Administration in New and Emergent States: Introduction

What is Public Administration?

Ø There is no general consensus when it has to do with the conceptual definition of Public Administration

Ø There are dissent views just as there are coordinate views about the concept

Ø Administration generally talks about people process and goals. It is an exercise whereby people come together to achieve goals.

Ø Shafritz (2007) noted that PA is the study of the science and art of management applied to the public sector. This gives public administration a multidisciplinary outlook. It implies that public administration is everywhere.

Ø L. D. White (1955) noted that public administration is the enforcement of public policy.

Ø Ademalokun noted that public administration is anything and everything the government does.

Features of Public Administration

Ø By definition, public administration is the utility of public men and materials, through a predefined public process towards the attainment of public goals, aims and objectives.

From the above, we shall identify five core values about public administration that makes it unique.

a.     Public Space: Public administration must take place within the public space. This is a place where everyone share equal right and privilege to be at. It is a place where no one is restricted or hindered from being at.

b.     Public Men: Public administration must have men with public reputation. They must be men known and identified by the public as individuals value qualities deserving of such public place. They must be qualified for such responsibility and must have the executive right to play within such public space.

c.      Public Materials: Whatever material used in administering the public must be a public material. Whether it is money, or facilities, it must be owned by the public, and must be utilized in the interest of the public.

d.     Public aims and objectives: Whatever be end point of public administration must be in the interest of the public. The benefits and impact of administration but have a public content.

e.     Public Process: Public administration must take through a predefined public process. This implies that the rules of public engagement must be predefined and not changed in the middle of the game. Everyone must be privy to the legislations that stipulate the processes and procedures of public engagement. Thus, everyone must equally understand the criteria and conditions of public administration.

Nature and scope of Administration in New and Emergent States

Ø The course aims at building a framework for understanding administration from a developmental perspective. In other words, when we talk about ANES, we emphasis on the ability of administration to drive development within its environment.

Ø With the knowledge of this course, we shall change our views to understand public administration no more as an instrument of stabilization or as a sedentary or inactive subject matter but rather as an influential catalyst for change.

Ø ANES is dependent as well as an independent variable

a.     As a dependent variable, we see the success and or failure of administration as being tangential to the environment, institution, people, government etc.

b.     As an independent variable ANES is a defining factor for driving needed change in the institution, government, people of the state. This implies that administration is intertwined with it’s environment.

Ø ANES recognizes the role of people in governance. It particularly focuses on launching or introducing a people-centered government, such that the general interest of policy of the government will be to the benefit of the people.

Ø ANES encourages public inclusion. This means that it has an open door strategy to administration. It welcomes new criticisms, new ideas and innovation for development. 

Ø ANES is comparative. It seeks to evaluate how best governance and administration can run. It compares administration across borders to check which works best and recommends a groundwork evaluation and integration within the locality where it is being applied.