Public Administration as discipline - its Domain and Scope

Aim of the Discipline – a systematic study of various governmental activities. And we have studied this thoroughly in Introduction of Public Administration.

Role or Activities of Government – As a political authority, it is the major regulator of social life. The concept of welfare state has made the governmental activities increased by many folds. Now, the role of governments has move towards service and welfare from the traditional ‘regulation’.  The police state is now becoming a topic of the past, as the popular governance is taking the center stage in the interest of widest possible public welfare.

These have led to expansion of the governmental activities which has let in expansion of the bureaucracy, many public/semi-public organizations, more public expenditure and control over public life. Thus Government and its organizations – its basis of authority, functions, finances and impact on the society have been put into test.

The Domain – Area or territory covered under the discipline- generally “executive action” or the activities of the executive branch of the Government.  In other word, it is a study of the bureaucracy – its structure, functions and behavior. But the study of other organs of government such as Judiciary and legislature is also useful because of complex inter-relationships between these organs of the government.

In India, broadly speaking, the policies are formulated by the Legislative branch of the government and it allows the Executives to implement them. Therefore, the legislative committees such as the Estimates Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, and Committee on Public Undertakings etc very often undertake important vigilance and control functions. Whereas, judgments pronounced by the judiciary often affect executive operations. Thus judicial administration itself forms a major component of Public Administration. 

Lastly, it is true that the discipline is basically focused on the ‘executive ‘ but an adequate understanding of public Administration is not possible without taking-into account the legislative and judicial administrations.

The Scope – Extent of the area or subject matter-- i.e., the discipline must be wide enough to respond to the complex social realities of today. The discipline must handle various concerns and requirements wherever arise. There are some major concerns of the discipline which are highlighted below:

1. Promoting (publicness): In terms of democratic values, power-sharing and openness, Public Administration must be explicitly ‘public’ which calls for a various changes in the bureaucracy.
2. Policy Sensitivity: Due to the dynamic nature of social needs and demand for active roles to play to meet these, the government needs innovative and timely police formulation. This somehow demands a new preparedness within the administrative set-up.
3. Implementation Capability: As the political heads have set goals and it is left to the Administration to effectively implement these goals. And effectiveness of policy implementation is put to test the coping capacity of the Government. Due to the ever increasing complexity of modern society, the strength of administration and the legitimacy of the government itself would depend more and more on the administration's capacity to deliver the goods in time and in response to the demands of the citizens.
4. Shared understanding of social reality: A deliberate policy of organizational openness, it can enhance the capacity to handle the social and administrative complexity. Here, we are assuming that the administration needs to understand the diverse interests and influences prevailing in the society. The Shared understanding of various actors – men at the top, the middle managers, the employees and the citizens should be the base for construction of administrative reality. Old fashioned,opaque and rigid bureaucracy does not work in with the socio-administrative reality of today.
5. Administration as a learning experience: In today’s complex administrative reality, old fashioned 'Principles' or the administrative ‘how to dos’ of bureaucratic routine are inappropriate tools for analysis and problem solving. Now, it has to be proactive, innovative, risk-taking, and often adventurous. Or in other words, this new, entrepreneurial zeal would transform 'bureaucracy' into a learning organization, more dynamic and open to new insights and innovations, and more public or accessible to clientele.

These are the major concerns of government in all democratic countries and these have become more significance, as Public Administration has a pivotal role to play in the socio-economic reconstruction of post-colonial societies in many developing countries. From the above points, as a discipline, we learn that it cannot live in isolation but to develop close association with dynamic social changes.  On the other hand, as a body of knowledge, it must develop explanatory strength to analyze socio-economic complexity and assist in the ushering in of a new society free of exploitation and human misery, poverty and deprivation of the past era.

In my next post, I will be covering the difference/distinction between Public and Private Administration. So, guys keep visiting and get your Public Administration knowledge improved with less effort.