![Who are Public Administrators?
▪ Many unelected public servants can be considered to be
public administrators.
▪ These individuals include heads of city, county, regional,
state and federal departments such as municipal budget
directors, human resources administrators, city managers,
state [mental health] directors, and cabinet secretaries;
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PUAD 5340 Module 1 Lecture
- 1. This is Your Presentation Title
- 2. Approaching the Study of Public Administration ▪ Public administration is a large and highly complex enterprise ▫ Actions and decisions of public administrators touch daily lives of virtually every American ▫ Politicians sometimes run “against the bureaucracy”
- 3. Approaching the Study of Public Administration ▪ Bureaucracy ▫ A formal organizational arrangement characterized by division of labor, job specialization with no functional overlap, exercise of authority through a vertical hierarchy ▫ The administrative branch of government in the U.S. ▫ Bureaucracy has been blamed for many of society’s current ills ▫ Discontent rises from its discretionary authority and perception of mismanagement of resources
- 4. Defining Public Administration ▪ Public administration is both an academic discipline and a field of practice ▪ Public administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work ▪ As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its fundamental goal is to advance management and policies so that government can function 4
- 5. Defining Public Administration ▪ "the management of public programs" ▪ "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day" ▪ "the study of government decision making, the analysis of the policies themselves, the various inputs that have produced them, and the inputs necessary to produce alternative policies” 5
- 6. From the academic perspective… ▪ Defines the study of public administration as a program that prepares individuals to serve as managers in the executive arm of local, state, and federal government. ▪ Includes instruction in the roles, development and principles of public administration; the management of public policy; executive-legislative relations; public budgetary processes; administrative law; public personnel management; and professional ethics. 6
- 7. Who are Public Administrators? ▪ Many unelected public servants can be considered to be public administrators. ▪ These individuals include heads of city, county, regional, state and federal departments such as municipal budget directors, human resources administrators, city managers, state [mental health] directors, and cabinet secretaries; 7
- 8. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Constitution of the United States ▫ Structures that exist today are products of congressional action ▫ National executive branch ▫ Five major types of agencies, four formal bases of organization, and four broad categories of administrative employees
- 9. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Cabinet-Level Executive Departments ▫ Fifteen departments ▫ Headed by a secretary appointed by president ▫ Provides policy leadership within specific jurisdiction
- 10. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch Source: U.S. Government Manual (2007), http://bensguide.gpo.gov/files/gov_chart.pdf.
- 11. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Independent regulatory boards and commissions ▫ Federal Trade Commission, Federal Reserve Board, National Labor Relations Board, Securities and Exchange Commission, and U.S. International Trade Commission
- 12. Percent of Discretionary and Mandatory Spending , FY 2015
- 13. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Government corporations ▫ Structured and operate much like private corporations ▫ Amtrak, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, U.S. Postal Service
- 14. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Executive Office of the President (EOP) ▫ White House Office, Office of Management and Budget, The Council of Economic Advisers, National Security Council
- 15. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Other independent executive agencies ▫ Office of Personnel Management, Merit Systems Protection Board, U.S. Mint, General Services Administration, Office of Government Ethics, Environmental Protection Agency
- 16. Principal Structures of the National Executive Branch ▪ Foundations of organization ▫ Function, geographic area, clientele, and work process ▫ Clientele-based agencies ▫ Work process agencies ▫ Merit system
- 17. State and Local Government Structures ▪ 89,000 governments within U.S. ▪ Over 90 percent of all public agencies have fewer than fifty employees ▪ Local party politics play a prominent role in municipal policy making
- 18. The Number of Governments and Elected Officials in the United States
- 19. Politics, Policies, and Organizational Structure Politics of organizational structure Demonstrates commitment to one set of policy objectives instead of another Can foreshadow adoption of a distinct policy direction Helps to order priorities by promoting some programs over others May provide greater access to influence for some interests and less for others
- 20. The Dynamics of Policy Makingin the United States There is no centralized mechanism in public policy making Checks and balances, power vacuums Bureaucracy has discretionary power in day-to-day decisions and broader policy questions Accountability is enforced through multiple channels
- 21. The Dynamics of Policy Making in the United States ▪ Traditional views of bureaucracy ▫ Bureaucratic neutrality ▫ Legislative intent ▫ Legislative oversight ▫ Politically neutral
- 22. Explaining the Growth of Bureaucracy ▪ Technology requires specialized bureaucracies ▫ Electronic government (e-gov) ▪ Public pressures helped create a diversified, responsive bureaucracy ▫ Clientelism
- 23. Explaining the Growth of Bureaucracy ▪ Crises increase revenues and expenditures ▫ WWII ▫ September 11 ▪ Need for greater regulation of private economic activities
- 24. Social Change and Public Administration ▪ Social-demographic changes during the past 60 years ▫ Population growth and shifts in the demographic makeup of the population ▫ Major shifts in both population and economic activity from the Northeast/Midwest (Snow Belt) to the South/West (Sun Belt)
- 25. Social Change and Public Administration ▪ Social-demographic changes (continued) ▫ Huge increase in Hispanic population ▫ 30% of U.S. population age five or older speaks a foreign language at home (most of speak Spanish as their first language) ▫ Overall minority population grew in every region of the nation, but most significantly in South and West
- 26. Social Change and Public Administration ▪ Social-demographic changes (continued) ▫ Technological change - globalization has permitted mass production and distribution of durable goods on a larger scale ▫ Knowledge revolution in education and privately and government-sponsored scientific research
- 27. Social Change and Public Administration ▪ Social-demographic changes (continued) ▫ Blogosphere – global exchange of data and communication ▫ Political decisions to address new problems, or to identify as problems certain conditions already present in society
- 28. Public and Private Administration:Similarities and Differences ▪ Similarities ▫ Public and private managers are both concerned with meeting their staffing needs, motivating subordinates, obtaining financing, and conducting their operations to promote the survival and maximum impact of their programs
- 29. Public and Private Administration: Similarities and Differences Differences In private sector, products or services are furnished to individuals based on their own needs or wants in exchange for a direct payment (quid pro quo transaction) In public sector the goal is to operate programs or provide services on a collective basis, supported mostly by tax revenues
- 30. Public and Private Administration: Similarities and Differences ▪ Differences ▫ Private organizations define their markets and set their own broad goals ▫ Public organizations and managers are obligated to pursue goals set for them by their legislatures
- 31. Public and Private Administration: Similarities and Differences ▪ Differences ▫ Private managers can use an internal measure to evaluate their organization’s performance ▫ Public managers are subject ultimately to evaluation by outside forces
- 32. Public and Private Administration: Similarities and Differences ▪ Differences ▫ Most public organizations suffer from diffuse responsibility, often resulting in absence of accountability for decisions made ▫ Centralized executive responsibility is a key feature of many profit-oriented organizations
- 33. Public Administration as a Field of Study Politics–administration dichotomy (1887 to 1933) Discovering fundamental “principles” of administration Willoughby’s Principles of Public Administration Gulick and Urwick’s Papers on the Science of Administration
- 34. Public Administration as a Field of Study ▪ The New Deal ▫ Vastly expanded governmental role and created many new administrative agencies ▪ WWII ▫ Principles of administration came under fire ▫ Simon’s Administrative Behavior
- 35. Public Administration as a Field of Study ▪ Post WWII period ▫ More sophisticated, empirical (including statistical) methods of researching political phenomena ▫ Growth of research into administrative change and organizational behavior ▫ Importance of social change