It works for the bene t of society as a whole.
◦ Focus on social welfare and equity, striving to reduce
inequalities and improve the standard of living for all citizens.
◦ Accountability to the public and opportunities for citizen
participation in decision-making processes.

Disadvantages of Public Administration

◦ Bureaucratic processes can slow down decision-making and
implementation.
◦ Dependency on government funding, which can be in uenced
by political factors and budgetary constraints.
◦ Risk of ine ciency and lack of innovation due to rigid
structures and resistance to change.

What is Private Administration?

Private administration refers to the management and operation of
organisations in the private sector, including for-pro t businesses,
non-pro t organisations, and privately owned entities. Private
administrators are responsible for maximising pro ts, achieving
organisational objectives, and meeting the needs and expectations
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of stakeholders, such as shareholders, investors, customers, and
employees.’

Advantages of Private Administration

◦ Focus on generating pro ts and achieving nancial success.
◦ Flexibility and autonomy in decision-making processes.
◦ Quick response to market demands and changing business
environments.

Disadvantages of Private Administration

◦ Potential for unethical practices and prioritisation of pro t over
social welfare.
◦ Inequalities in wealth distribution and potential exploitation of
labour.
◦ Lack of transparency and reduced public oversight.
Key Di erences between Public and Private
Administration

1) Goal - Public administration is focused on governance and

serving the public interest, while private administration is
oriented towards generating pro ts and ful lling stakeholder
interests.
2) Funds - Public administration is primarily funded by taxpayers,
whereas private administration is funded by shareholders and
investors.
3) Autonomy - Public administration adheres to regulations and
operates under the purview of governmental bodies, while
private administration has more autonomy and engages in self-
regulation.
4) Acountability - Public administration is accountable to the
public and subject to political in uences, whereas private
administration is accountable to shareholders and in uenced by
market competition.
5) Chain of Command - Public administration typically has a
hierarchical structure with a de ned chain of command, while
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 private administration may have a more exible organisational
structure.
6) Decision-making - Decision-making in public administration
can be slow and bureaucratic due to multiple layers of approval
and public scrutiny, while private administration can make
decisions more swiftly.
7) Emphasis - Public administration places a strong emphasis on
equity, social welfare, and public goods, while private
administration prioritises pro tability and shareholder value.
8) Transparency - Public administration is subject to greater
transparency and public scrutiny, while private administration
may operate with less public oversight.
9) Resource-Management - Public administration often involves
complex budgeting processes and allocation of public
resources, while private administration focuses on e cient
resource management within its own nancial framework.
10) Domain - Public administration operates in the public domain,
while private administration operates in the marketplace.
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