Public Administration in Britain

2: What is Public Administration?

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Academic disciplines that feed into public administration are:

Political science

Government

Economics

Law

Sociology and Social Policy

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Applied disciplines that contribute to public administration are:

Organisation theory

Management Science and Operations Research

Finance

ICT

Quantitative Methods

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

One approach is that it studies…

The activities of public servants (i.e. whatever roles they are called upon to perform)

The structure of executive government i.e. structures and patterns of relationships

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Two different approaches are:

• Legal/administrative

- A strong centralist tendency

- Strongly influenced by legal influences (powers, duties of local authorities towards citizen, centre)

- Very much a Continental (Napoleonic?) tradition

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Two different approaches are:

Managerialist

- Strategic planning

- Management by Objectives

- Financial Management regimes (e.g. cost centres)

- Budgetary controls

- Use of Management Information Systems, ICT

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Modern concerns include:

Efficiency, Economy and Effectiveness (3 ‘E’s)

Control of the executive i.e. scrutiny and accountability

‘value for money’

Modernisaion

Constitutional issues including devolution,Reform of 2nd

chamber, regional assemblies, place in Europe

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

But we are now seeing the growth of Quangocracy i.e. institutions removed from direct government control

Health (although NHS remains top of the political agenda!)

Education (Schools, Higher education)

Utilities (privatised or semi-privatised)

Regulatory and control mechanisms (Courts, prisons, regulatory offices)

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Stakeholder theory of the modern commercial firm…

Shareholders

Consumers Managers Suppliers

(Community) Employees (Legal)

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

Stakeholder theory of the public servant…

(Ministers) Parliament (Auditors)

Businesses Managers Ratepayers

Community Voters Legal Requirements

BS1032: Public Administration in Britain 2: What is Public Administration?

You are organising an educational system for Turkghanistan.

How do you solve the following dilemmas?

Who pays?

Organised centrally or locally?

How do you measure effectiveness?

How do you deal with opposition to your ideas?