INTRODUCTION

TO PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
C HAPT E R 1
Lecture

Miss Farhana binti Yaaku

CHAPTER OUTLINE
1.1 Definition of public administration
1.2 Importance of public administration
1.3 Characteristics of Public Administration
1.4 The similarities between private and public
administration
1.5 The differences between private and public
administration
1.6 Dichotomy between politics and administration
1.7 Roles of public administration
1.8 Types of bureaucracy
1.9 The development of public administration
in Malaysia
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
Upon the completion of this chapter, students should be
able to:
i. Define public administration
ii. Explain on the importance of public administration
iii. Explain the characteristics of public administration
iv. Describe the relationship between policy and
administration.
v. Discuss on the differences between private and public
administration
vi. Explain the role of public administration
 INTRODUCTION OF
1.0 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
most significance administrative set of organization,
machinery in a particular state rules and laws
or country.

branch of government that is responsible

different with
for the execution or implementation of
political office
policy

work together with private consist of various

administration in managing components.
the state

Establishments of federal, play very important roles in

provincial & municipal determining the nation’s affairs
governments and progress.

activity of governmental unit in instrument of the

carrying out the public policy state in assisting
declared in the law. citizens
 DEFINITION OF
1.1 PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public Administration is meant, in common

usage, the activities of the executive
branches of national, state and local
governments, government corporations and
certain other agencies of a specialised
character. Specifically excluded are judicial
and legislative agencies within the government
and non-governmental administration
(H. A. SIMON)
DEFINITION OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

“Public Administration is detailed and

systematic execution of law. Every particular
application of law is an act of administration.

” He further says: Administration is the most

obvious part of government; it is the
government in action; it is the executive, the
operative, the most visible side of the
government.”
(WOODROW WILSON)
DEFINITION OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
“Public Administration
(i) is a cooperative group effort in a public setting;
(ii) covers all the three branches – executive, legislative
and judicial, and their inter-relationship;
(iii) has an important role in the formulation of public
policy and is thus part of the political process;
(iv) is different in significant ways from private
administration; and
(v) closely associated with numerous private groups
and individuals in providing services to the
community.”
(F.A. NIGRO)
1.3 IMPORTANCE
Improving equality, justice,
Enhancing civil society, ensuring security, efficiency, effectiveness
a well-run, fair, and effective of public services usually in a
public service non- profit, non-taxable venue.

Maintaining law Promoting peace

and order. and harmony.

Practicing Good governance -

transparency and accountability in
Protecting the interests of the state
government policy decision
and of the people.
making and implementation
process.
1.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
NON-PARTISAN OR STRUCTURE
NEUTRALITY A set of laws or legally founded
rules that create the structure of the
non-political administrative apparatus
administrative apparatus of the state.
that is subject to policy direction but
not partisan.

POWER ACTIVITIES
has given certain authority to draw
and implement policy to achieve the carry out activities that related
desired goal. to the government

SUPERVISIO PERSONNEL
Continuing democratic supervision
N
of administrative activities through carried out by public servants
the executive which directs who work in public departments
activities within public and agencies, at all levels of
administration apparatus. government, and perform a wide
range of tasks.
 Subject to
government’s
regulation

1.3 Involve in
administration
THE
SIMMILARITIES Effective
BETWEEN PRIVATE management
AND PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Efficient utilization
of resources

Element of
cooperation
 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
1.4
PRIVATE
AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
PUBLIC PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATION
Belongs to private ownership, eg,
Belongs to government OWNERSHIP
shareholder

Resources are limited to only the

Main sources : taxes RESOURCES owners, shareholders &
stakeholder.
To serve public or people
OBJECTIVES To maximize profits
in the society

To the superior and SYSTEM Accountable only to the

also to the public ACCOUNTABILITY owner and shareholder

It is the largest organization & SIZE AND It operates on a narrow &

dominant force of the country COMPLEXITY specialized range of activities

RULES &
Federal constitution GOVERNANCE Companies act
 DICHOTOMY BETWEEN POLICY
1.5 AND ADMINISTRATION

• deliberate plan of action • described as the • Two interconnected

to guide decisions & implementation of activities that relevant to
achieve rational government policy
outcome(s). carried out by peoples public administration and
• can be understood as who work in that the government
political, management, organization or administrative process.
financial, & agencies and perform
administrative various tasks. • Public administration is
mechanisms arranged to
reach explicit goals. working on policy that
• merely guides actions decided by the government
toward those that are to achieve certain desired
most likely to achieve a goals.
desired outcome

ADMINISTRATI POLICY &

POLICY
ON ADMINISTRATION
 Approaches to PA
• Classical Approach:
– Rooted in the principles of Max Weber, this
approach emphasizes bureaucracy as the ideal
form of organization for public administration.
– Characteristics include a hierarchical structure,
specialization of tasks, clear rules and procedures,
and impersonal relationships.
– Emphasis on neutrality and efficiency in delivering
public services.
 Cont…
• New Public Management (NPM):
– Emerged in the late 20th century as a response to
perceived inefficiencies in traditional
bureaucracies.
– Focuses on principles borrowed from private-
sector management, such as performance
measurement, competition, and decentralization.
– Aims to make public administration more efficient,
customer-focused, and results-oriented.
 Cont…
• Public Choice Approach:
– Applies economic principles to the study of public
administration.
– Assumes that individuals in government and the
public sector act in their self-interest and seeks to
understand the incentives and motivations of
public actors.
– Highlights the importance of analyzing public
policies and decisions in terms of their impact on
individuals and groups.
 Cont…
• Human Relations Approach:
– Emphasizes the role of human behavior and social
dynamics within organizations.
– Recognizes the importance of communication,
motivation, and group dynamics in public
administration.
– Focuses on the well-being and satisfaction of
employees as a means to improve organizational
performance.
 Cont…
• Postmodern and Critical Theories:
– Challenge traditional approaches to public
administration and question established power
structures and assumptions.
– Critique issues of power, inequality, and social
justice in the public sector.
– Promote diversity, inclusivity, and alternative
perspectives in decision-making.
 Cont…
• Good Governance:
– Promotes principles such as transparency,
accountability, participation, and the rule of law in
public administration.
– Advocates for citizen engagement and civil society
involvement in decision-making processes.
– Seeks to reduce corruption and improve the
overall quality of governance.
 Cont…
• Public Value Management:
– Focuses on delivering public value and benefits to
citizens and communities.
– Emphasizes the need for government agencies to
identify and measure the value they create for the
public.
– Encourages a customer-centric approach to public
service delivery.
• These approaches are not mutually exclusive,
and many public administrations incorporate
elements from multiple approaches in their
practices.
• The choice of approach often depends on the
specific context, goals, and challenges facing a
particular government or organization.
 Some examples of Policy in Malaysia

National Economic National Sport

Policy (1971-1990) Policy
New Economic Model
(2011-2020)
National Development
Policy (1991-2000) National
Environmental Policy
National Integrity Plan

National Vision National Social

Policy (2001-2010) Policy
National Landscape
Policy
 DICHOTOMY BETWEEN POLITICS
1.6 AND ADMINISTRATION
• A principle stating that politics and administration should
remain separate in the public sector.

• The idea of separating politics and administration is to

avoid conflict of interest and maintaining neutrality
(MAX WEBER)

• According to DAVID H. ROSENBLOOM, the idea

that public administration can be separated from politics
is strange. He believes that if politics and public
administration were separate, this approach would not
work, emphasizing their inevitable interconnection.
“POLITICS – ADMINISTRATION” Dichotomy

POLITICS
ADMINISTRATIO
process by which groups of N
people make decisions on process by which groups of
political interests. They are people make decisions on
elected through election public interests. They are
process which involves, appointed by the government
normally several political to implement political
parties. It is achieved to decisions of the lead
satisfy political interests. government.

Wilson set a demarcation line between politics and administration

1.7 ROLES OF PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Promoter & facilitator of development 1
Changing from being a major provider of public services and development to promoter and facilitator
of development. Implementing government policies - Public administration has important role to play
in translating the ideas, wishes and policies of politicians into reality.

2 Providing public services

Provide varieties of services directly or indirectly through its agencies.
Such services including provision of water, education, health, electricity, telephone,
postal, transport, public housing, immigration and security services.

Improving service delivery 3

Improving service delivery in term of timeliness, quality, availability, effectiveness, efficiency and
convenience. This can be achieved by considering citizens as customer and success is measured in terms
of citizens’ satisfaction
 ROLES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Promoting social change &

economic development 4
improving socio-economic status of citizens and alleviating poverty.

5 Maintaining peace & harmony

Public administration is a major force for bringing stability in society

Protecting the rights of workers 6

it is imperative for public administration to implement such laws in order
to meet the requirements of labour welfare.
 ROLES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Economic Planning 7
Centralised economic planning has been pursued in many developing countries as a method for socio-
economic development. It requires a large number of experts and elaborate administrative machinery
for plan formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

8 Policy formulation & implementation

It requires a large number of experts and elaborate administrative
machinery for policy formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

9 Scientific & technological developments

Scientific and technological developments – bringing new technologies for
administration such as the advancement of e-government.
1.8 TYPES OF BUREAUCRACY

Bureaucracy is the collective

organizational,
procedures, protocols, and set of
regulations in place to manage activity, usually in
large organizations and government.

A bureaucracy is a form of organization in which

officeholders have defined positions and
(usually) titles. Formal rules specify the duties of
the officeholders. Personal distinctions are usually
discouraged by the rules.
TYPES OF BUREAUCRACY

ENABLING BUREAUCRACY

where rules are established as a

means to empower individuals, foster
organizational learning and help improve
the performance of everyone.

COERCIVE BUREAUCRACY
designed to limit behaviors to a small
subset of allowed activities, enabling
processes are designed to encourage
autonomous behavior, reflection, and
improvement by everyone within the
organization.
 ENABLING COERCIVE
BUREAUCRACY BUREAUCRACY

 Rigid rule enforcement

 Empowered employees  Extensive written rules
 Rules and procedures  Hierarchy controls
as enabling tools
 Hierarchy supports
organisational learning
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC
1.9 ADMINISTRATION IN MALAYSIA

Pre-colonial Post
period/ Malay Independence
Sultanate Rule (1957 Until
(before 1500) Now)

British Colonial
Period (1874 –
1957)
1.9.1 Pre-colonial period/ Malay Sultanate Rule (before 1500)

• Establishment by Parameswara, a prince from Palembang,

Sumatera.
• Governed trough a principle of FOUR PRINCIPAL
MINISTERS (Pembesar Empat Lipatan) consisted of:

BENDAHARA PENGHULU BENDAHARA

(Chief Minister) (Tresurer)

TEMENGGUNG (Chief
LAKSAMANA
Security) in charge of law and
(Chief Harbour)
order and weight and measures
• Practice of feudal system and structure
used centered on Malay ruler which is Sultan.
• Sultan will be assisted by Bendahara,
Laksamana, Temenggong to implement the
Rulers’ Orders and Instructions as well as
maintaining law.
• Collecting taxes and revenues from the people
to finance the state.
• The style of administration is more towards
upholding the power of Sultan.
TWO important statutes in this era

Hukum Kanun Melaka (Melaka Statutory Law)

• Also known as Undang-undang Darat Melaka dan

Risalat Hukum Kanun
• is a document drafted as a guide for the conduct of a
government rule

Undang-undang Laut Melaka (Sea Laws of Melaka)

• Determine the rules of navigation and trade.

• Describe the duties of the ship.
• Describe the security measures the ship.
• Describe the duties of the crew.
• Renting and laying on merchant ships are also described.
• Master power sentencing.
1.9.2 British Colonial Period (1874 – 1957)

• Arrival of British witnesses an important event in the history of

Malaya.
• The signing of Pangkor Treaty lead towards British invasion for
the first time in Malaya and then to Selangor, Negeri Sembilan
and Pahang (Malay Federated States)
• Introduction of British residential system. British colonial
introduced British administration by following the Westminster
(England) style of public service. British Colonial appointed
British Residents to implement British Colonial Policy.
• British as resident and advisor to Sultan.
• Divide and rule concept
• Malayan Civil Service (MSC) was set up to administer
Federated States (1919).
• Introduce MAS (Malayan Administrative Service)
Tanah Melayu has THREE (3) types of government:

TYPES OF
STATES
GOVERNMENT
Federated Perak, Pahang, Selangor & Negeri
(Negeri-negeri Bersekutu) Sembilan
Non Federated Perlis, Kedah, Johor, Kelantan &
(Negeri-negeri Tidak Bersekutu) Terengganu
Straits Settlements Pulau Pinang, Melaka &
(Negeri-negeri Selat) Singapore
1.9.3 Post Independence (1957 Until Now)

• Transition from British to local people.

• Focus on development administration-socio
economic development.
• Correcting injustice done by the British
• Improvement in the areas of systems and
procedures, rule and regulations, structures and other
aspects of public administration
• Modernization of PA. (more people oriented,
budgeting)
• Administrative reforms (1966)- the Esman and
Montgomery Report
Post Independence (1957 Until Now)

CHARACTERISTICS
Focus on development of a state

Increase public expenditure

Development Plan (Malaysian Plan)

Restructuring of government administrative machin

and institution

To induce social change of civil servants

Emphasized technological inducement

THANK YOU
& STAY SAFE
END OF CHAPTER
1