Chapter 1 Flashcards
What does administration stand for according to Merriam-Webster dictionary?
“to manage or supervise the execution, use, or conduct of, e.g. administer a trust fund”
What does administration stand for according to Oxford dictionary?
“Manage and be responsible for the running of a business”
Public service/Public goods are
commodities or services or goods that are both non-excludable and non-rivalrous.
What does ‘public’ stand for?
1.Public service/Public goods
2.Public organizations
3.Public engagement
4.Public interest
5.Public realm
6.Public policies/Public programs
Public realm refers to
The public domain. It is defined as the Publicly owned and accessible places.
Public interest
collectively desired goals/results
The concept ‘policy’ in general refers to
A statement of goals and intentions with respect to a particular problem or set of problems that is often accompanied by a more detailed set of plans, programs, or instructions for pursuing those goals.
Public policies
are authoritative statements made by legitimate governmental actors (the chief executive, the legislature, public agencies), or nongovernmental actors (e.g. nonprofit organizations, private corporations) about important public problems and issues; e.g.
health, education, employment, housing, etc.
public administration is concerned with
- The management of public organization
- The implementation of public policies and management of public programs.
- The promotion of public engagement and management of public realm.
- The provision of public and quasi-public goods and services.
- The pursuit of public interest.
One definition of Public administration could be
Public administration is concerned with the management of public programs. In that sense, public administration is a function of government.
Who argued that public administration is the management of men and materials in the accomplishment of the purposes of the state?
White
Gulick in discussing the organisation of public administration argued for
A system of Authority whereby the central purpose of an enterprise is translated into reality
Who said that government leaders should engage the public in an ongoing dialogue in which society defines and evaluates it’s collective goals, examines it’s Norms and beliefs and in defining it’s purposes becomes better able to mobilize it’s resources and achieve its goals
Reich
Chain of means and ends in the publicness of public administration
Public organisation to public policies and programs to public goods and services to public interest
Main values of public administration are
- Managerial values
- Democratic values
Managers across all sectors are involved in the managerial process and functions an example of these functions are
Organisational design, the allocation of scarce resources, and the management of people.
The main three differences between public administration and business are
- Ownership and funding
- The ultimate ending Goal
- Functioning/context
The ultimate ending goal of an organisation is either
Private interest and public interest
The functioning of an organisation is characterized by.
- Ambiguity
- Pluralistic decision making
- Visibility
Traditionally, the primary distinction between public and business administration was mainly concerned with
Making profit, while public administration is concerned with delivering service or regulating individual or group behaviour in the public interest
Nowadays why is the traditional distinction between public administration and business administration doesn’t persue
As many public organisations are persuing enhanced revenues
What is the most important criteria to distinguish between business and public administration
It is the ultimate ending goal
What is the ultimate ending Goal for private enterprises
Pursuing private interests
What is the ultimate ending goal for public organisations
Pursuing public interests
Non-profit management is characterised by
Ambiguity, pluralistic decision-making and visibility
In the context of public and nonprofit management the characteristics of its objectives are
Much more ambiguous and difficult to be measured
What type of administrators operate with much more greater visibility
Public administrators
Due to the increasing engagement in providing public service, many corporations are finding it important to
Open their decision making process to public scrutiny and involvement
The 3 approaches of public administration
1.Mangerial approach
2.Political approach
3.Legal approach
The definition of public administration in the book is based on
Action orientation
Attempts to theorize public administration had to consider the
values, the culture, and the social and political environment within which the operational activities of public administration are carried out.
The substantive Fields within which public managers work range across
1.From Defence and national security to social welfare and environmental quality
2.From The design and construction of roads and bridges to exploration of space
3.From taxation and financial administration to human resource management
The scope of public administration can differ from context to another
These different contexts are
1.Global context
2.National context
Public administration in the national context are in terms of
1.Role of the state
2.Size of government
3.Political and economic system
4.Societal values
5.Cultures
Global context of public administration includes
1.International organisations
2.Foreign relations
3.Global NGOs
4.Multinational companies
5.International conventions and treaties
List the factors that enabled the world’s countries become more interconnected
1.Construction of global market place: free movement of capital
2.Changes in the social and political structures: global society
3.Role of the nation state and sovereignty in managing internal and foreign affairs has been challenged
4.Central power has shifted in favour of local and supra/trans-national authorities
5.Complexity in public & nonprofit sector
Different types of skills needed by public managers
1.Technical skill
2.Human skill
3.Conceptual skills
Skills needed by first-line supervisors
1.Technical skills
2.Human skills
3.Conceptual skills of less importance
Skills needed by Middle managers
1.Human skills
2.Technical skills of less importance comparing to first line managers
3.Conceptual skills of less importance comparing to top level managers
Skills needed by Top-level managers
1.Conceptual skills
2.Human skills
What are the satisfaction that public managers draw from their work
1.Contributing to the solution of social problems and making a difference in people’s live
2.Improving quality of life for people
3.Promoting democratic values and ethical standards in using the powers of government
4.Serving the public goods and pursuing public interests
Materialisation of public administration values, roles and principles are in the form of
Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy refers to
A way of organising work
Characteristics of Bureaucratic model
- Specialization and division of labour
- Hierarchy of authority
- Explicit written rules and regulations
- Impersonality and neutrality
- Technical qualifications
One of the main issues and concerns in public administration is to
Operate efficiently in a way that consistent with the democratic values
The three main democratic values are
1.Individualism
2.Equality
3.Freedom
What is Individualism?
Suggests that the individual is the primary measure of human value in which achieving the fullest potential of each individual is the primary goal of a democratic system
What is equality?
Suggest that differences in wealth status or position should not give one group preference over another
Freedom includes
1.Freedom of choice
2.Freedom of action
Contrast the following democratic values with the corresponding bureaucratic values
1.Equality
2.Individualism
3.Freedom and participation
1.Hierarchy
2.Group or organisation
3.Top-down decision making
Examples of Pure public goods/services
1.Law enforcement
2.National defense
3.Access to clean air
Examples of quasi-public goods
1.Public transportation system
2.Public healthcare
3.Public education
4.Road Construction
5.Electricity
6.Subsidies
Inductive approach of public administration involves
1.Analyzing the phenomenon in the real world
2.Reaching a theory
3.Examining the Theory
David Rosenbloom connected the managerial approach of public administration to
The executive function
David Rosenbloom connected the legal approach of public administration to
Judicial function
David Rosenbloom connected the political approach of public administration to
Legislative function
In public administration, service objectives is said to be
ambiguous
Effeciency means
Getting things done quickly and at least cost
Responsiveness means
Attentiveness to the demands of the citizens
Public administrators are usually referred as
Bureaucrats
Why is the Extent to which public adminstration can get involved in policy making involves a dichotomy?
On one hand, elected officials are responsible for setting policy priorities while on the other hand, public administrators are responsible for implementing polcies and providing advice for elected officials.
According to woodrow Wilson:
The Dichotomous approach
Administration should be separated from politics and its corrupting influences
According to who:
Administrative questions are not political questions
Woodrow Wilson and other early scholars
According to Woodrow Wilson:
Policies were to be debated and decided by
Politicians
The phrase city council-manager form of local government refer to
Type of local government structure in which a city council is responsible for setting policy priorities and making policy decisions, while a professional city manager is responsible for implementing policies and managing day to day operations
The city council consists of elected officials that hire a city manager
According to the interactive approach:
Why this distinction was increasingly broken down
Distinction between politics & Administration
Public Problems have become increasingly complex needing a certain level of technical skills that adminstrators posses
The Power of specialized knowledge and expertise is involved in which approach
The interactive approach
Forms of bureaucratic power
- Information and expertise of agency personnel
- Discretion in interpreting and providing detailed rules of vague legislations
- Flexibility in implementation
due to newly discovered conditions
Bureaucratic power refers to
The administrative capability to successfully carry out the intent of the legislature that created it.
Give an Example
Bureaucrats getting involved in policy-making
In civil service
* Advises government on the implementation of a policy and is responsible for implementing agreed policy
* It helps prepare and draft new legislation
* Helps the Government to run the country according to the legislation passed by the Oireachtas
In CIvil service:
Each department of state has a permenant staff consisting of
Administrative, professional, specialists and technical employees
In the civil service:
The head civil servant of each department is recommended by
The head civil servant of each department is the secretary General
The minister of that department
Appointed for about 7 years
In civil service
Below the secretary general there are
A number of Assistant Secretaries and below them are many officials at varying levels of seniority
Officials are graded according to their seniority
Sources of bureaucratic power is divided into
- External factors
1. Public opinion support
2. Support from clientele groups,
3. Critical issue of Sub-government - Internal factors
1. Information and expertise
2. Agency’s cohesion
3. Strong and effective leadership
The concept ‘policy’ in general refers to
A statement of goals and intentions with respect to a particular problem that is often accompanied by a more detailed set of plans, programs, or instructions for pursuing those goals
Public policies are authoritative statements made by
Legitimate governmental actors or nongovernmental actors
Governmental actors such as (the chief executive, the legislature, public agencies) and nongovernmental actors such as (nonprofit organizations, private corporations)
The stages of policy process
- Agenda setting
- Policy formulations
- Policy legitimation
- Policy implementation
- Policy evaluation and change
Process of developing public policies:
Agenda setting is about
Giving priority to the most important issues that need action
The agenda setting process can be viewed as the junction of three events:
- Policy recognition
- Policy generation
- Political action
Process of developing public policies:
Different actors who play vital role in setting the agenda:
- president
- legislators
- executive branch officials
- political parties
- interest groups
- policy entrepreneurs
- media
- general public
Who are:
Policy entrepreneurs
Those who are willing to invest personal time, energy and
often money in pursuit of particular changes, or they can involve themselves in major
institutions
Major institutions such as media, political parties or interest groups that provide access to decision-makers
Example on policy entrepreneurs
- الموقف المصري
Process of developing public policies:
Policy formulation:
Involve the development of formal policy statement that are viewed as legitimate
Development of formal policy statement include legislation, executive orders, administrative rules, budget proposals
In the process of developing public policies:
Where does the legislative process & bureaucratic expertise play a major role?
Policy formulation
Process of developing public policies:
Policy legitimation means
Legitimizing and justifying policy decisions and actions through giving it legal force on one hand, and making it acceptable by the broader public on the other hand
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies:
Policy implementation is
set of activities directed towards putting a policy/program into effect
Process of developing public policies
Policy evaluation
about assessing the efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness of public policies
Types of public policies
- Regulatory
- Distributive
- Redistributive
- Constituent
Give an Example on:
Regulatory framework
- Control or coordination over all matters relating to Pharmaceutical industry by the regulatory authority in South Sudan