PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES

AN INTRODUCTION

From the ancient time to the 18th Century, Social Science was the only subject of study which was divided into different disciplines (e.g.-history, economics, sociology etc). Industrial Revolution gave rise to issues requiring investigation by specialists. This has led to specialization in different areas of a subject (e.g. Economics into Applied Economics, Econometric, etc; Political Science into Political Sociology, Political Anthropology, etc.).

While knowledge is regarded as single entity, the need to study different aspects of it led to specialization. However, too much specialization may lead to unrealistic results ignoring social phenomenon in its totality.

To understand the role of administrative system of Public Administration in a society, there is the need to know the relationship between Public Administration and other Social Sciences. This is so, because, no social event is uni-dimensional nor does it occur in isolation. They are interlinked to economic, political, administrative and social systems of the country.

Now, we will discuss the nature of social phenomena but also to how whether social Sciences can be regarded as Sciences; what, features Public Administration has, as Social Science and its relationship to other Social Sciences. 

SOCIAL PHENOMENA : THEIR INTEGRATED NATURE 

Social events are very complex and they cannot be studied in isolation to other events, say, the policy on reservation which need to take consideration of its root cause, its economic and political fall outs etc. We cannot view it as a just policy to reduce or raise the reservation percentage.  

So, there is need to understand the social, economic, political and cultural aspects of reservation policy in order to formulate policies to meet the ends of social justice and ensure national progress. 

Let's take another example - to understand the cause of the growing inefficiency in public offices need to take into account a whole spectrum of policies ranging from the recruitment policy through educational policies to the absence of 'achievement' motivation. And you cannot solve the problem of inefficiency by just viewing it as matter of discipline in the offices.  

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS SOCIAL SCIENCE

Social Science lacks some important features of a Science - exactness, validity and predictability. 

• Sciences have laws which are verifiable; 
• Sciences follow a systematic procedure of observation, investigation, experimentation, the building of a hypothesis, verification of the hypothesis by facts, tabulation, classification and correlation of facts, etc. in order to arrive at conclusions that can be put forward as generalizations. Thus exactness, universal validity and predictability are ensured. 

Art is to do and Science is to know. - Aristotle

Science is a systematic body of knowledge which is acquired only through the application of the scientific method. But we cannot call Social Sciences which deal with human beings as Sciences because the social phenomena in which human beings play a major role cannot be studied in as rigorous a way as the physical phenomena can be. [The contribution of Sigmond Freud to Psychology cannot be ignored. ]

The level of exactness which is attainable in Physical Sciences it not possible in Social Sciences. 'Facts' in Physical Sciences, unlike those in Social Sciences, need not be related to any prescribed setting or context. 

To be regarded as Science, Social Sciences have to have principles which are of universal applicability and validity. Not all Social Sciences have such principles to which the criteria of exactness, universal validity and predictability can be strictly applied. 

For example, no political scientist can trace certain political developments to any one cause. However, you should not assume that there are no principles in any discipline of Social Sciences. 

Now, Social Sciences have borrowed the scientific methods to arrive at accurate results. The behavioral movement which has extensive use of empirical techniques for the scientific study of human behavior and it has made inter-disciplinary approach possible(working science and social science together was made possible). 

Public Administration is a Social Science having techniques and abstractions of its own concerning the concepts of action and its own problems of theory. It is vitally concerned with, the integration of knowledge in other Sciences, physical, biological, and  psychological. 

It is a discipline in the making and it has been passing through various stages of theory building. The discipline relies on the method of observation rather than experimentation (but, the advent of behaviourialism has made experimentation possible). Public Administration appears to be both positive and normative. Questions of 'What is' and 'What ought to be' are as much relevant to Public Administration as they are to Political Theory. 

[Positive: consisting in or characterized by the presence rather than the absence of distinguishing features.]
[Normative: establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially of behavior]

RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCE

Let us now consider the relation between Public administration and other Social Sciences - political science. Sociology, Economics, History and Law.

1 Relation with Political Science  There is always a special relationship of Political Science and Public Administration.

Political Science is concerned with the study of "authoritative allocations of values" which focuses on relationship between the State and individual. It answers questions concerning the origin and nature of the State and also considers the institutions through which the members of society exercise power. 

In fact, Public Administration was a part of Political Science. It was Woodrow Wilson[fwas the president of USA and the Father of Public Administration] who called for the separation of Public Administration from Political Science on the ground that 'the field of administration is the field of business', thus giving birth to a new discipline - Public Administration. Later, Frank Goodnow also had observed the need for removing control of Political Parties since a large part of administration is not directly connected with politics. In USA, Writers were largely influenced by this argument and emphasized the end of the ill-'spoils system'.

[Spoils System: also known as patronage system, it is a practice in which victorious political party appoints government civil servants to its supporters, friends and relatives as an incentives for working  or to keep working for the party. It was prevalent in USA ]

Because of various limitation of the discipline, some of the theoreticians of Public Administration have advocated its re-unification with its parent discipline, i.e. Political Science. It is true, that it is the country's political system which creates its administrative system. 

Political Science deals with policy making and the implementation of policies is left to the administrators. 

The administration is responsible for translating the political will of a country into reality. At the same time, it also plays a significant role in the formulation of policies. In India(parliamentary government), the minister is a political leader and participates in policy making, but as the top boss of the Ministry/Department, is also involved in administrative decision making. On the other hand, the civil servants/the administrators administer/implement the policy-decisions but also the senior administrators are involved in policy-formulations by way of providing data/information/advice to the Minister. 

Thus, the political system and the administration influence each other which makes it difficult to demarcate between the roles played by them. 

The concept of bureaucratic neutrality of Weber ( a German Sociologist) does not hold good in such case. Now, it may be asked whether one can understand the administrative system without understanding the political system.  The nature of the State itself in developing countries is the root cause of poverty, inequality and injustice while it is considered the necessity of huge role of administration in solving these problems.Thus the separation of Public Administration from Political Science, according to some critical observers; denies us the requisite of 'political approach' to Public Administration. 

For instance, the study of the Indian Political system, the historical evolution of Indian Administrative System, the debates in the Constituent Assembly and the basic constitutional law which are all subjects of Political Science would alone provide an insight into the process and the working of the Public Administration in the country. 

Indeed, there are areas of study common to Public Administration and Political Science - Public Policy, Comparative Constitutions, and Local Government. Moreover, Government is  a continuous and integrated process comprising of different functions of legislative, Executive and Administrative. The scope of Public Administration is not a routine process but a dynamic process involving considerable discretion. Studies in administration, therefore, focus not only on policy formulation but also on political parties, pressure groups, public opinion etc. Thus various methods and techniques of Political Science are borrowed extensively in Public Administration (public policy, public welfare and public interest) by many researchers. 

2. Relation with Sociology [the scientific study of social structure] It is a Science which studies the form of human actions in society. Since it also studies the inter-relatedness of the other Social Sciences therefore it is called by some a 'super science' unifying the generalizations of the other Social Sciences. 

[Post Colonial Societies : Societies which attained independence from colonial rules]

There are some common elements in those countries and here is a list of those:

1. Post colonial societies have pervasive(unwelcome) bureaucracy. 
2. They are marked by inequalities of every kind. 

Therefore, there is need for studying the policies and their implementation in such countries within a broad framework of class, caste and power. Riggs and Presthus have brought out clearly the undifferentiated nature of social reality characterized by a close nexus between society, polity and its administrative system. Now, we learnt that Administration operates in the context of the society of which it is a part. Thus we notice a two way relationship -

• administration exists in a social setting and 
• the pattern of administration theoretically is determined by society. 

Administration is a cooperative endeavor in which, a large number of people are engaged in achieving certain objectives. 

Sociology is concerned with the human behavior in a group, the various types of groups and the ways in which they influence human instincts and activity. The administrators themselves form a distinct group (and sub-groups - based on the size of the organization of which they are part of) known as bureaucracy which, while maintaining its identity frequently interacts with its social environment. 

These small groups and sub-groups have their own loyalties, sympathies, antipathies, ethics, outlook which would influence the administrative apparatus. 

Role of Sociology in Public Administration is to offer information about these groups, sub-groups, their behavior, and the way they affect social life.This proves that eminent Writers in Public Administration primarily belongs to Sociology, say, Max Weber's essay on bureaucracy [I will upload about Max's Contribution in the future uploads] has influenced many other writers in Public Administration. 

Various recent works in Sociology on status, class, power, occupation, family, etc., provide useful information and a theoretical base for the Sociology of Public Administration. 

The classical theories of administration talks about the importance of structures in administration, considering 'human behavior to be static'.  While, the contemporary theories, regarding it(human) as being dynamic, investigate why a particular decision is taken by an administrator in a particular situation. Thus, there arise the need for the study of social background of administrators for such an investigation and these are made possible by the use of tools borrowed from sociology.
[In this field, a notable work by V. Subrahmaniam on the social background of Indian Administrators]. 

3 Relation with Economics . Economics is a science concerned with those aspects of social behavior and those institutions which are involved in the use of scarce resources to produce and distribute goods and services in the satisfaction of human wants.

"The science which studies human behavior as relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative use"-L. Robbins(Economist)

Thus, we can infer that Economics is as much concerned with human behavior as any other Social Science. The major objectives of administration were maintenance of law and order and collection of revenue. But the Industrial Revolution brought a radical transformation on the concept of the State because it is being compelled to be more responsive to the needs of the masses, especially the working classes than ever before. 

• Industrial Acts fixing working hours and minimum wages extended an enormous pressure on the administration. 
• The expanding role of the Public Sector and a direct intervention of the government to regulate extreme swings in the economy place a great burden on Public Administration. 

Planning has been chosen as the means to realize the goal of Socialist society, If efficient implementation of plans ensures goal attainment, the task of the administrators is to choose methods for effective implementation of plans. 

In India, the administrators are managing railways, insurance companies and tackling issues concerning agriculture, banking, etc.Thus, the need for understanding of economic problems of the country by them has become a necessity.  

[Arthashastra: the ancient classic treatise on the art of administration which also had been a reference book on Economics. We will be Studying about Kautilya's Arthashastra in Paper -II. This book points out the close relationship between the Public Administration and the Economics]

4 Relation with History History provides an insight into the past and the historical background of a country provides us understanding of its administrative systems

'History is a continuous process of interaction (between the historian and his facts) an unending dialogue between the present and the past' - E,H. Cart. 

Historians have recorded not only political events like battles and the deeds of rulers but also particulars of administration. For instance, L.D. White in his books on the early history of American administration provides Administrative history of Medieval England which provided useful material for understanding the systems of administration of those times.

History tells us how administrative problems arose in the past and how they were solved. Significantly, modem historians have been paying increasing attention of the prevalent administrative systems. This augurs well for Social Sciences like Public Administration since it will provide valuable information to them. 

5 Relation with Law A legal norm is marked by probability that it ill be enforced by specialized staff. The authority to enforce rules is vested in administration.

Law is 'sanctioned norm' - Malinowski  

Also, violation of norms is usually followed by counteraction. 

'Law is any rule recognized as being obligatory by the bulk of the community' - Goodhart, . 

Legislature enacts laws (acts) which the administration has to implement. The role of administration is not restricted to implementation only; it has a role to play in law-making. A subject common to these two disciplines is Administrative Law. As, we learnt that Civil servants have a say in the formulation, presentation and enactment of laws and Public Administration is a machinery concerned with the 'systematic and detailed execution of law. 

In some countries Public Administration is studied as part of some courses in law. Some subjects like Delegated Legislation, structure and functioning of Administrative Tribunals are studied by both the students of Law and those of Public Administration. The Indian form of Ombudsman (i.e., Lok Pal and Lok Ayukta) are studied by students of Public Administration as institutions for the redressal of public grievances. The study of such institutions show the increasing importance of the relationship between Law and Public Administration. 

CONCLUSION

No social event can be understood completely without an understanding of its various dimensions. While knowledge is regarded as single entity, the need to study different aspects of it led to specialization. While this increasing specialization led to a spun in research, the need for an integrated approach to social reality has not been met here fare,  thus the study of various disciplines and public administration has become necessary. 

Few decades ago, the discipline was separated from Political Science.There is close relations between Public Administration and other Social Sciences. Now, it is being increasingly felt that it must be strengthened with concepts drawn from Political Science. The fact that the modem administrator is known as a social engineer, confirms the close relationship between Sociology and Public Administration. The present day administrators ought to know the economic aspects of the polity for effective implementation policies. The focus of administration in the Third World countries is on removal of poverty. Matters connected with mobilization of resources (taxes, exports, imports, etc.) have a great bearing on administration. History is yet another subject with which Public Administration has a close relationship. Knowledge of the past enables us to understand the present. Public Administration and Law are also closely related. The role of administration has been described as that of a machinery for systematic execution of' law.