Public Administration
CHAPTER ONE: DEFINING PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading Chapter 1 in the textbook, the student should be able to:
1. Define public administration within the context of its four frames: a. Political b. Legal c. Managerial d. Occupational
2. Locate public administration within its interdisciplinary context.
3. Define the subject matter that forms the core of public administration.
4. Provide a brief background of the study of administration and its key early players.
5. Explain the real meaning of the politics-administration dichotomy.
6. Understand the cycles of reform in public administration.
7. Define key terms at the bottom of the pages and at the end of the chapter.
8. Write short critical essays on major issues covered in the chapter.
SUGGESTED LECTURE
LECTURE ONE
I. Defining Public Administration: The term “public administration” encompasses a complex set of interrelated concepts, thus a simple definition will not suffice. It draws from many different academic disciplines, includes a variety of agencies, and is linked closely to several distinct professions. The text has accordingly provided 18 definitions to capture the intrinsic richness and subtlety of the broad phrase “public administration.” These are clustered into four main categories: 1) political, 2) legal, 3) managerial, and 4) occupational. II. Analyzing the Definitions of Public Administration: Political—Public administration is what government does. It exists within a political environment, and it is this political context that makes it “public.” Public administration is about implementation of the public interest. It is also about doing collectively what cannot be done as well individually. Legal—The foundations of public administration in the United States are legal ones and are bound by instruments of law. Public
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading Chapter 1 in the textbook, the student should be able to:
1. Define public administration within the context of its four frames: a. Political b. Legal c. Managerial d. Occupational
2. Locate public administration within its interdisciplinary context.
3. Define the subject matter that forms the core of public administration.
4. Provide a brief background of the study of administration and its key early players.
5. Explain the real meaning of the politics-administration dichotomy.
6. Understand the cycles of reform in public administration.
7. Define key terms at the bottom of the pages and at the end of the chapter.
8. Write short critical essays on major issues covered in the chapter.
SUGGESTED LECTURE
LECTURE ONE
I. Defining Public Administration: The term “public administration” encompasses a complex set of interrelated concepts, thus a simple definition will not suffice. It draws from many different academic disciplines, includes a variety of agencies, and is linked closely to several distinct professions. The text has accordingly provided 18 definitions to capture the intrinsic richness and subtlety of the broad phrase “public administration.” These are clustered into four main categories: 1) political, 2) legal, 3) managerial, and 4) occupational. II. Analyzing the Definitions of Public Administration: Political—Public administration is what government does. It exists within a political environment, and it is this political context that makes it “public.” Public administration is about implementation of the public interest. It is also about doing collectively what cannot be done as well individually. Legal—The foundations of public administration in the United States are legal ones and are bound by instruments of law. Public