INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

MODULE ONE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Unit 1: The Principles of Public Administration

Unit 2: The Historical Development of Public Administration
Unit 3: Public and Private Administration
Unit 4: The Ecology and Evolution of Public Administration

UNIT 1 THE PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Content:

PA 1 1 1 - Introduction to Public Administration

1.0 Introduction
2.0 Objective
3.0 Main Content
3. l Definition of Terminologies
3.1. I. Meaning of Public Administration
3.1.2 Nature and Scope of Public Administration
3.1.3 Public Administration and Other Social Sciences
3.2 Public Administration: Art or Science
3.2.1 Approaches to the Study of Public Administration
3.2.2 Basic Principles of Public Administration
4.0 Conclusion
5.0 Summary
6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment
7 .0 References/Further Reading

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Unit i s t h e fo u nd a tio na l Unit of not only this course, but of the programme. It f o c u s e s mainly on
t h e definitions, meaning, features, scope and basic principles as regards Public Administration,

The concept of Public Administration would be examined from the context of its universality and its relevance
to all human formations.

2.0 OBJECTIVE

At the end of this Unit, yOU should be able to:

• explain the term "Administration."

• define the term "Public Administration."
• state the Scope of Public Administration
• state whether Public Administration is Art or Science.

3.0 MAIN CONTENT

3.1 Definition of Terminologies

Administration is a universal practice and also of universal importance. Administration exists whenever people
cooperate to achieve the goals of their groups and such achievements require planning, organization, command,
cooperation and control It involves the mobilization, deployment and direction of human and material
resources to attain specified objectives.

Public Administration may be considered both a field of act ion and a field of study. As a field of action, Public
Administration refers to the mechanics and structures through which government policies are implemented. As
a field of study or discipline, Public Administration refers to the academic discipline which studies the
mechanics and structures through which government implement its programmes.

Public Administration, according to Woodrow Wilson, is a detailed and systematic application of law. Every particular
application of law is an act of administration.

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In the words of Dwight Waldo, "Public Administration is the art and science of management as applied to the
affairs of the states and for ...."

Luther Gullrich, "Public Administration is that part of science of administration which has to do with the
government and thus concerns itself primarily with the executive branch where the work of government is done."

All these definitions of Public Administration exhibit the following characteristics:

• Organization and Direction and material resources into an organized structure. This organized entity
is well guided to attain - Here Public Administration brings together human acceptable goals for the
interest of all

• The issue of cooperation and unity of purpose for the welfare of all; Public Administration is a
collective caring process for the welfare and well-being of all. It, therefore, involves the
harmonization of personal and group goals. It harmonizes personal and group goals.

3.1.2 Nature and Scope of Public Administration

The nature of Public Administration may be narrow and management whereby it is defined only as the Action
Side of government or mainly the activities of the executive arm of government. Also, it deals with the functions
of the Manager or the Chief Executive Officer only.

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There is also the broader view of Public Administration where it embraces the tree organs of government
being the executive, legislative and the judiciary. It reflects the collective caring activities of the three organs
of government. Furthermore, it involves the role of the least personnel to the highest in a work situation.

The scope of Public Administration is as follows:

• the formulation and implementation of public policies;

• the executive arm of government
• the involvement of problems concerning human behaviour at governmental level;
and
• a field that is differentiated in several ways from private administration.

However, Public Administration is broad and cannot be restricted to a specific detail. It is multi• discipline because
students and practitioners alike need to draw from several discipline like political science, psychology, sociology
and especially the sciences in order to reach the truth about a particular administrative problem or before
the best decision can be taken and implemented.

3.1.3 Public Administration and other Social Sciences

Public Administration is a distinct discipline of its own. However, as human beings and nations relate to each
other through interactions so do various disciplines. There is a close relationship between Public Administration
with other social sciences.

Psychology and Public Administration. Psycho logy is the science of the mind. Mental activity is known to guide
the behaviour of an individual Public Administration is mostly for the implementation of public policies
efficiently. How do we get efficient human beings to carrying public related tasks? This is why psychology comes
in from recruitrrent, the individual stay and the exit from the organization. Public Administration is able to
master human behaviour to a reasonable degree due to the assistance of psychologist and the knowledge of
psychology in a work place would definitely produce weU-mot ivated and happy workers.

Law and Public Administration. Laws are carefully established rules and regulations that are made to regulate
conduct and performance of individuals and groups as Public Administration is the administration of public laws.

In democratic process under the separation of power, checks and balances, rules and regulations are analysed
by the Legislature. The judiciary is well known by the function of judicial reviews. Therefore, every political settings
and administrative processes in public administration has legal connotations in law making, execution and
interpretation.

Philosophy and Public Administration. The knowledge of philosophy enables public administration to
systematically accumulate knowledge and wisdom from all fields of human

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undertakings. This enables administration to guide, teach, lead and serve the human society in the creation of
pleasant world for the benefit of tbe entire humanity.

Religion and Public Administration. Religion is a social science which deals with human relationship with the
Supreme Being. In all contents and purposes, the essence of religion is to truly identify with the Almighty.
Religion is one instrument of peace and obedience to constituted authority which public administration
symbolizes.

3.2 Public Administration: Art or Science

Public Administration is the implementation of rules and regulations by the executive arm of government. It
is the totality of all government activities.

There is always this friction about Public Administration being an Art or Science course. Art is the knowledge
acquired by learning and practice and Science is the act of doing an activity in a systematic way. But Public
Administration can be viewed as a Science base on certain criteria.

Existence of Agreed Principles. The principle of Public Administration as agreed by writers in the field, are: planning,
organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting and budgeting. There is also a span of control that
limits the number of subordinates one can conveniently control

The outcome of good administration can be predicted to be efficient work force and efficient and productive
output. Therefore, the ability to determine future occurrence through present indices makes Public Administration
Science-oriented in nature.

Public Administration is concrete and exact because it has the organizational outlook. Organization is
the putting in their right perspectives human and material resources to achieve set goals. It further creates
formal authority structure and allocates duties and functions. Another proof the Public Administration is
Science is that in an attempt to carry out its various functions, there is sorre form of experiments. The whole
world can be termed "the laboratory" of Public Administration. Policies and Laws are tentative intent ions to
regulate human affairs. They (law and regulations) are experimented upon to see how good it would work for
the benefit of mankind.

Lastly, it is an agreed principle that everyone is equal before the law. This involves the calculated use
of resources to actual set goals. A calculated sue of resources must involve careful and uniform use of
thoughts, words and actions both in theory and practice. This is scientific because it is a systematic accumulation
of knowledge.

As an art, Public Administration can be seen as having more than one definition. For Science, the definition
would have been only one. Public Administration as an art, has various definitions both at a narrower or broader
view. Another attribute of Public Administration that makes it an art subject is that human behaviours are subject
to irrational acts which may also affect the policy content which may vary due to the variation in human nature.

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There is also the issue of unequal treatment of people when it comes to Public Administration. This unequal
treatment may be due to corruption, nepotism and favoritism Irregular human behavior cannot be subjected to
laboratory experiment. Therefore, Public Administration is an art because knowledge is gained through learning.
But in all, it should be noted that it is not absolutely true to say that Public Administration is absolutely an art or
science.

3.2.1 Approaches to the Study of Public Administration

The word "approach" means to come nearer or closer to something. The approaches discussed here depend on the
definition of Public Administration and the extent to which the boundaries of the subject are adjusted. The following
are the approaches to the study of Public Administration.

Judiciary Approach: Of all the approaches to the study of Public Administration, the judicial approach is the oldest.
This approach assumes that Public Administration carried out primarily by the executive organ of government is
nothing more than the implementation of rules and regulations as passed by the legislature.

Public Administration is the Science of government and is the knowledge of the laws by which every society is
regulated. It can be concluded here that Public Administration originated from the study of the judiciary or
Administrative Law

Scientific Approach: Fredrick W. Taylor's, the father of Scientific Managerreru, effort was to develop public
administration into a science from principles within the engineering and management sciences. Taylor's
desire was to increase production by motivating the workers to work harder.

Comprehensive Approach: Here, Public Administration is considered as the total performance of governmental
functions or organizational functions by those placed in position to do so. This approach to the study of Public
Administration sees both the functional and the administrative tasks as Public Administration and hence the term
"comprehensive."

Administrative Process Approach: As the name suggest, this approach sees administration as the make-up of
some processes or functions which include policy, organization, personnel, finance procedures and control.

Conventional Approach: This is a transition from the comprehensive and the administrative process approaches.
Here, a distinction is drawn between specialized professional and the "generalists" or the administrative staff.
The question that arises here is, the generalists or administrators as the technical experts, who is "fit" to head the
organization?

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Economy and Efficiency Approach: Under this approach, economy is replaced with the issue of efficiency.
There is a strong relationship between the scientific approach and the economy and efficiency approach. While
the scientific approach attempts to identify the principles of making management of men and materials in
any organisation more efficient, the efficiency approach largely introduces and applies these management
principles in the organisation of men in the public and private sectors ofa political system

Historical Approach: This approach sees Public Administration from the perspective of historical
developments or events in a nation's public service. A typical type is the reforms in the Nigerian civil service
from 1922 till date. The Nigerian civil service is growing and getting refined due to the several reforms she has
undergone to make it what it is today.

Equity Approach: The equity approach to the study of Public Administration states that public officials should
become sensitive to the needs, desires and aspirations of the public. This approach is the outcome of the
widespread disorder experienced in the United States of America in the fifties and especially the development
and spread of ideologies of Socialism which emphasized equity of human beings - have the concept of equity.

Realising that man's actions towards his fellow man had been inhuman, the equity approach is aimed at
rectifying man's injustice or inhumanity towards man by encouraging the American public servants to discard
self-interest and to be sensitive towards man's social problems.

3.2.2 Basic Principles of Public Administration

Public Administration is defined as a body of knowledge systematized and synthesized from various public
utterances and actions. Therefore, it has certain principles which are essential tools for providing goods and
services to the people. Principles are sources for action or essential regulations or fundamental truths
capable of guiding human conduct or behavior and performance. Public Administration has the capacity to
organise and direct human and material resources to achieve set goals. The principles of Public Administration
include the following:

Hierarchy: This simply means the orderly arrangement and distribution of power, functions, positions and
authority in an organization. Here, the objectives of the organisation are sub• divided into sub-objectives;
tasks are broken down into smaller units, power and authority delegated downwards.

Administrative hierarchy provides a determinate procedure that decides who is to decide. To avoid
contradictory authority-relationship, there is the need to establish a determinate hierarchy of authority either
by zoning authority along functional lines or by maintaining organisational structure. Formal organisational
structure is a plan for the division of work and allocation of authority. The organization gives each member
of the group his status and role in relation to the other members, but specifies the content of his work and his
functions in general terms. The whole operation of the organization is organized into an unbroken order
and clearly defined hierarchy.

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Political Direction: Public Administration obtains leadership from politics. It is said that Public Administration
is the youngest branch of political science. Furthermore, public administration is a political system in
action. A political system is a set of interaction, abstracted from the totality of social behavior through which
authoritative values are allocated to the society. This principle shows that administration obtains instruction
from politics in providing the needed services to the people. The top frames the broad policies or laws
which the administration executes.

Unity of Command: This means that each member of the organization should receive order from only one
supervisor. This is to avoid conflict and confusion. A situation where two supervisors issue two conflicting
orders to a subordinate will create conflict and confusion within the organization.

Public Responsibility: Political representatives are responsible to the people for their acts of omissions and
commissions, Public responsibility ensures the exercise of certain power and authority in the execution of
specified duties of functions fur the benefit of the people. It also stipulates the need for accountability to the
people.

Unity of Direction: Organisation is effective when members work together towards achieving same objectives.
There must be subordination of individual interest of the organizational Members should not work at
cross-purposes with the organisation. The objectives of the organisation can be best achieved if members
work towards the same goal, that is, the goal of the orga nisat ion.

Public Relations: Public re lat ions is a means through which people are informed about the policies and
intent ion of the government. It relates to the people that government is aware of their problems and steps
taken to solve the problems. It also picks up the reactions of the people on government policies and laws as well
as the solution to problems. The general public must be aware of the happening in the government.

Chain of Command: There must be a chain of command in an organisation. This is the power and authority
linkage order and power must flow from the top to the bottom in an unbroken order that makes for proper
communication of decision taken at each level of authority. There must be a clearly defined level of authority
and decision-making and each decision taken should be communicated downward through these defined chains
of command.

Social Necessity: The essence of public administration is the process of formulating and implementing
public policies. Public here refers to the people or the masses in the society. Public policy goes to express the
will of the people through providing them the civic amenities as well as developing them socially, economically
and politically.

Span of Control: This has to do with the number of the people that a supervisor should conveniently
control. There is the need fur a smaller number of people to be supervised and controlled so as to allow for
an effective control/supervision, A supervisor should also be able to coordinate the activities of the subordinates.
This coordination involves orderly arrangement of

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group effort to provide for unity of action in the pursuit of common purpose. To do this effectively, the
number supervised should not be too large as to be uncontrollable.

Division of Labour: This is the division of work or specialisation which gives room for higher productivity. This
is because each worker can work at his or her area of competence.
Authority and Responsibility: This is the right to give orders to subordinates and be
responsible and accountable for such orders. They should also be responsible for the
consequences of such orders.

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Discipline: This is the respect for or obedience of rules and objectives of the organisation. It is also obedience
to constituted authority as represented by management of the organisation.

Efficiency: The power to accomplish expected result is efficiency. Public administration, therefore, must have
efficient personnel to execute public programmes, satisfy the needs of the society and promote its expansion
and growth. Career development of public and civil servants is achievable through pre-entry and in-service training
programmes for the officials both senior and junior cadre. It is essentially m e a n t to promote efficiency.

Organisation: These are observable levels of government at the local, state and federal government. In
a d d i t i o n to this o r g a n i z a t i o n , p u b l i c a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i s a l s o organized i n t o legislature, the
executive and the judiciary. There are also visible formal and informal structures within the system. This
organization is the basic principle of public administration capable of bringing human and material resources
together for effective use and service to the people.

Equity: This m e a n s kindness and justice based on pre-determined conditions which must be known to all
workers. The management s h o u l d not be partial and should treat all workers fairly and as equals.

Esprit-de-Corp: This is unity. Union is strength; workers must cooperate and regard to themselves as one in
an attempt to achieve the organizational goals and objectives.

4.0 CONCLUSION

The unit was able to define public administration as that which involves the coordination of all organized activities,
having as its purpose, the implementation of public policy.

5.0 SUMMARY

This unit explained the meaning, the nature, scope and approaches to pubic administration.

6.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READING

Willough by, W. F. (yr). Principles of Public Administration.

Whie, L. 0. (yr). Introduction to the Study of Public Administration.

PA 1 1 1 - Introduction to Public Administration