COURSE OVERVIEW

The course is designed for students to be oriented with the

conceptual foundation needed in understanding and
appreciating the important trends in the discipline of public
administration. The course shall examine the most important
issues in the field of public administration through the use of
examples from a variety of disciplines and modern culture. This
unique approach shall help the students captivate and be
encouraged to think critically about the nature of public
administration in the contemporary time.
The course shall introduce theories and practices
anchored in the discipline of public administration alongside the
different approaches and other basic concepts needed for the
study of public administration.
COURSE OUTLINE
I. NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
a. The Nature, Scope and Importance of Public administration
b. Public administration as Science and an Art
c. Evolution of Public Administration
d. New trends in Public Administration

[Link] TO PUBLIC ADMNISTRATION

a. Evolution of administrative Theory
b. Traditional Approaches: Philosophical, Historical Comparative
c. Modern Approaches: Marxist Ecological Behavioral, Decision Making
d. Contemporary Approaches: Contingency Approach, Rational Choice
Approach
COURSE OUTLINE
III. PERSPECTIVE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
a. Administrative Reform Movement
b. Scientific Management
c. Human Relation Movement: Human element in Public Administration
d. New Public Management

IV. BUREACRATIC THEORY

a. Nature, Scope and Importance and Classification of Bureaucracy
b. Characteristics of Bureaucracy
c. Merits and Demerits of Bureaucracy
COURSE OUTLINE
V. COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
a. Nature, Scope and Importance of Comparative Public Administration
b. Challenges to Comparative Public Administration

VI. ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

a. Define What is Organization
b. Management Process
c. Personnel Management and Labor Relations

VII. PUBLIC POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION

a. What is Public Policy
b. Policy Cycle
c. The Political and Culture environment of public policy and its administration
COURSE OUTLINE
[Link] GOVERNMENT AND ADMINSTRATION
a. Local Government and Intergovernmental relations

IX. LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

a. Define Leadership and Accountability
b. Leadership Style
c. Leadership Theories

X. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

GRADING SYSTEM
• Major Exam: 40 %
• Class Standing (Recitation and 20 %
Class Engagement):
• Quizzes: 30 %
• Attendance: 10%
• Total: 100%
Administration can be understood as
1. an activity;
2. a process;
3. a function; and
4. an institution.
Administration as an activity
✓Administration as an activity is as old as society itself. It
originated as a district of study with the publication of
Wilson's essay (1887) on the study of administration.

✓Administration as an activity is either internal or external.

Internal Administration
✓Internal administration covers those rules defining the
relations of public functionaries inter se and embraces the
whole range of the law of public officials. Thus, provisions
regarding the qualifications, selection, powers, rights,
duties and liabilities of public officers are considered part
of Administrative Law.
✓Internal administration consists, among others, of rules laid
down in a particular agency or office, like those
prescribing work assignments or job descriptions, uniforms,
procedures for submission of reports, and the like, all of
which are imposed by the superior in said office upon his
subordinates.
External Administration
✓External administration on the other hand, defines the relations
of public office with the public in general. The rules prescribed
thereunder do not necessarily affect the personnel of the
office but are promulgated for observance by those who have
dealings or transactions with said office.
✓Among the manifestations of external administration are the
rules of the Energy Regulatory Commission on the adjustments
in the rates charged by distributors of electricity and of the
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on recruitment
for overseas employment. These rules are promulgated by the
administrative agency in the exercise of its quasi-legislative
authority for the regulation of specific matters placed under its
jurisdiction.
Administration as a process
As a process, administration occurs in both public and
personal organizations. It occurs in such diverse institution as
business firms, labor unions, religious or charitable
organizations, educational institutions, etc. Its nature is
plagued by the sphere with which it's concerned.
Administration
On another note, the term “administration” can also
be understood in two senses, viz., as an institution and as a
function.
Administration as an institution
It is the aggregate of individuals in whose hands the
reins of government are for the time being (US [Link],2 Phill.
332). It refers to the persons who actually run the
government during their prescribed terms of office.
This includes all the person in the executive branch
who are charged with the enforcement of the law.
Administration as an institution
However, administration is to be distinguished from
government which is the agency or instrumentality through
which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and
realized (Poindexter v. Greenhow, 114 US 270).

In other words, it is the administration, which is

transitional in nature, which actually mans the government,
which, in turn, is a more or less permanent fixture in every
state.
Administration as a function
Administration as a function means the actual running
of the government by the executive authorities through the
enforcement of laws and the implementation of policies.
Any activity outside of the legislation and the rendering of
judicial decisions will come under administration, as when
the authorities collect taxes, drill an army, prosecute
lawbreakers, enforce sanitary rules, investigate certain
businesses and regulate the prices of prime commodities.
(Goodnow, Comparative Administrative Law, p.5)
Two types of administration
Administration is often divided into two types, public
and personal (private) administration. As a facet of state
activity it has existed since the emergence of political
systems. While public administration relates to the activities
dole out by government, private administration refers to the
management of personal business enterprises.
 Public administration can be defined from political, legal,
managerial, and occupational perspectives. However, defined,
its vast scope encompasses whatever governments do. Public
administration cannot exist outside of its political context. It is this
context that makes it public—that makes it different from private
or business administration. Public administration is what a state
does. It is created by and bound by the law and is an instrument
of the law. It is inherently the execution of public laws. Every
application of a general law is necessarily an act of
administration. Its legal basis allows public administration to exist,
but without its management aspect, not much of the public’s
business would get done.
 Public administration as an academic field is the study of
the art and science of management applied to the public
sector. But it traditionally goes far beyond the concerns of
management and incorporates as its subject matter all of the
political, social, cultural, and legal environments that affect the
running of public institutions. It is inherently cross-disciplinary,
encompassing so much of other fields—from political science
and sociology to business administration and law. American
public administration as a field of study is traditionally traced to
Woodrow Wilson’s 1887 article “The Study of Administration.” The
discipline of public administration, after developing as part of
political science, emerged as an independent field in the
second half of the twentieth century.
 Other scholars (notably Frederick Mosher) saw the
development of public administration in the context of the
transformation of the profession of public administration. The
idea that public service should reflect other ideals (besides
being bureaucrats) is important to understanding new roles
and responsibilities for government in what is now being
called a new era of governance in globalization.
 As a profession, public administration offers significant
opportunities for idealism in the pursuit of public service—and
even heroism. Concerns about an increasingly effective or more
expansive public service ebb and flow with the changing
political philosophies of differing administrations. But the
provision of public services—whether by career public servants
or by contracted private sector or non-profit organization
employees—remains the very essence of public administration.
In addition to ensuring that public services are provided with
accountability and efficiency, public administration is
confronting new realities of realigning public enterprises and
services in response to needs for renewable energy sources,
resource conservation, green technologies, and designs for
sustainability.
Content References (Books)
✓ Introducing Public Administration, 2017
➢ Jay M. Shafritz, E.W. Russell, Christopher P. Borick, and Albert C. Hyde.
➢ Routledge
➢ 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
✓ Philippine Administrative Law, 2007
➢ Carlo L. Cruz
➢ Professor, College of Law
➢ University of Perpetual Help System DALTA
✓ Readings in Public Administration and Economic System, 2022
➢ Dennis M. Bacuyag, DPA
➢ Dean, College of Public Administration &Graduate School
➢ Cagayan State University – Carig Campus
✓ Handbook of Public Administration, 2007
➢ Jack Rabin
➢ Professor, School of Public Affairs
➢ Pennsylvania State University – Harrisburg