POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION

GROUP DICHOTOMY
2

ARELLANO, Rosemarie
DELA ROSA-MALINAO, Mary Ann R.
ESPINAS, Shiela May A.
ESTOMEN, Nicole Graine
 01 What is Politics-Administration Dichotomy?

02 Politics-Administration Dichotomy: The Myth

Refuses to Die

CONTENT 03 Resurgent Democracies, Bureaucratic Reform

& Politics-Administration Dichotomy

04 Recasting the Politics-Administration Dichotomy:

In Search of an Alternative
DEFINITION OF TERMS

What is Politics-Administration Dichotomy?

01

POLITICS
Activities that relate to influencing
the actions and policies of gov-
ernment or getting and keeping
power in a government.
ADMINISTRATION
The act or process of administering, or
the execution of public affairs as distin-
guished from policy-making. A channel
through which policies are realized.

DICHOTOMY
A division or contrast between two things that are or are
represented as being opposed or entirely different.
Nature and Scope of Politics

Politics as Politics as the

State power 6 1 art of possible

Politics as the Politics as the

authoritative
5 2 governing of men
allocation of values
4 3
Politics as the
Politics as who
gets what, Struggle for power
when, and how?

What is Politics-Administration Dichotomy? 01

ADMINISTRATION

Administration generally refers to the

day-to-day management of activities
to achieve a goal.

Administration is to care for or to

look after people, to mange affairs

It involves such functions as POSDCORB in an organization.

(planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting)

What is Politics-Administration Dichotomy? 01

Differences between Politics and Administration
GENERAL
POLITICS ADMINISTRATION
PUBLIC

 Politics is about the use of state power or the science of governing whereas ad-
ministration is the science and art of actualizing what government wants to do.

 Politics is an area of change and unpredictability but administration is an area of

stability and routine.

 Administrators are appointed on the basis of qualification and examination while

political influence goes into the appointment of politics.

 Administration stresses technical factors but politics stresses values.

 In dealing with clientele, politics seeks the interest of supporters while adminis-
trations thrives on the impartiality of rules and processes.

01
 Politics-Administration Dichotomy 01
A theory that construct the boundaries of public adminis-
tration and asserts the normative relationship between
elected officials and administrators in a democratic society.

An organization that can be referred to as a system of roles

graded by authority.

Woodrow Wilson (1887) as stated in his essay, that administra-

tion must be removed from the hurry and strife of politics.
 02
The Myth Refuses to Die

Politics-Administration
Dichotomy
 POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION
DICHOTOMY

 is a theory that constructs the boundaries

of public administration and asserts the
normative relationship between elected
officials and administrators in a democratic
society

02
POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION DICHOTOMY
WOODROW WILSON
 a theory that politics and administration are inherently different and should
be approached as such.
 “The field of administration is a field of business. It is removed from the
hurry and strife of politics.... Administration lies outside the proper sphere of
politics. Administrative questions are not political questions. Although
politics sets the tasks for administration, it should not be suffered to
manipulate its offices.”
 leads to political neutrality

02
POLITICS-ADMINISTRATION DICHOTOMY
WOODROW WILSON

 can potentially be substantial in sustaining a strong

productive government
 the complexity, difficulty level and ample multiplication
of governmental functions can be seen as a main
component in the cause to implement the politics-
administration dichotomy
 separating the will of the people from politics

 leads to political neutrality.

 the administration must be separate from politics

02
ETHICAL BASIS FOR THE BEHAVIOR OF BUREAUCRACY

1. It enshrined expertise and technical capabilities in the

civil service and in the conduct of public
administration
2. It allowed the bureaucracy to be linked to democracy
under the principle that elected officials who are
legitimated through the electoral process make
decisions for the state
3. The dichotomy lends credence to the label members of
the bureaucracy as “civil servants” who carry out the
will of the people through the political leadership
4. It helps legitimize a system of administration in which
appointments are not based on the political
partisanship, loyalty and allegiance to any political 02
interest or party but as a technical body
 Waldo acknowledge that the Politics-administration
dichotomy is a “seriously erroneous description of
reality, and as deficient, even pernicious, prescription
for action” (Riggs 1987)
 Frederickson asserted in no uncertain terms that
dichotomy “lacks empirical warrant, for it I abundantly
clear that administrators both execute and make policy”
 Lambright likewise maintain the “the administrator is a
participant in the political process, a politician in the
sense that he must engage in conflict resolution, exercise
discretion, and make decision affecting competing
claims.’

02
 03
Resurgent Democracies
Bureaucratic Reform and
Politics-Administration Dichotomy
Resurgent Democracies,
Bureaucratic Reform
and Politics-
Administration
Dichotomy
In the face of uncertainty as to logical va-
lidity and relevance of politics-adminis-
tration dichotomy proposition, it would
seem awkward and inappropriate to de-
scribe it to resurgent democracies in
their quest for bureaucratic reform and
normalcy.
03
16
 RESURGENT DEMOCRACIES
Liberalism Liberal Democracy Political Sociology
It has to be Finds its place in the Figure prominently in the adoption of
preoccupied with need to reinstall the institutional mechanism to carry out
the perspective of aspiration of political the will of the state which is premised
order and and administrative on adherance to democratic principle
soveriegnity, which accountability. on separation of power,s check and
has serious balances, alteranace of power through
implication on the electoral process, establishment of
perspective and basic freedoms, and sensitivity to
assertion of citizen demands.
independence.

17
03
 Resurgent Democracies
In the pursuit of these values, the environment of resurgent democracies will be
conflictual as policies attempting to uphold this traditions simultaneously became
incompatible.

If the redemocratization efforts were based on consensual transitions, the process

may be less burdensome since the regime that gave bureaucracy the source of
power and influence would be in better position to remove this through the resid-
ual authority.

If the transition occurs through regime breakdown, the new dispensation is bound
to adopt measures that would on whole be drastic and sweeping, and which, may
temporarily paralyze administration, to the extent that it threatens and gets in way
18
of instituting reforms.
03
The problem of bureaucratic reform among resurgent democracies
presents a myriad of dimensions and components that require swift,
decesive intervention.

Much of the problems that will confront the redemocratization process

will revolve around such agendas:
* revising the organizational structure
* institutional configurations and relationships
* the power arrangements
* the orientation of the bureaucracy

19
03
The figure
depicts a clear-
cut
separation of
powers and
assignment of
roles, prescribing
the process of
political inputs as
part of the role of
the legislative or
political system

20
03
The major agenda of administrative reform would be:

The redefenition of functions and roles of the bureaucracy under the

new dispensation, presumambly within the framework of a
democrartic system premised upon a constitutional mandate and on
separation of powers.

Reorganization of agencies, abollition, creation of new ones, merger

and and removal of bureaucrats deemed as corrupt and inept would
naturally preoccupy the attention of government.

21
03
...Politization of the bureaucracy is normally thought to occur when
the bureaucracy loses its independence to propose alternative
choices and especially, its ability to exercise discretionary choice in
the context of rendering impartial and universalistic judgement of
effectiveness within the context of prevailing laws. Bureaucracy also
is thought to have become politicized when administrative officials
are required to meet litmus tests of loyalty to governing authorities...
(Aberbach and Rockman 1987:490)

22
03
A resurgent democracy attempts to institute reform by way of removal
of bureaucrats who are deemed to be corrupt, incompetent or
identified with the previous dispensation, and in the process, sets the
tone for patronage which results in partisanship and loss of neutrality
since:

1. Bureaucrats would tend to be subvervient to the new dispensation

in the exercise of functions in order to be retained in office.

2. The entry of new bureaucrats would be faced with the burden of

proving themeselves as worthy allies of the new regime.

23
03
It may be conceded that administration may be embodied in some
politicalization in the implementation or enforcement of policies but it
must have some semblance of independence instead of subservience to
the political leadership.
Resurgent democracies must take the pains to respect the career
service, and pursue the more effective approach of changing the
bureaucratic outlook in the exercise of administrative power and
functions.
Through appropriate policy interventions and following liberal
democratic traditions of accountability, resurgent democracies must
have to “depoliticized” the bureaucracy by a marked return to the
pursuit of policy implementation. 24
03
 04
In Search of an Alternative

Recasting the Politics-Administration

Dichotomy:
 Recasting the
Politics-
Administration 04

Dichotomy
The Politics-Administration Dichotomy
proposition may have to be recast or
reformulated with the view of discovering that
middle ground which provides a viable and
useful legacy in enriching the perspective of
reform. 04

The dichotomy can be appreciated in

the following manner:
1.) A resurgent democracy must necessarily
restore the balance of power among the different 04
branches of government, and as such, must have
the appropriate formula to engender it.
2). The resurgent democracy can take stock of
legacies observed and upheld in the dichotomy
propositions as enduring contributions to good 04
administration and thus, should be taken account
in the reform effort.
REFORM
REFORM EFFORTS
EFFORTS

Careerism, Political
Merit, and
Neutrality
Security of
Tenure

Independence
Administrative of the
Accountability Bureaucracy

04
Political Neutrality
The aspirations encompasses a difficult
04
notion that is generally oversimplified into the
understanding that administrative system must
be separated absolutely from the “hurry and
strife” of politics.
Independence of the
Bureaucracy
A related notion that goes hand in hand
with political neutrality is having to poster the 04
independence of bureaucracy in the exercise
of duty and functions.
Administrative Accountability
The adoption and enforcement of
effective and efficient mechanisms for 04
insuring administrative accountability should
serve as a check for bureaucratic behavior and
performance.
Careerism Merit and Security of Tenure
A resurgent democracy would do well if it
is begins to foster and uphold the sanctity of the
career service and the security of tenure that is 04
based on a career system that is governed by
technical rules and insulated from partisan
politics.
3). Finally, the politics-administration
dichotomy proposition may serve as the basis
for acknowledging that in a democratic
society, administration cannot be insulated 04
from the “hurry and strife” of politics, and
must therefore be prepared to anticipate
pressures from the political system.
THANK YOU
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the
Lord. Plans to prosper
you and not to harm you;
plans to give you hope
and a future.

Group
Politics-Administration Dichotomy
2