What is Public Administration?

Administration can be defined as a cooperative human effort

towards achieving some common goals.
It is a means by which the policy decisions made by the
decision makers are carried out.
It can be found in various institutional settings such as a
business firm, a hospital, a university, a government
department and so on.
Governance is genus of administration which operates
within a specific political setting.
Therefore, Public Administration deals with the machinery
and procedures of government activities.
 It establishes organizational structures,
 It directs and supervise employees performance.
It provides leadership communication,
 It determine work methods and procedures,
Therefore, public administration is government
administration, were the focus being specifically on
public bureaucracy.

 As per L.D White “Public “ administration is detailed

and systematic execution of public law. Every
particular application of law is an act of administration”
A close scrutiny of the above definitions reveals that public
administration has the following important characteristics.
 It is part of executive branch of government,
 It is related with the activities of the state,
 It carries out the public policies, and
 It realizes the aspirations of the people as formulated and
expressed in the laws.
3 Evolution of Public Administration!
 The origin of public administration as an academic discipline
is traced to the publication in 1887“book of Woodrow Wilson
entitled “the study of public administration”.
 But. public administration has been practiced for centuries.
 professional attention to the field was almost entirely lacking
until the end of the 19th century.
 The first systematic approach of studying public
administration was through law,
 Focusing to the legal organization of public authorities, their
legal forms of action and the limits of their power.
 4/The politics/ administrative Dichotomy
It is to distinguish Public Administration from
Political Since.
Political science is about the election of political
representatives.
While, Public administration is about execution, and
the career civil servants who implement policy.
public administrators are also often heavily involved
in policy formulation.
5/The Characteristics of Public Administration:
Considering PA as having the following characteristics:
 1/It can be identified with the executive branch of
government, but this does not rule out the fact that
public administration is also related in important ways to
the legislative and judicial Branches.
 It is identified with the formulation and implementation
of public policies.
 It is identified with the production of public goods or
services.
 It is a field of study that different from private
administration; and
 It is identified by Promoting ‘public-ness’ - public
administration has to be explicitly public’ in terms of
democratic values, power-sharing and openness.
 It is policy Sensitive: timely policy formulation
necessitates a new preparedness within the
administrative set-up.
Implementation Capability: - Goals have to be clearly set;
planning, programming and projections have to be followed
step by step.
6/Pillars of Public Administration
The central principles or values of PA are often referred to as the
three E’s or the three pillars of public administration:
A. Efficiency,(refers to the utilization of resources )
B. Effectiveness, (deals with the extent to which the
agency achieves the goals or objectives of the
organization or program.) and
C. Economy.(means acquiring resources at the lowest
cost while maintaining the objectives of the
organization )
7 The Distinction between Public and Private Administration
 The two types are fundamentally different as discussed
below:
A. The major purpose of public administration is to
serve the public while business administration is
basically oriented toward earning profit.
B. Public administration has to operate strictly
according to laws, rules and regulations. On the
contrary, business administration is relatively
free from such constraints of law and
regulations
C. The actions of public administration are much
more exposed to the public gaze.
D. In public administration, any show of discrimination or
partiality will evoke public censure or legislative
commotion. While, in business administration,
discrimination is freely practiced due to competitive
demands.
E. Public administration, especially at higher levels of
government, is exceedingly complex.
 There are many pulls and pressures, many minds
have to meet and discuss, consultations go on in
several rounds of meetings before decisions
are taken.
 Activities in one department have
ramifications that spread over several other
departments.
 By contrast, business administration is,
generally speaking, much more well-knit and
single minded in operation.
F Public administration has responsibilities in terms of
nation-building and shaping the future society.
 More specifically, the following points shall be taken in to
consideration to examine the basic differences between public
and private administration.
a) Environment - Public administration operates within
political environment. While Private administration
decided the course of action on the basis of cost-benefits
analysis
b) Nature of functions: The task is very complex in nature.
Example, Rural development programs.
c) Accountability :. It is subject to public control and
scrutiny. Ex. justify its action before parliamentary
committees.
D Efficiency: Public administration is less efficient than private
administration.
E Legal safeguards: public administrators’ Work must obey the rules
operating in the country.
F Service and cost - In public administration, there is close
relationship between the service rendered and the cost of service
charged from the public.
G Consistency of treatment - Public administration should be
consistent in procedure and uniform in dealing with the public.
F External financial control - Public administration is subjected to
external financial control.
G Monopoly - Many activities of public administration are
monopolistic in nature; and absence of competition has endowed it
with many special features.
8 The Environment of Public Administration
 Public administration exists in a peculiar socio –
economic, demographic, technological, and political
environment that affects its behavior and performance.
 The following is a brief description of the
environment of public administration classified as
internal and external.
a) Internal environment :
 This may include the organization itself
and groups and individuals within the
organization,
 The organizational structure and the pattern of
authority in the formal hierarchy,
B External environment.
 The external environment can be generalized as
demographic, political, economic, natural, social,
technological, and international environments affecting
the day today activities.
 1.9 The Institutional Setting of Public
Administration
1.9.1 State, Government and Society as a General Setting
 Public administration operates in a given state, run by a
government and serves a defined society.
 Society is a broad grouping of people who live in
a common environment and have common
traditions, institutions, activities and interests
 The state refers to a set of institutions that possess the
means of legitimate coercion, exercised over a defined
territory and its population or society.
 The state is composed of people living together, in a
defined territory having an international recognition.
 Government refers to the process of governing the
exercise of power.
 In spoken language, government and state are often
used interchangeably.
 1.9.2 The Government and its Machineries

National states are organized in many ways. In modern

States, there is a definite political Structure and certain
government institutions namely
A. an executive body,
B. legislative body and
C. Judiciary
 This is usually referred as the tripartite principles
which refers to the existence of three branches of
government.

:
 1.10 Types, Forms and Systems of Government
There are three major types of government. These are
Monarchy (rule by one person) is a type of government headed by a
hereditary, lifelong ruler. His power may be Absolute, Limited by
a constitution, or merely symbolic.
Aristocracy (rule by an enlightened few) – is a type of government
in a society with rigid class distinction
Democracy(rule by all the people) –is a type of government with
majority rule
B. Forms of Government
A. Unitary forms of government (Unitarism)
 A government (state) in which there is only one layer of
government.
 It centralizes all or most forms of power in one government
(at central government level).
 All authority to make laws is vested in one supreme
legislature whose jurisdiction covers the whole country
 It directly controls and heads regional and local
administrations E.g. France and UK
B : A con federal form of government (Con federalism)
 The members of a confederation retain their sovereignty and
come under a common control for the performance of
certain definite functions.
 The right to secede is definite in a confederation, unlike in
a federation, where it is doubtful and vague.
 There is an attempt of balancing their individual laws and
regulations with in the confederation.
C: Federal form of Government (Federalism)
 It is a form of government with the division of power
between central and regional governmental authorities
 It is a union of state that has permanently functioning central
organs of power and administration
 Local legislature is constitutionally guaranteed or led as a
measure of autonomous decision-making authority
 Decentralization under the Federal Form of
Government
Decentralization refers to the transfer of legal,
administrative, and political authority to make decisions
and mange public functions from the central government to,
subordinate units of government,
Decentralization has been undertaken for varied goals,
A. For Organizational effectiveness
B. For Making public administration more responsive
to the citizens
C. For Promotion of national development(providing
local self-government)
Forms of Decentralization
1) De-concentration (Bureaucratic Decentralization)
 It is the handing over of some amount of
administrative authority or responsibility to lower
levels within central government ministries and
agencies.
II. Delegation:
 This is the transfer of managerial responsibility for
specifically defined functions to organizations that are
outside the bureaucracy and only indirectly controlled by
the central government.
III. Devolution (Political or Democratic Decentralization
 This is the more extreme form of transfer of
governmental power and authority to local units outside
the central governments control.
 Devolution tends to be seen as a form of decentralization, in
which local government units are given responsibility for
some functions, but the central government may assume
some supervisory powers and play a large part in financing.
IV. Divestment
 This is the shifting of public functions from government
to voluntary, private or nongovernmental institutions.
Advantages of Decentralization
 Allows for more rapid decision making
 Allows for the development of professional managers
 Allows for the effective use of top-management resources
 Creates a competitive environment among the decentralized units
 Allows for improved controls and performance measurements
 Local needs and problems are best handled by local people
who are familiar with the local conditions
 Systems of Government
A. Parliamentary system:
 It is a system that the majority party in the legislature
forms the executive branch of the government headed by a
Prime Minister.
 The legislature and executive branches are not entirely
distinct from one another, since the prime minister and
members of cabinet are drawn from the parliament.
 A Prime Minister may be the most powerful member of the
executive, but important decisions are often made collectively
by the cabinet
Presidential system:
It is a system of government in which the president is elected
separately from the members of the legislature.
In this system, the executive's position is independent of the
legislature.
Members of the executive are not normally members of the
legislature, and
ultimate decision making authority within the executive lies
with one person, the president.
both the president and the legislature have their own power
bases
And helps serve to check and balance each other.
1.11 Public Administration in Developed and
Developing Countries
A. Public Administration in Developed Countries:
 Despite individual differences, the following are some of the
important features of administrative systems of developed
countries,
a) The bureaucracy is marked by a high degree of
specialization. Recruitment of personnel based on merits
.
b) Laws and political decisions are largely rational.
Public policy making is effectively made by
professional public administrators
c) There is an extensive popular interest and involvement
in public affairs.
d) Transfer of power and positions tend to occur in
accordance with prescribed rules and procedures.
B. Public Administration in Developing Countries
 The basic pattern of public administration is imitative (copied)
 The bureaucracies are deficient (lacking skills necessary for
development programs
 Emphasis to non-productive orientations.
 Extensive (huge) discrepancy or disagreement between form
and reality,
1.12 Public Administration in Ethiopia
A. Early Development
 It had started at the end of the Zemene Mesafint and the
restoration of the monarchy in the middle of the nineteenth
century,
 Emperor Tewodros He made a start towards the creation of
a national army, under his command and receiving salaries
from the imperial treasury.
 he sought to curtail the privilege of tax exemption enjoyed
by the church since the time of Yikuno Amlak.
 Yohannes IV. Unlike his predecessor, he was not known in
reform activity.
Emperor Yohannes was preoccupied with the appearance of new
dangers in the boarders of Ethiopia.
This was the reason for Yohannes’s lack of the reformist ambition of
his predecessor.
The origin of the "modern" civil service in Ethiopia dates back
to 1907 when Menelik II initiated the formation of a few ministries
with the aim of establishing an orderly workings of government
The first attempt was when Menelik appointed nine ministers on
October 25, 1907
The Ministers were
 ) Afenigus Nesibu Minister of Justice
 ) FitawrariHabtegiorgis Minister of Defense
 ) Likemekuas Ketema Minister of Interior
 ) Negadras Hailegiorgis Minister of Trade and Foreign Affair
 ) Bejrond Mulugeta Minister of Finance
 ) Kentiba Woldetsadik Minister of Agriculture
 ) TsehafeTizaz G/Sellasie Minister of Pen
 ) Kegnazmach Mekonnen Minister of Public works
 ) Azaj Metaferia Minister of Palace Administration
Emperor. Teferi’s accession to power as emperor brought the
attempt of Menelik to its strengthened position.
 Towards this end, the emperor modernized the civil
service
 by establishing a number of schools, modernizing the legal
system , the health and the administrative apparatus of the
country
The Civil Service as the operational arm of the
government charged with the implementation and
administration of public policy was established in (Atkilt 1996:
55).
But Failure to adhere to establish rules, unwarranted political
interference affecting standard administrative procedures, and
emphasizing political loyalty as the major criterion for
appointments and promotions did also contribute for its sluggish
performance.
II. Ethiopian Public Administration during the Dergue
Era
 The Imperial era, gave way to the Dergue/socialist system,
 radically redesign the administrative machinery in line with
the socialist central-planning ideological
 It also encouraged the creation of parallel structures by
appointing party functionaries to key decision-making civil
service positions.
 The Dergue allowed most bureaucrats who had served the emperor
to remain at their posts and appointed army officers to monitor
their activities in every ministry.
 Many civil servants, as well as military personnel, traveled to
the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Cuba for ideological
training
 During this time meritocracy was eroded, pay differences were
minimized and pay increase was totally abandoned specially
for professionals,
III. The Current Ethiopian Public Administration
 Though Ethiopia has a long history of statehood, the civil service
in the country has only 100 years of age.
 Due to the low level of development through all these
years, the civil service hardly contributes in fighting poverty
and backwardness
 The adoption of the Ethiopian Constitution in December 1994
brought key changes as to how government shall be organized
and operating. Consequently, the constitution:
1. • Reconstituted the Ethiopian state on a federal basis,
2. • Institutionalized the sovereignty of the people as the
ultimate source of power,
3. • Established a democratic system of government based
on periodically held free and fair elections,
4. • Established an independent judiciary,
5. • Guarantee the protection of citizen’s basic human and
democratic rights,
6. • Ensure the right of self-determination of nations,
nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia,etc
After the overall evaluation of government services by the
task force and the identification of major problems, the
government has designed and introduced the civil service
reform program
The major aim of the program has been to renovate the
backward government civil service delivery into an efficient,
effective, transparent and accountable civil service.
To make the civil service in the country be transparent,
responsive, accountable, ethical, and free of corruption that
enhance the economic and social development of the
country.
1.14 Public Administration Reform in Ethiopia
 As Ethiopian public administration has had a short bureaucratic
tradition, there is very little in terms of precedents and
institutional experiences that the system can rely on in solving
current governance and development related problems.
 High turnover within the public service affects the quality
and executing capability of the civil service in Ethiopia