PUB AD WEEK 1 and 2

Question 1

What are some of the key roles of public administration?

Answer 1

Public administration involves the implementation of public policies, the execution of public laws, delivering public programs to citizens, and providing advice to politicians.

Question 2

Why is public administration often described as a ‘black box’?

Answer 2

Public administration is considered a ‘black box’ because, although it is the ‘doing’ part of government, it is often less visible than other government activities and difficult for the public to observe in detail.

Question 3

How does public administration relate to politics and law?

Answer 3

Public administration operates at the intersection between politics and law, which can obscure its role and reinforce its low visibility in comparison to more visible political and legal processes​

Question 4

: Why is public administration considered powerful?

Answer 4

Public administration is powerful because it provides the organizational structure and resources that enable elected governments to implement their policies and laws. In some cases, it can influence the success or failure of these policies​

Question 5

What is the ‘Administrative State’ as described by Morstein-Marx?

Answer 5

The ‘Administrative State’ refers to the idea that public administration has become central to the functioning of modern governments, and political processes are increasingly dependent on it​

Question 6

What is ‘agency theory’ in the context of public administration?

Answer 6

Agency theory (or principal-agent theory) refers to the relationship between politicians (principals) and public administrators (agents). Politicians try to control administrators, who have advantages like institutional knowledge and proximity to problems, which allow them to shape policy implementatio

Question 7

How can public administration influence policy outcomes?

Answer 7

ublic administration can influence policy outcomes through the exercise of discretion in policy implementation, choosing between different rules, and sometimes acting based on personal values or institutional interests

Question 8

How does public administration affect political control?

Answer 8

Public administrators can resist political control through complex organizational structures, specialized knowledge, and internal rules, making it challenging for politicians to ensure that policies are implemented as intended