Abstract
This paper will provide a basic definition and explanation of what public administration is. It will explain the core concepts associated with public administration, and it will provide elaboration on each of the core concepts in order to provide a working knowledge of what public administration is and all that it entails. By providing working understanding of public administration, it will ensure that the reader is able to have a firm grasp of the subject once the paper has been read through its completion.
Keywords: public administration, definition, core concepts
Leadership and Management
As Woodrow Wilson once said, “Our own politics must be the touchstone for all theories. The principles on which to base a science of administration for America must be principles which have democratic policy very much at heart” (Stillman, p. 1). It has likewise been said that there is no clear cut definition of public administration, and that much is true as well (Stillman, p. 1). The reason for this inability to provide a clear cut description of public administration, one that all parties are able to agree on, is due to the wide range and scope of the field. In today’s day and age, public administration may encompass anything and everything, depending on the location and the position of the individual within the field of public administration. In this manner, the best that may be attained is a working definition of public administration, one that may be molded and modified as the situation allows. Loosely put, public administration entails the use of civil servants, working within their allocated capacities, in order to be able to implement specific policies within a specified framework (PublicAdministration.net, 2013). The discipline draws from a variety of different areas, including political science, sociology, economics, and even the liberal arts in order to be able to provide the individual with a working knowledge of administrative behaviors and public bureaucracies (UNC, 2013). Individuals within the field of public administration work with a combination of theory and the development of skill sets in order to be able to work within the public, with the public, and within the executive power structures that will confine them (UNC, 2013).
The field of public administration includes a wide variety of job types and positions all within different governmental and non-governmental agencies, including, but not limited to, budget analysts, policy advisors, city planners, city managers, and even executive assistants; positions may be supervisory or non-supervisory, and may be within the political arena, the religious field, special interest groups, non-profit organizations, or governmental agencies (PublicAdministration.net, 2013). It is because the field is so all encompassing that a more specific definition of public administration has not yet been found, and it is the reason that scholars and those within the field are unable to come up with a more specific and concrete definition. In spite of this, it may clearly be said that “All administration, including public administration, depends on the cooperative effort of the individuals who make up the administration. Therefore, administration is affected by all the complexities of human nature” (Stillman, p. 3). Though the broad definition of public administration may stand, it is clear that the administration is affected by human nature, and as a result, it must have specific core components, or core elements, which work to make up the sum total of its parts, regardless of whether or not those components or aspects vary based upon the position and field that the public administration job occurs in.
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"Leadership and Management".
There are those that say public administration has only three core components, others who say it has fifteen, but regardless of how the division is made, these core components may be narrowed down to, or expanded to, five basic components that serve to address the other variations thereof. These five core values are transparency, accountability, ethics, professionalism, and leadership (DeRosia, 2010). By reviewing each of these five different core concepts, it will be possible to describe the standards that are used to characterize this particular field, and in order to be successful in that field, these values must be remembered and recognized on a daily basis (DeRosia, 2010).
Transparency is a social context and a social construct which works to imply, and to ensure, an openness of communication and information between one party and another. When applied specifically to the field of public administration, it means working to ensure that the public has the information that they need in order to be able to make informed decisions. It is something that should be taken into consideration each and every time and each and every day, given that the field of public administration has one sole purpose; to serve the individuals that they are working to represent to the best of their ability (DeRosia, 2010). The process of transparency works to ensure that nothing is being kept from the public that they should be made privy to, regardless of whether it has to do with how the money is being spent, or whether or not a policy should be implemented and all the associated factors that accompany that policy. This allows the public to be able to make the best decision regarding the matter.
Accountability is the process by which a certain standard of professionalism is adhered to within a workplace setting (DeRosia, 2010). Furthermore, it requires the individual holding the position of power to realize that the entirety of their activities are being funded by the public, and as a result, they are responsible for working to ensure that the desires of the public are met (DeRosia, 2010). Those who hold positions of power are required to work to ensure that they are working to follow the agenda of the organization as promised to the public, or are working to adhere to the promises that they have made to the public, or are working to enact the wishes of the public. It is as a result of the accountability of the individual within public administration that transparency is so important. An individual within the field of public administration must be able to show, without a doubt, that they are working for the people, and that they have no additional ulterior motive for the actions that they take on behalf, or purport to take on the behalf, of the individuals who have provided them with the availability of having the position in the first place. It is accountability which works to be able to keep those in the field of public administration to the wishes of the public.
The third core value of the individual within the field of public administration is that of ethics. Specifically, in order for an individual to be able to function effectively and properly within any organization in a position of public administration, that individual must adhere he a high degree of ethical standards and must be held to a high degree of ethical standards (DeRosia, 2010). Ethics call for the individual to always display integrity in all things, and to work to ensure that they are always in compliance with all rules and regulations that are associated with not only their position, but their work as well (DeRosia, 2010). This code of ethics works to ensure that the individual holds themselves to be accountable for all their actions, and dictates that they work to maintain a strict code of transparency. Ethics work to ensure that the individual is kept on the path that they are on as a result of a code that they adhere to, and it is that code that is necessary in order to remain successful in the field of public administration.
Professionalism is the fourth core value of public administration. The individual who chooses the field of public administration must not only be a visionary, but also a steward of public funds and information (DeRosia, 2010). This code of professionalism works to ensure that the individual within the field of public administration is not only able to maintain the appropriate level of gravity for their position, allow their decisions to carry the necessary weight, but also works to ensure that they act in a manner that conveys not only respect for themselves and the organization that they work for, but also the individuals that they represent (DeRosia, 2010). The individuals within the field of public administration must deal with all issues, regardless of whether or not those issues are negative or positive, in the same manner. The individual must remain cool, calm, and collected throughout all of their actions, and should maintain a level of decorum so that their actions inside of the job or out of it, always serve to reflect favorably on the organization itself. The ethics of the individual will factor heavily into their desire to remain professional regardless of what may occur.
Leadership is the fifth and final core value necessary for the field of public administration. The individual within the field of public administration must be able to possess the necessary skills to be able to work to motivate the public that they are responsible for as well as those who work for the same organization (DeRosia, 2010). These leaders must be able to work to achieve the goals of the organization that they represent, recognize the talents of those underneath them and nurture them to be able to take on more responsibility and use their talents for the betterment of the organization (DeRosia, 2010). The leader must always keep the good of all over the good of a few, and be able to understand when the good of the few does not outweigh the good of the many. They must continue to provide moral support for their organization and immediately work to correct matters that need correcting, in both a swift and decisive manner, for to do otherwise could cause discord within the organization, or could even cause the organization to fail.
Public administration is a difficult field with heavy responsibility. It may encompass anything and everything, and the job may be more or less structured depending on the organization that the individual has chosen to be a part of and the amount of work that the organization needs to do, coupled with the resources available to the organization itself. By working to understand the core values of public administration and understanding the broad strokes of what the field may entail, it is possible for the individual to be able to understand the different options available to them, and the best way to address any questions, concerns, or issues that they may have. John F. Kennedy said in 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” (Stillman, p.320), and this is the mentality that every individual who wishes to consider a career in public education should understand, acknowledge, and strive for.
- DeRosia, M. (2010, March 09). The five core values of public administration. Retrieved from http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/the-five-core-values-of-public
- Stillman, R. (2009). Public administration: Concepts and cases. (9th ed.). New York: Cengage Learning.
- UNC. (2013). What is public administration? . Retrieved from http://www.uncp.edu/pa/what.htm
