Public administration notion: foreign experience

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION NOTION: FOREIGN EXPERIENCE

Kiforenko O.V.

Ph. D., Associate Professor, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Regional Policy Educational and Scientific Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Abstract

The knowledge of public administration helps us find a link between the policy-making (government institutions) and policy implementation at the grass-root level, as it gives us a clear picture of the gap between the requirements of the people and the actual policy. Despite of the extreme importance of public administration and its topicality on all the levels like local, regional, country and global ones, there is no one single universally adopted definition of this notion. The goals of the article are to analyse the approaches to the public administration notion identification, stating the strong and weak points of them. The approaches to the definition of the notion under discussion from the publications from abroad only will be taken into consideration. The definitions/ explanations of the public administration notion, in which the researchers/authors emphasize the state governance segment of public administration were given in the first part of the article. The definitions/explanations of public administration, making stress on its juridical side, connection to the public policy, as a field of study or a discipline, and a field of practice, or an occupation were presented in the second part of the article. The novelty of the research is that not only the definitions of the researchers, made in the scientific articles, were analysed in this paper, but the points of view as for the notion mentioned above expressed on different Internet sites as well to present the most complete picture of the public administration possible. The research itself as well as its results would be interesting and useful for politicians, government officials of all the levels, not-for-profit institutions employees, representatives of the scientific community as well as decision makers.

Key words: public administration, public policy, government, state, society.

Анотація

public administration legal state

Поняття публічного управління: іноземний досвід.

Нині у світі, де бракує ресурсів і наявна гостра потреба у сталому розвитку, дослідження публічного управління допоможе знайти рішення економного й ефективного використання вказаних ресурсів. Розуміння поняття публічного управління допомагає нам знайти зв'язок між формуванням політики та її впровадженням на низовому рівні, оскільки дає чітке уявлення про розрив між вимогами людей та фактичною політикою. Незважаючи на надзвичайну важливість публічного управління та його актуальність на всіх рівнях, як-от місцевий, регіональний, державний та глобальний, єдиного загальноприйнятого визначення цього поняття немає. Мета статті - проаналізувати підходи до визначення поняття публічного управління, зазначити їхні сильні та слабкі сторони. До уваги будуть братися лише підходи до визначення досліджуваного поняття, взяті з іноземних публікацій. Визначення/ пояснення поняття публічного управління, у яких дослідники/автори роблять наголос на сегменті державного управління у структурі публічного управління, були наведені в першій частині статті. Визначення/пояснення публічного управління, де зроблено наголос на його юридичній стороні, зв'язку з державною політикою, які трактують його як сферу вивчення чи дисципліну, а також практичну сферу чи заняття, були представлені у другій частині статті. Новизна дослідження полягає в тому, що у статті були проаналізовані не лише визначення вчених, опубліковані в наукових статтях, але і думки щодо визначення вищезгаданого поняття, висловлені на різних вебсайтах, щоб представити максимально повне уявлення про поняття публічного управління. Саме дослідження, а також його результати зацікавлять та будуть корисними для політиків, урядовців усіх рівнів, працівників неприбуткових інституцій, представників наукової спільноти, а також осіб, які ухвалюють рішення. Ключові слова: публічне управління, публічна політика, уряд, держава, суспільство. 

Introduction

Today in a world where the resources are scarce and there is a dire need for sustainable development, the study of public administration will help to find a solution for economical, effective, and efficient utilization of these resources [16]. Public administration is considered to be indispensable because contemporary civilisation cannot progress without a sound administrative system [4]. The quality of a country's public administration and governance is a key factor in its economic performance and the wellbeing of its citizens. Efficient public administrations serve the needs of citizens and businesses. A well-functioning public administration provides a solid platform for the development of businesses and ensures quality services to citizens and professionals [6]. What is very important, public administration is critical to ensuring that the public sector has the expertise needed to address the most pressing civic problems facing society [1]. Considering everything stated above as well as the publications on the matter under discussion in different sources, the importance of the notion of public administration goes without saying. As public administration is a broad field that covers the administrative services needed to help build and strengthen society [17], the notion mentioned previously needs to be further studied, as the knowledge of public administration helps us find a link between the policy-making (government institutions) and policy implementation at the grass-root level, as it gives us a clear picture of the gap between the requirements of the people and the actual policy [16].

Despite of the extreme importance of public administration and its topicality on all the levels like local, regional, country and global ones, there is no one single universally adopted definition of this notion. Although many researchers and practitioners try to define the mentioned concept, they do it from different perspectives, making stress on various aspects of the matter. On the one hand, the notion is too complex to try to define it in one sentence and, if so, the definition would be too long and complicated. On the other hand, if the concept under discussion is very complex, it is easier to explain rather than to make one single definition of it. The issues expressed in the latter two sentences could be identified as the previously unresolved parts of the general problem, that is the definition of the public administration notion. It is obvious, that the goals of the article follow from the identification for the unresolved parts of the notion under research, that is the goals of the article are to analyze the approaches to the public administration notion identification, stating the strong and weak points of them. The approaches to the definition of the notion under discussion from the publications from abroad only will be taken into consideration. The novelty of the research is that not only the definitions of the researchers, made in the scientific articles, will be analyzed in this paper, but the points of view as for the notion mentioned above expressed on different Internet sites as well to present the most complete picture of the public administration possible.

Outline of the main research material

The evolution of public administration as a separate academic discipline started from the late nineteenth century. Woodrow Wilson's “The Study of Administration” was the first to present the demand for separation (Politics Administration Dichotomy) between politics and administration. His claim to distinguish between politics and administration was reinforced in the early twentieth century with the publication of Frank Goodnow's book, “Politics and Administration: A Study in Government” (1900) [3]. As time was passing by, the understanding of the public administration notion changed as well with the researchers adding new nuances to its definition and explanation. Let's follow the said changing course as to how foreign researchers understand/define/explain the notion of public administration. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, public administration is a branch of political science dealing primarily with the structure and workings of agencies charged with the administration of governmental functions [9]. Another literature source many people refer to is the Encyclopedia Britannica, in which we see the following explanation rather than definition of the notion under research: “Public administration, the implementation of government policies. Today public administration is often regarded as including also some responsibility for determining the policies and programs of governments. Specifically, it is the planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling of government operations” [11].

As for the definitions of the notion under discussion made by the researchers, one should pay attention at the following one: J. Pfiffner states, that it would seem that “Public Administration consists of getting the work of government done by coordinating the efforts of the people so that they can work together to accomplish their set tasks” [10].

Having cast a look at the definitions/ explanations of the public administration notion given on the internet sites of the scientific/learning content, the following one seems to be worth taken consideration of: Public Administration is the management of governmental affairs; it comprises activities of all levels of government: national (federal), state and local [7]. And another attempt to explain the essence of the said notion found on the Internet sites is: Public administration attempts to explain how decisions in government are made as well as administrating projects to carry out those decisions [8]. And one more: public administration is concerned with the implementation of governmental policy that serves the wide population, carrying political activity and decision into actions and developing public programmes for the well-being of the society and the citizens [19]. A more generalized definition of public administration can be found on the definitions internet site and it sounds as follows: Public administration is concerned with the implementation of government policy, and is an academic discipline that studies this implementation and prepares civil servants for working in the public service [13].

The definition of the said notion made from another perspectives is, that public administration is government administration, government in action, or a socio-economic and politico- administrative confluence, the focus being especially on public bureaucracy [4].

In addition, public administration is essential to the effective functioning of governments, as it involves not only implementing public policies but also providing policy advice to political leaders [15]. So, as you could notice, the article was organized in such a way, that its first part comprises the definitions/explanations of the public administration notion, in which the researchers/authors emphasize the state governance segment of public administration, that is - there is one common thing in all the definitions/explanations of the public administration notion and that is government. No matter whether it is talked about government policy determination and implementation, structure and functioning of government agencies/departments or the functioning of a government itself on all the levels - national (federal), state and local, etc., the main thing is that the public administration is about government only. But such a narrow definition/ explanation is too limiting for such a broad notion as public administration. The confirmation of the author's viewpoint expressed in the previous sentence can be found in the statements from the other literature sources as well. That is, many definitions of public administration consider it very much in terms of government administration and define public administration as the implementation of government policy. Others have argued that this is too limiting as there is also a role for public administration outside of government, as shown by the administrative work of large non-governmental organisations like the United Nations or the World Health Organisation [20].

So, the further research was made in the direction of the public administration notion definition/explanation to make the said notion picture as broad and clear as possible. And the results of the research mentioned above were included in the second part of this paper. The researcher to start with here would be professor Woodrow Wilson, who defined Public Administration as detailed and systematic execution of public law; every particular application of general law is an act of administration [10], making stress on the juridical side of the notion under research. The specialists from Ohio University consider public administration to be a field of political science that plans organizes, directs, coordinates, and controls operations at government, public sector, and non-profit organizations [12]. Such a definition seems to give a broader application space for the notion being analysed. Nicholas Henry defines the concept in a different way. He says “Public administration is the device used to reconcile bureaucracy with democracy. Public administration is a broad-ranging and amorphous combination of theory and practice, its purpose is to promote a superior understanding of government and its relationship with the society it governs” [21]. Though the definition stresses the government sector of public administration application like the ones in the first article part, the researcher embraces the other notion application spheres as well. Another researcher we point out here, though gives a broad explanation of the notion, his definition of public administration is too broad and vague, meaning according to L.D. White, public administration is the direction, coordination and control of many persons to achieve certain purposes. These purposes relate to the general management and welfare of the society [21]. Another example of a broad notion definition, that seems to be too blurred, was given by Herbert Simon, a noted authority, who defines public administration in the following way: the public administration can be defined as the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish certain common goals. The public administration has also been defined as the combined effect on the part of and trained administrators to achieve certain essential goals [21]. As you see the researcher didn't identify the sphere of application for the notion under research, making it similar to any group activity without connection to public administration activity. One more example of the public administration notion, that can be applied to many activities not connected to the public governance as it is, was made by R.V. Presthus, who defines public administration as the organisation and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired ends. Public administration is also a way to encourage future goals [21]. As you have noticed, there is no hint on the connection of the activities the researcher talks about with any sphere of a state governance in the definition presented in the latter sentence. And that is a con of the said definition as it can be applied to any activity connected with goals achievement without being connected to the state/society activities/ functioning.

To further continue the research, let's consider the definition made by L.D. White, who states, that “Public Administration consist of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfilment or enforcement of public policy” [10]. Here we see, that the scientist makes it clear, that only the activity connected with the fulfilment or enforcement of public policy cam be defined as public administration. Moving in the direction of defining the sphere of the notion application, the following explanation (not a definition as it is too long for a definition) is to be provided here - public administration is the set of processes, structures, functions, methods and procedures. Public administration is the formulation and particularly implementation of public policy and the examination of the strategies and choices associated with that process. Public administration also can be defined as public programs and projects, profession and as academic field of study [14]. The explanation of the notion under analysis seems to be quite sufficient but a little bit too long though. More than that, the last statement of the explanation is quite disputable. Another definition of the public administration notion is as follows - Public Administration is the organization and management of men and materials to achieve the objectives of the state [7]. The definition is quite exact but should be more definite as not all the people and materials management can be considered to be the subjects of public administration. Put it simply, public administration is the planning, organising, directing and co-ordination of operations to serve the public good [20]. Though the definition given in the previous sentence is quite compact, it is some indefinite as well, because not every operation aiming at serving the public good can be incorporated into the essence of public administration.

In order to cover all the spheres of public administration application, the following definition of the notion under research should be presented here - public administration is a field of study and a profession for individuals who wish to engage in meaningful public service, which, broadly defined, includes employees of government and not-for- profit organizations, elected officials, members of boards, community activists, volunteers, and philanthropists, among others [18]. Stating short, public administration is both a field of study, or a discipline, and a field of practice, or an occupation [20]. If we talk about public administration as a field of study, then it should be added, that the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES) defines it as a branch of study that prepares you to serve as a public service manager in local, state or federal government [17]. As you can see, the main emphasis here is made again on the government sector of public administration application similar to the definitions presented in the first part of the paper, leaving aside all the other spheres of its application. Moving in the said course, it should be added, that public administration combines preparation for administrative responsibility in the public service with the study of the political environment [5].

In a general sense the term public administration is primarily concerned with the general administration of the society as a whole. In some exceptional cases the public administration may be concerned with a particular section of society. But in general sense administration aiming at the common benefit of the public is public administration [21]. The notion explanation given in the latter sentence is concentrated more on the public as a subject of administration rather than its attribute, stating nothing about the administration levels and its connection to the state governance. Apart from its official definitions, public administration is often described as the area of interest that resides in the space where the business world's inner- workings and public awareness and interaction cautiously meet [2]. The explanation of the notion under research is rather interesting as it suggests a fresh look at the public administration from a different angle, but, again, if the definitions/ explanations of the notion from the first part of the article consider it exclusively in the connection with the government, then here there is no mention about a state governance institutions at all, that, in turn, doesn't give a full picture of the public administration notion and its application.

Conclusions

Nowadays the whole world in general and every country/region/person in particular are facing extreme challenges being it climate change, food insecurity, COVID-19 pandemic, etc. Governments are increasingly called upon to address complex and interconnected “wicked problems” [1]. Governments must shift from reaction to action to move forward, tackle new problems, and earn the public's trust [12]. So the need for leaders, managers, technical experts, and front-line workers in the right jobs with the right skills at the right time has never been greater [1]. To survive, solve the problems emerging any second and make the life of every single human being easier and happier, we need our public administration institutions and administrators to be able to adjust to changing circumstances, tackle the problems with the biggest effectiveness possible and make the decisions appropriate under the given circumstances. In order to do that, the public authorities should know how to govern, what tools to apply, what policy to implement, that is they should be high class public administrators. But efficiency is not the only important value for public administration. Service, effectiveness, responsiveness, probity and accountability are equally as crucial [15]. Public administration is not just a word combination like millions of others. Besides all the meanings and definitions mentioned above, public administration is a notion penetrating all the functioning spheres of any society, being it economy, education, law, health care, environment, etc. But more than that, being engaged into public administration on any level, like local, regional, country or global, one can make difference in the life of the whole world in general and every single person in particular. Public Administration as an academic discipline is a little over a hundred years old, whereas public administration as an activity - the context for which this study is based - is traceable to the earliest periods of human history when man started living in organized societies [7]. There is dual usage of the words Public Administration. They are used to designate and delineate both: a) an area of intellectual inquiry, a discipline or a study and b) a process or activity - that of administering public affairs [7]. In a general sense the term public administration is primarily concerned with the general administration of the society as a whole. In some exceptional cases the public administration may be concerned with a particular section of society. But in general sense administration aiming at the common benefit of the public is public administration [21]. Today, the role of public administration is towards more of governance, then of direct involvement. The public administration has to play enabling, collaborative, cooperative, partnership and regulatory roles [4].

Despite of the extreme importance of public administration and its topicality on all the levels like local, regional, country and global ones, there is no one single universally adopted definition of this notion. Although many researchers and practitioners try to define the mentioned concept, they do it from different perspectives, making stress on various aspects of the matter. The definitions/ explanations of the public administration notion, in which the researchers/authors emphasize the state governance segment of public administration were given in the first part of the article. But it is not right to consider public administration only from the point of view of its use in a government work as the main methods and tools of the public administration can be implemented literary everywhere, in every institution, organization or enterprise being it entrepreneurship subject or non-profit organization. The definitions/explanations of the public administration notion, in which the researchers/authors emphasize the state governance segment of public administration were given in the first part of the article. The definitions/explanations of public administration, making stress on its juridical side, connection to the public policy, as a field of study or a discipline, and a field of practice, or an occupation were presented in the second part of the article. The novelty of the research is that not only the definitions of the researchers, made in the scientific articles, were analysed in this paper, but the points of view as for the notion mentioned above expressed on different Internet sites were analysed in the article to present the most complete picture of the public administration possible. The research itself as well as its results would be interesting and useful for politicians, government officials of all the levels, not-for-profit institutions employees, representatives of the scientific community as well as decision makers.

References

1. Alliance V. Preparing tomorrow's public service.URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.108 0/15236803.2019.1689780

2. Best Value Schools. What is public administration? 2021. URL: https://www.bestvalueschools.com/ faq/what-is-public-administration/

3. Biswas A. 5 Phases of the Evolution of Public Administration. 2020. URL: https://schoolofpoliticalscience. com/evolution-of-public-administration/#Phase_1_of_ the_Evolution_of_Public_Administration

4. Public Administration - Meaning, Nature, Scope And Importance. eGyanKosh. URL: https://egyankosh.ac.in/ bitstream/123456789/25454/1/Unit-1.pdf

5. Public Administration Concentration. 1993.ESC. URL: https://www.esc.edu/degrees-programs/undergraduate-aos/business-management-economics/ bme-guidelines/bme-concentration-guidelines/public- administration/

6. Governance and Public Administration. 2020. European Commission. URL: https://ec.europa.eu/ reform-support/system/files/2021-03/ht0120283enn.pdf

7. Public Administration. Ifioque. URL: https://ifioque.com/career-workshop/management/ public_administration

8. What is Public Administration. Internationalstudent.URL: https://www.internationalstudent.com/stu-dy-public-administration/what-is-public-administration/

9. Public administration. Merriam-Webster.comdictionary. URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20administration

10. Mondal S. (n. d.). Nature and Scope of PublicAdministration. URL: http://www.legalservicesindia.com/article/2311/Nature-And-Scope-of-Public- Administration.html.

11. Mosher F.C., Edward C., Chapman B. (n. d.). Public administration. Encyclopedia Britannica. URL: https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-administration

12. Public Administration vs. Public Management: What's the Difference? 2020. Ohio University. URL: https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/public-administra- tion-vs-public-management-whats-the-difference/.

13. Public Administration. (n.d.). Definitions.net. URL: https://www.definitions.net/definition/public+administration

14. Raipa A. Public Policy and Public Administration: Development, Structure and Reciprocity. 2002. URL: https://ojs.mruni.eu/ojs/public-policy-and-administra- tion/article/view/2543

15. Public Administration. 2014. SAGE. URL: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/public- administration/book242836

16. Sinha P. Why do We Need toStudy Public Administration? 2021. URL:https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/why-do-we-need-to- study-public-administration/

17. What is Public Administration? 2021. SNHU.URL: https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/business/what-is-public-administration

18. What is Public Administration? SPAA. URL: https://spaa.newark.rutgers.edu/what-is-public-adminis- tration

19. What is a Short Course in Public Administration? StudyPortals. URL: https://www.shortcoursesportal.com/ disciplines/101/public-administration.html

20. The role of public management. UP. URL: https://online.up.ac.za/introduction-and-concepts-to- public-administration/

21. Public Administration: Definition, Nature and Dimension. YAL. URL: https://www.yourarticlelibrary. com/public-administration/public-administration- definition-nature-and-dimension/63417

Размещено на Allbest.ru