Public Administration (PA) - is a branch of Political  „Dura lex sed lex‟ (the law may be harsh, but it is still

Science (PS) that deals with the specialized study of the law. The law is the law.)
government.  “Ignorancia legis neminem excusat.” Ignorance of
- It is government in action. the law excuses no one from compliance therewith.”
- is the organization of men and materials to achieve - are made in order to protect the common life we
the purposes of government. share. It is to create order and to have the ability to
- can be broadly described as the development, predict what will happen next.
implementation and study of branches of o “Man was born free and yet everywhere he is in
government policy. chains.” (Rousseau)
 Goals: (1) pursuit of the public good by enhancing - refers to a body of rules, regulations, policies and
civil society and ensuring a well-run, fair, and guidelines that shape and define discipline,
effective public service hierarchy, command and order.
- is carried out by public servants who work in public  Respect for laws ensures (1) fairness and
departments and agencies, at all levels of justice, (2) builds professionalism and (3)
government, and perform a wide range of tasks. develop direct and indirect obedience.
o Public administrators collect and analyze data Government
(statistics), monitor budgets, draft legislation, - The focus of the study of PA
develop policy, and execute legally mandated - Came from the words „gubernare’ (to steer, direct
government activities. and control); „gobernaculum’ (rudder).
o Public administrator roles:  Who makes law?
(1) "front-line" positions serving the public (e.g.,  Government since it is defined as agency
parole officers and border guards); through which the will of the state is formulated,
(2) administrators (e.g., auditors); expressed and carried out by the 3 branches
(3) analysts (e.g., policy analysts); and (executive, legislative and judicial)
(4) managers and executives of government - The institution or aggregate of institutions by which
branches and agencies. an independent society makes and carries out the
- is also an academic field rules of actions which are necessary to enable men
- a relatively new, multidisciplinary field which only to live in a social state, or which are imposed upon
emerged in the 19th century. It draws on theories the people forming that society by those who
and concepts from economics, political science, possess the power or authority of prescribing them.
sociology, administrative law, management, and a  The goals of the field of public administration are
range of related fields. related to the democratic values of improving
- as a sub-field of study, is enabling government equality, justice, security, efficiency,
officials to learn the art of balancing limited public effectiveness of public services; business
resources with the possible goals of the state. administration is primarily concerned with profit
 PS is the mother discipline of PA for a field built on concepts (eg. accountability,
Public Administration and Political Science governance, decentralization, clientalism)
PA PS  PA is the business of government. The art and
- is the execution and - is the decision-making science of managing the affairs of the state.
management of public process that ensures  Scope of PA
policies to satisfy the formulation and - Delivery of public services
public interests implementation of - There are public officials exercising political
public policies power
- is the organizing and - qualifies, quantifies - Extensive in terms of scope of its functions
managing of people and brings in people to Public Administration and Governance
and other resources to form government.  Governance, according to the United Nations
achieve the goals of Development Programme (UNDP) is the exercise of
government political, economic and administrative authority in
Fundamental concepts of Political Science the management of a country‟s affairs at all levels.
 Political Power The regularized management of political, socio-
 Politics cultural, economic, technological, demographic,
 State ecological and institutional needs and interests of all
 Government social forces to ensure balance and fairness in the
 Law (Public Policy) realization of certain ends.
 Influence “Public” and the Field of Public Administration
Law (Public Policy) Definition of the
Meaning Examples
- is a rule of conduct, just and obligatory, promulgated Field
by competent authority, for common observance and government public funds, governmental
benefit. public officials management
 Public policy is what government intends to do or beneficiary of public utility, provision of
not to do. public goods public health, public goods and
public policy services
the people as a public interest, governance for  Public administration relies on many pre-
community public service public interest stablished disciplines such as sociology, political
Goal of Public Policy science, administrative law and public finance.
 Solve problems that cannot be solved privately. Further, public administration is an integrating
 “Public life”- life lived in recognition of the science.
consequences of, and potential in, our relations with  Public administrators need be concerned with
others, both direct and indirect, over extended time. both theory and practice. Practical
 Matthews 1984: 122 considerations are at the forefront of the field,
Public Private but theory is the basis of best practices.
- sovereign - voluntary  Public administration is a science because
- political - contractual knowledge is generated and evaluated
- government - market according to the scientific method.
- imposed - consensual  In the United States, Woodrow Wilson is considered
- unilateral - multilateral the father of public administration. He first formally
- constrained by political - constrained by recognized public administration in an 1887 article
authority economic authority entitled "The Study of Administration."
(civis over civilitas)  The future president wrote that "it is the object of
Public Interest administrative study to discover, first, what
- greatest good for the greatest deserving number government can properly and successfully do, and,
over the longest possible range of time secondly, how it can do these proper things with the
What is Public Administration? utmost possible efficiency and at the least possible
cost either of money or of energy
Assumptions of:
 Wilson was more influential to the science of public
Traditional PA Emerging PA
administration than Von Stein, primarily due to an
- dichotomy between - inter-relationship of
politics and politics and article Wilson wrote in 1887 in which he advocated
administration administration four concepts:
- administrative neutrality - ethical responsibility  Separation of politics and administration
- efficiency and - effectiveness in problem-  Comparative analysis of political and private
productivity solving organizations
- centrality and control - decentralization and  Improving efficiency with business-like practices
participation and attitudes toward daily operations
- cross-cultural - cross-cultural domestic  Improving the effectiveness of public service
comparisons comparisons through management and by training civil
- maintenance of functions - re-designing of functions servants, merit-based assessment
and tasks st
Philippine PA at the 21 Century
- comprehensive rational- - participative social
planning planning  Why PA Started in 1868
- reactive problem-solving, - proactive problem-  The science of admin. Is not of our own making;
change, and learning solving, change, and it is a foreign science; it utters none but what are
learning to our minds alien ideas… If we would employ it,
- dichotomy between facts - critical examination of we must Americanize it, and that not formally, in
and values facts and values language merely, but radically, in thought,
- emphasis on influence of - emphasis on pluralistic principle and aim, as well. (Wilson 1953:68)
special interest groups and participatory Early PA Theory
democracy  Government or political science scholars dominated
- emphasis on expert‟s role - emphasis on citizen
what would become the public side of organizational
in policy analysis participation in
community problem-
theory. Woodrow Wilson, PhD. and 28th president,
solving is remembered as one such political scientist who
- vertical coordination and - horizontal collaboration first distinguished public administrators from
authority relation and human networking politicians.
- organizational growth - achieving excellence with  In an 1887 article, “The Study of Administration”
with affluent resources limited resources Wilson called a professional workforce of public
- information accumulation - information sharing and sector employees. He further argued for efficiency
networking and responsibility to the public as key criteria by
1800-1930s which this workforce would operate.
 Lorenz von Stein, an 1855 German professor from  His work marks the beginning of an era, at least
Vienna, is considered the founder of the science of in the United States, during which public
public administration in many parts of the world. In administration has been thought of as a distinct
the time of Von Stein, public administration was field of study and practice. Since Wilson, public
considered a form of administrative law, but Von administration has been a discipline separate
Stein believed this concept too restrictive. from politics, worthy of academic study and
 Von Stein taught: independent discussion.
  The idea that business-like administrators needs of the organization; the company was primary
should separate themselves from politics in daily in early management theory.
operations remains Wilson‟s chief, most  Though somewhat naive from a modern perspective,
enduring contribution. early management scholars set a precedent for
 Subsequent interpretations and the eventual systematic, unbiased decision-making. Frederick
development of rival dichotomies are perhaps a Winslow Taylor and Henri Fayol were two of the
tribute to the importance of Wilson‟s first distinction. many seminal management theorists of particular
The politics administration survived the mid- importance to public sector management.
twentieth century in the works of Leonard White,  Fredrick W. Taylor is probably most remembered for
Frank Goodnow, and W.F. Willoughby, but these "scientific management." This is commonly
scholars did not leave the original dichotomy as they described as the method by which the "one best
had found it. Leonard White authored The Study of way" to complete a task is discovered. In a 1915
Public Administration (1948), a standard in the field address, Taylor outlined the mutual advantages of
for years (Denhardt 2000, 44). labor-saving technology and processes, implicitly
 In it, the author argued that “the study of public touting the significance of his model. Taylor argued
administration…needs to be related to the broad that objective empirical observation would eventually
generalizations of political theory concerned with yield an optimally efficient process by which a labor
such matters as justice, liberty, obedience, and the task could be completed. (Taylor in Shafritz and Ott
role of the state in human affairs “ (cited in Denhardt 2001)
2000, 44). The desire to restore a degree of  Much like Taylor, Henri Fayol was originally a private
reliability, merit, and workability to modernizing sector theorist. In General and Industrial
democracy was a major impetus for the continued Management (1916), Fayol outlined what he called
division of politics and administration. the “General Principles of Management.” The author
 In a related work, Frank Goodnow, Policy and acknowledges, from a positivist perspective, the
Administration (1900), takes a local government flexibility of management studies.
perspective to comment on the separation of powers  However, his fourteen principles use in much the
in government. He argues that the strict same matter-of-fact tone as Taylor‟s. Fayol‟s 14
interpretation of the separation of powers in the principles included the:
constitution has been violated many times for good (1) division of work;
reason (Denhardt 2000, 46). (2) authority and responsibility;
 “Therefore, it is appropriate to rethink the formal (3) discipline;
theory of separation of powers so that our theory (4) unity of command;
might more closely match our practice” (46). The (5) unity of direction
unique perspective offers valuable insight into other (6) subordination of individual interest to the general
trade-offs, including that between legislative versus interest;
administrative centralization at the state level (7) re-numeration of personnel;
(Denhardt 47). (8) centralization;
 W.F. Willoughby, „The Government of Modern (9) scalar chain;
States (1936), also contributed to the dialogue. Early (10) order;
in his career, Willoughby argued for a somewhat (11) equity;
strict separation of government powers. The (12) stability of tenure of personnel;
executive branch was to enforce laws as they were (13) initiative; and
created by the legislature and interpreted by the (14) espirit de corps.
courts (Denhardt 47). However, he later recognized  His elaboration upon each principle can be
difficulties in this hard-line position. Consequently, summarized as an argument for a logically
Willoughby suggested there are five classes of structured organization with an efficient (non-
governmental powers: legislative, judicial, executive, duplicative) management chain. The author
electorate, and administrative. highlighted tension between individual and
 These classes existed in addition to the three organizational interests, a theme that would be
traditional branches of government. The theories of taken up again by subsequent humanists.
White, Goodnow, and Willougby represent nuanced  Finally, his principles advocated a management
elaborations of a dichotomy much like that of Wilson. style and structure intended to foster a healthy,
However, this dichotomy would be more directly spirited workforce, with a sense of loyalty to the
challenged with suggested alternatives by the next company. Taylor and Fayol represent early, private
generation of public administration scholars. sector, management scholars whose work would be
Early Management Theory succeeded by humanist managers from both the
 Early management theorists were almost exclusively public and private sectors.
private sector scholars. The concept of an employee 1940s
as a manipulable tool was another feature of early  The separation of politics and administration has
theorists. By creating the proper conditions, been the subject of lasting debate. The different
management could better shape employees to fit the perspectives regarding this dichotomy contribute to
 differentiating characteristics of the suggested  Phil. administration system
generations of public administration.  Development Administration
 The separation of politics and administration  Focused on management of economic growth
advocated by Wilson continues to play a significant  Context: rapid social change
role in public administration today. However, the  Similar to Traditional PA in other ways
dominance of this dichotomy was challenged by  Introduced by technical assistance, relied on a
second generation scholars, beginning in the 1940s. technocracy
 Luther Gulick's fact-value dichotomy was a key  “The 1950s was a wonderful period. The
contender for Wilson's allegedly impractical politics- “American dream” was the “world of dream”- and
administration dichotomy. In place of Wilson's first the best and quickest way to bring that dream
generation split, Gulick advocated a "seamless web into reality was thru the mechanism of public
of discretion and interaction" (Fry 1989, 80). admin… The net result of all of this enthusiastic
 Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick are two such action was a magic term and public admin.
second generation scholars. Gulick, Urwick, and the experts were magicians of a sort.” Jones 1976:
new generation of administrators stood on the 99-100
shoulders of contemporary behavioral,  Phil. Research
administrative, and organizational "giants" including  Most works concerned not with economic
Henri Fayol, Fredrick W. Taylor, Paul Appleby, Frank growth but with social development and
Goodnow, and Willam Willoughby. nation-building.
 With the help of these specialists and their empirical  Development coupled with democracy,
work on human nature, group behavior, and equity and decentralization
business organizations, second generation public  New Public Administration
administration scholars had a necessary advantage  Centered in the US
over the pre-generation and first generation  Critical of traditional PA and bureaucracy as its
scholars. That is, the new generation of main instrument
organizational theories no longer relied upon logical  Committed scholarship
assumptions and generalizations about human  Concerned with policy and program studies
nature like classical and enlightened theorists.  Phil. Research
 Gulick is considered a watershed theorist, a truly  Ethics and accountability
unique administrative scholar credited with  Public service values
generating a comprehensive, generic theory of  Alternative delivery systems
organization. During his seven decade career Gulick  Public policy and program administration
differentiated his theories from those of his  Development PA or the Governance Tradition
predecessors by emphasizing the scientific method,  Similar to new PA in values, including centrality
efficiency, professionalism, structural reform, and of human being
executive control.  Located PA in unequal global sys.
 Gulick summarized the duties of administrators with  For bureaucratic reorientation
an acronym; POSDCORB, which stands for  For decentralization and democracy
planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating,  Redefined the public in PA as the people
reporting, and budgeting. Finally, Fayol offered a  Why PA?
systematic, 14-point, treatment of private  Relevance to local area
management. Second generation theorists drew  Critique of Western theory‟s applicability to
upon private management practices for local area
administrative sciences.  Development of theory from the ground up
 A single, generic management theory bleeding the  Rationality of alternative theory
borders between the private and the public sector,  Presentation of theory with strong
was thought to be possible. With the general theory, comparative dimension
the administrative theory could be focused on  = Governance
governmental organizations  Same value concerns
Varieties of Phil. PA  Beyond state to civil society and private sector
 Traditional PA  Diminished role for civil service in Governance
 Peace and order admin. Phil. Research in Governance:
 Focus on internal organization  New Fields
 Assumed politics-admin. dichotomy, stable  Globalization
society  Gender studies
 Satisfactory performance of staff functions =  Voluntary sector management
good public administration  Access to basic services
 Phil. Research  Present at the Creation
 Personnel Administration  Politics and political leadership
 Organization and Management  Democracy and democracy
 Agency studies  Citizenship and participation
 Fiscal administration  Decentralization and devolution
Implications of Body of NCPAG Research
 Give a sense of the immensity of a complex
discipline
 Not “uttering only alien ideas”
 Not focused on technique but on reform
 Accepting all institutions working for the public
interest
 Inspired by public service values
 Democracy as a proper object of study and proper
context for public service
 Recognizing a global context
 Analyzes structures of power but seeks popular
empowerment
 Opening up to vulnerable and excluded
 In short, Phil. Public Administration is governance for
the public interest