PAD 3003 Public Administration in American Society Midterm Study Guide What is Public Administration Who is a Public Administrator PA is concerned with the management of public programs Public admins are obliged to achieve efficiency effectiveness and responsiveness Quiz 1 Study Guide o o Tenants of Democracy Individualism Equality Liberty o Rosenbloom s Approaches to achieving democracy Legislative political approach Executive managerial approach Judicial legal approach Public Administration v Business Administration o Ambiguity of goals Private sector Public sector aimed towards profit it is its primary goal provides a good or service to the public o Pluralistic decision making Private sector decisions are made on a much smaller group level More centralized decision making Public sector decisions are made by many groups and serve many interests o Visibility of managerial actions Much media and press scrutiny on behalf of the public sector Even though the bureaucracy and structure are often used as a scapegoat The degree to which the public is involved in or has access to public administrations Publicness Bureaucracy vs Democracy o Bureaucracy o Democracy Effectiveness vs Responsiveness o Katz Values the group hierarchy top down decision making Values individualism equality and pluralistic decision making What skills are required for Public Admins Conceptual Top level administrators Technical supervisory or mid level administrators Human both 1 8 Origins of Public Admi o Origins from the Progressive Era Dedicated to combat the spoils system of government Jackson White Article Introduction to the Study of Public Administration o Assumptions of Public Administration 1 Public Administration is more based in the management of government rather than the law of government Administrative management vs administrative law 2 Public Administration is an Art Even though it has become more of a science As a science it allows us to more readily replicate and train public administrators Transformational leadership Someone who inspires Transactional Leadership Leads more day to day operations by example following the rules 3 Administration in Public Administration is the Heart of the Problem in Modern Government The running of a constitution as opposed to the composition of it o Definition Public Administration The management of men and materials in the accomplishment of the goals of the state Objective The most efficient utilization of resources at the disposal of officials and employees PA is also concerned with justice liberty obedience and the role of the stat 1 13 Spoils System of Government o Characteristics Emerged under Andrew Jackson Shift from the elitist model Believed that any individual was capable of executing the simple tasks of governing Plagued by inefficiency incompetence corruption scandals etc Reform Efforts o Woodrow Wilson s The Study of Administration First Part Reasons for Article Why Write About This 1 The Spoils System of Government Led to corruption fraud and widespread distrust in government 2 Reason why the study of administration came about so late Political scientists were more concerned with who ran the system and the constitutional makeup of the system than the actual running of the government Time when people became fed up with the corruption of their local government Many reformers wanted to change the way the system was run Progressivism Era Three Eras of Government 1 Autocratic Rule Monarchies absolute rulers 2 Constitutional Establishment Absolute rule is done away with 3 Constitutional Administration Yet still not a complete understanding of the new system of power Once a constitutional system is set up it is up to public administrators to decide how to actually run that constitution Second Part Recommendations i Public Administration is a Field of Business Must be administered more like a business than a government entity Politics and administration should be separated Politics decides policy Administration carries out that policy ii i Administrative Discretion When administrators must use their own judgment calls in enacting policy There must be a certain level of administrative discretion allowed The Comparative Nature of Public Administration We must be able to compare the administrative systems of other countries to be able to adapt them to our own system o Pendleton Civil Service Act 1883 Created a bipartisan Civil Service Commission Responsible for 90 of gov employees Merit based system Insulated administrators from politics Promoted efficiency professionalization ethical behavior Policy Types o Distributive Policy 18th century Policies that have diffuse costs among the population but narrower benefits Policies that the private sector would not generally provide Defense education water etc Redistributive o New Deal FDR and Great Society LBJ Eras Takes from wealthier constituents in taxes and redistribute that in the form of government programs to less affluent individuals Welare Medicaid TANF Schools of Politics o Public administration is inherently political Recognizes the multiplicity and public nature of decision making in PA The need to work with interests groups and others Administrative Discretion Decision Making Rational Comprehensive Approach Decisions are made through a rational approach with an idea of all the different alternatives possible The most optimal decision is made based on your goal Incremental School of Thought Herbert Simon People make decisions based on the first alternative which can satisfy the problem Even though it is not the optimal decision it satisfies the problem When public administrators face unanticipated circumstances and make value based judgments o Definition Administrative Discretion Police officers issuing a ticket Lipsky Street Level Bureaucracy Street level bureaucrats include officers teachers social workers etc They are any public administrator who comes into contact with clients citizens Street level bureaucrats effectively make policy providing public benefits and keeping order Administrative discretion is important for an effective and efficient government o Checks on Administrative Power Political Appointments Civil Service Reform Ideologically similar appointments will follow your direction Under Carter the creation of the Senior Executive Service allows members to forgo civil service protection in return for higher salaries The Iron Triangle System of check and balances as Congress the Bureaucracy
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