Public Administration

In this article, public administration is examined, and critical concepts such as scope and types are discussed. The idea of public administration is not new; it originated with Plato’s Republic, where he described a kind of government that did not need governing institutions such as an army or police force because there was no threat from other states in his ideal society. The public administration syllabus covers essential aspects such as the definition of public administration, its scope, and the types of Public Administration.

Public Administration

The term “public administration” describes the structure and function of government organisations. This includes all administrative units, agencies, and services of the state, local, and tribal governments.

Public administration is a type of management concerned with designing, implementing, and evaluating policies created by a governmental organisation. Public managers are responsible for guiding the agencies’ operation within the framework established by their superiors in their department or agency. They oversee daily operations without exercising robust authoritative control over personnel actions or programmatic decisions made within their organisation or agency.

Need for Public Administration

As a discipline, public administration is necessary to provide an organised, efficient service that is responsive to the needs of its clients. The purpose of public administration is to serve a population. The services offered by the government are based on the needs of society and include national defence, social welfare services, and public safety. Bare necessities such as health care, education, and public utilities are also considered public service. Public administration has evolved from where the focus was on enforcing laws and maintaining order than on citizens’ needs; however, the role has changed in recent years to reflect these changes in priorities.

Scope of Public Administration

Public administration is concerned with designing, implementing, and evaluating policies created by a governmental organisation. General managers are responsible for guiding the agencies’ operation within the framework established by their superiors in their department or agency. Therefore, the scope of public administration is described as one of the essential concepts of public administration. Scope of public administration refers to various tasks which the government carries out. Examples for the scope of public administration include ensuring public safety and order, economic development, environmental quality, and compliance with the national legal system. The scope distinguishes, in a fundamental sense, between the activities performed by private sector organisations and those served by the government.

Types of Public Administration

Political administration Design and implementation of government policies focus on managing the nation’s infrastructure Resources such as energy, water, transportation, communications, and education. A separation of powers ensures that legislation is enacted by the legislative branch rather than the executive branch. Policymaking and development Activities carried out by administrative agencies subordinate to the cabinet Secretarial services Service provided by non-departmental public bodies. The departmental structure is a significant feature of contemporary public administration in most countries. It belongs to a larger category called an organisational structure that comprises all government departments at the federal level in a democratic country. Bureaucracy is a term that has several meanings in the study of public administration and management. The most recent definition by management scholars David Osborne and Ted Gaebler is a middle-level organisation of people that delivers either goods or services to the public.

Public Administration in India

The objective of public administration is to provide good service delivery to the citizens by an efficient system. There are different types of administration in a country, and they function to achieve specific goals or solve particular problems faced by society. Governance:

The field of public administration is, in a broad sense, all about governance, the performance of the public sector. Governance is defined as the exercise of various functions and powers by public authorities within an allotted area. Governance aims to organise, manage, and systematically control human activities to achieve specific goals. Governance strives to answer three questions:

1- What activities are to be performed?

2- By what authority or body?

3- How will they be done?

Conclusion

Public administration has been a vital subject in the management education domain. This subject is essential for a student to understand society better; for example, public administration helps study various functions of government and their interrelationship. Moreover, the work of government is becoming tough day by day, and hence people need to understand the working of the government departments through public administration. Therefore, studying public administration helps educate future managers about how society and organisations will be run efficiently with proper planning and control.