Theories and Practice in Public Administration

by: Dr. Josephine T. Flores

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According to Paul de Guzman Where there is government there is Public Administration it refers to the cooperative human action to achieve the purposes of government.

Public Administration is a productive partner of politics in bringing the affairs of government to the people. It is an effective instrument of the governments serving the citizens as well as the vehicle for spurring their participation in the administration of government.

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Public Administration is never static. It is a dynamic organ of government which keeps on responding to the requirements of the times. Public Administration is concerned with the institutional framework of government, its socio-economic and political milieu and the behavior of the individuals who man the bureaucratic machine. It is also concern with the formulation of public policies and the implementation of government programs, that requires a lot of coordination, problem solving and decision making activity.

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Administration is basically an organizational process concerned with the implementation of objectives and plans and internal operating efficiency. It often connotes bureaucratic structure and behavior, relatively routine decision-making and maintenance of the internal status quo. According to White, Administration is a process common to all group effort, public or private, civil or military, large scale or small scale. It is a process at work in am department store, a bank, a university or high school, a railroad, a hotel, or a city government.

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Brooks Adams attaches administration to coordination. He says: Administration is the capacity of coordinating many and often conflicting, social energies in a single organism, so adroitly that they shall operate as a unity. This presupposes the power of recognizing a series of relations between numerous special social interest, with all of which no man can be intimately acquainted. Probably no very highly specialized class can be strong in this intellectual quality because of the intellectual isolation incident to specialization; and yet administration or generalization is not only the faculty upon which social stability rests but is, possibly, the highest faculty of the human mind.

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Public administration in carrying out public policies brings the different administrative structures of government into a single organ of administration. In doing so, it means its adherence to such public policies and accepted management principles ad practices prevailing at the time. Government embraces the totality of all institutions through which the states carries out its will. Administration - refers to the aggregate of those persons in whose hands the reins of the government are placed for the time being. Adm. Services - refers to the aggregate of governmental agencies that are necessary to carry on government routine work.

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According to Social Scientist Waldo. Public Administration: 1. is cooperative group efforts in a public setting; 2. covers all three branches executive, legislative, and judicial and their interrelationship; 3. has an important role in the formulation of public policy and is thus a part of the political process; 4. is different in significant ways from private administration.

What is Management?
Management is the planning, deciding, or exercising control and supervision on some functions of the organization. According to Davis and Filley, management is the function of the Executive Leadership, and for wider perspective. According to Drucker, management which is the organ of the society specifically charged with making resources productive, that is with the responsibility for organized economic advance.

Is Public Administration an Art or Science?

As an Art. Art, as defined by Perfecto S. Sison, is proficiency in the practical application of knowledge acquired through study, experience, or observation. It is also the use of talent for creative work. As a Science. Sison says, Public administration is a science as it is the systematic accumulation of facts, their analysis and interpretation and their use to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

Comparison of Public Administration from Private Administration

Comparison of Public Administration from Private Administration

The official actions of public administrators are based on public trust carrying legal accountability. Section 1 of Article XI of the 1987 Constitution of Republic of the Philippines provides that: Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency; act with patriotism and justice, and lead modes lives.

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The Role of Public Administration in modern society. According to Professor Arsenio P. Talingdan The ends of public administration are the ultimate objectives of the State itself. Public administration expands with the development of public interests. As the administrative system grows and becomes more complex, the role of public administration expands. The pubic service is one of the principal pivots where people try to attain the good life. As Robert Presthus says: Public administration, in its most basic sense, involves the coordination and mobilization of individual and group efforts with a view toward the implementation of public policy.

Executive Leaderships Role of Public Administration

Theoretically, a public administrator is not expected to have any part in policy decisions. Since he belongs to the civil service system, he is expected not to influence or intervene in the process of making the original decision. He is not expected to make the subsequent decision to carry it out either. But because of his te4chnical knowledge, practical experience, and available resources at his command, politicians have to call upon him in the enactment of appropriate legislation. In fact, he has to fill the gap in solving the administrative problems of policy-implementation by involving himself in its policy-formulation.

But, of what use is a Policy?

As defined by Daniel Lerner and Harold D. Lasswell: Policy is a projected program of goal values and practices: policy process is the formulation, and application of identifications, demands, and expectations concerning the future interpersonal relations to self.

Public Administrations Role in Designing Policy

Policy-making is the prerogative of the political or elected actors in government. As pointed out by Avery Leicerson and Fritz Morstein Marx: The primary organ or policy sanction is the legislature. In the main, it lays down policy in general terms. Fr purposes of effective government such general policy is usually done by administrative policy formulation as a means of giving more precise expression to statutory directions addressed to the executive branch.

Public Administrations Role in Designing Policy

The public administrator, particularly the city administrator, has a dual responsibility. James M. Banovetz and his colleagues explain it in this manner: 1.) He is responsible, on one hand, for the provision of effective organizational leadership: 2.) his is the task of running a taut ship in directing the programs and workers under his supervision. 3.) He is responsible, on the other hand, to the public which he serves: as a government employee, 4.) he is required to act in a manner which meets common expectations regarding responsive and responsible government.

Note: The new role as change agent, public administration significantly contributes in shaping both the aspirations and expectations of the people in its efforts to improve their quality of life.

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THE NATURE OF BUREAUCRACY Bureaucracy is a type of organization designed to accomplish largescale administration tasks by systematically coordinating the work of many individuals.

Bureaucracy
In Webers view, bureaucracy is the best form of organization. As an organization, it substitutes a rule of law for a rule based on the whims of those who happen to govern. In the latter case, the superiors were apt to be moved by personal sympathy and favor, by grace and gratitude.

5 Subjects to Understand Clearly Public Administration

1. Basic concepts of Bureaucracy 2. Development of Bureaucracy Organization 3. Characteristics of Bureaucracy 4. Characteristics of Philippine Bureaucracy 5. Philippine Bureaucratic Behavior

Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is a specific form of social organization for administration purposes. Marshall E. Dimock states that bureaucracy is reflected in certain specific forms of organizational behavior, hierarchy, subdivision, specialization, fixed ways of doing things and professionalization.

Bureaucracy is that type of hierarchical organization which is designed rationally to coordinate the work of many individuals in pursuit to large scale administrative tasks.

Development of Bureaucratic Organization

Webers view was supported by Socorro S. Espiritu, a Filipino sociologist, when she said: Bureaucratic structures in institutions are not necessarily confined to political organizations; they tend to develop wherever it is necessary to coordinate the activities of many people. Bureaucracy offers both an efficient mechanism for reaching institutional goals and the danger of allowing the mechanism to appear more important than the service it is supposed to perform.

Characteristics of Bureaucracy
1. Positions and offices are clearly defined. In principle, all positions and offices exist independently of the incumbent. The incumbent perform their roles during official hours according to contract and are personally free to do as they wish after such hours. 2. The hierarchical arrangement of authority, rights, and obligations are specifically drawn. Levels of super ordination and subordination with their corresponding salaries and other privileges and responsibilities are defined. Communication through channels or protocol and other procedures are highly regularized. Requirements are set up for some degree of coordination and integration above divergent individual views with regard to the pursuit of the social organizations common goals and objectives.

Characteristics of Bureaucracy
3. The personnel are selected on the basis of technical or professional qualifications. Personnel are chosen on the basis of competence through competitive examinations and are expected to perform accordingly. 4. There are defined rules governing official behavior. There is maximum standardization of action so as to minimize personal prejudice, interest, preferences, and subservience. Subordinates are uniformly protected from any possible unjustified treatment by their superiors. Employees, as a whole, are bound to carry out their roles accordingly and to maintain in group feelings to protect their social organization from outsiders.

Characteristics of Bureaucracy
5. Security of tenure and the pursuit of a career with promotion in the hierarchy are assured. Promotions based on seniority and merit, though slow, occur periodically to maintain morale and competent performance. Tenure is secure as long as there is no gross misconduct in the performance of ones role in the office.

Key Elements of the Ideal Type Bureaucracy of Weber

1. A division of labor based upon functional specialization 2. A well-defined hierarchy of authority. 3. A system of rules covering the rights and duties of positional incumbents. 4. A system of procedures for dealing with work situations, 5. Impersonality of interpersonal relations, and 6. Promotion and selection for employment based upon technical competence.

Characteristics of the Philippine Bureaucracy

1. Vulnerability to nepotism 2. Perpetuation of the spoils system 3. Apathetic public reaction to bureaucratic misconduct 4. Availability of external peaceful means of correcting bureaucratic weaknesses

Characteristics of the Philippine Bureaucracy

5. 6. 7. 8. Survival of historical experience Nonspecial typing of bureaucrats Lack of independence from politics Essential instruments of social change.

Issues in the Transformation of Phil. Bureaucracy

1. Bureaucratic resistance to change. 2. Socio economic, political, cultural and ecological constraints to administrative change. 3. Problems in the transfer of technology and adaptation.

Types of Behavior of the Philippine Bureaucracy

1. Conformity to policies. Bureaucracy stresses unquestioning compliance to organizational policies, rules , and regulations. Thus, there is a tendency for the bureaucrats to adhere to conformity within the bureaucratic framework.

Types of Behavior of the Philippine Bureaucracy

2. Preference toward continuity and reutilization. Bureaucracy puts much emphasis on specialization. Hence, there is a general preference for the bureaucrats to maintain the status quo in the organization. It has led to the Filipinos negative attitude towards change.

Types of Behavior of the Philippine Bureaucracy

3. Loss of self-direction or self-assertion. The Filipino bureaucrats tend to submerge themselves into a collective mode of decision-making and responsibility that defines bureaucratic structure. Because of this situation, they have the tiyaga (patience0) in accepting and bearing consequences of difficulties in their lives.

Types of Behavior of the Philippine Bureaucracy

4. Politically supportive. The bureaucratic system in the Philippines tends to support the political party in power.

Government and Politics in Public Administration

Politics is a search for ends as well as means. It is the whole range of mans endeavor to govern himself, to provide a structure and practice for the exercise of political power

According to Leslie Lipson. . .. politics is deeply involved in the fundamentals of the social order and shares in its characteristics Hence, the analysis of politics should begin where society itself begins that is, with the formation of groups. Society is a system of groups, and these are the breeding ground for politics.

Politician Administrator Accord

Politics and public administration are so intertwined as to make it impossible to speak of one without mentioning the other. The fact is: there can be no public administration without politics and no politics without public administration. Indeed, all aspects o government operation revolves in a political milieu.

Politician Administrator Accord

Under the bureaucratic structure of the government, the administrator cannot achieve the objectives of his organization without political intervention. Appropriations in carrying out the goals of any government institution, for instance, must be authorized by the legislature. Hence, he should also endeavor to win their support for the program of his administration.

Politician Administrator Accord

As a general rule, administrators have to possess broad perspectives in the management of the affairs of government. They consider primarily the national interest in the implementation of laws. However, there are some instances when the role of a government institution, as mandated in its charter, runs counter to the request or interest of a constituent of an individual politician.

Politician Administrator Accord

While the power of the politicians and the administrators may be theoretically separate, their powers are intended to be integrated for the general welfare of the people. To be effective lawmakers, it is the duty of legislators to know what is going on in every department of the government.

Politician Administrator Accord

The administrator, on the other hand, should know that politicians owe their duties not only to the general population, but also to their particular constituents. Thus, at times, it is the desire of the politicians to be of service to the people the represent that causes their viewpoints to become myopic or parochial.

Politician Administrator may be fostered by

1. Social relations to the extent permitted by public duty and good sense. 2. Giving the due considerations to political recommendations. 3. Intelligent discussion of the needs of Public Administration jointly by legislators and administrator.

End of Lecture
Dr. Josephine T. Flores