Public Administration- Meaning and Definition

Table of Contents

Public Administration- Relevance ESIC Deputy Director Exam

PART-B of Recruitment Test (RT): Public Administration and Development Issues.

Public Administration

Public Administration is nothing but ‘government in action. Public Administration is the implementation arm of the executive.
- Public Administration is responsible for the implementation of government policies.
Public administration is a feature of all nations, whatever their system of government.
- Within nations, public administration is practiced at the central, intermediate, and local levels.
- The relationships between different levels of government within a single nation constitute a growing problem of public administration.

Public Administration- Definition by Various Thinkers

Woodrow Wilson- the father of public administration defines it- “Public Administration is a detailed and systematic application of the law. Every particular application of the law is an act of Administration.”
D White- “Public Administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of the public policy.”
Luther Gulick – “Public Administration is that part of the science of administration which has to do with government, and thus concerns itself primarily with the executive branch, where the work of government is done, though there are obviously administrative problems also in connection with the legitimate and judicial branches.”
Herbert Simone- “By Public Administration, it meant, in common usage, the activity of the executive branches of the national, state and local government.”

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Public Administration- Meaning of Public Administration

The word ‘public’ is used in a variety of meanings, but here it means ‘government’. Public Administration, therefore, simply means governmental administration.
It is the study of the management of the public agencies that carry out public policies in order to fulfill the state’s purposes in the public interest.
Traditional View of PA: They reflect the view that public administration comprises those activities that are involved in carrying out the policies and programs of governments.
- It is regarded as the coordination of collective efforts to implement public policies as expressed in-laws and interpreted by Courts.
- It identifies public administration with the administrative side of government as opposed to the legislative and judicial side.
Modern View of PA: they define PA in a broader sense- having some responsibilities in determining governmental policies and programs as well as executing them.
- Some writers like F.A. Nigro are of the opinion that all three branches of government are part of the study and practice of Public Administration.
Nigros definition: According to him “Public Administration is-
- cooperative group effort in a public setting.
- covers all three branches- executive, legislative, judicial and their inter-relationships.
- has an important role in the formulation of public policy and is thus a part of the political process.
- is different in significant ways from private administration, and
- is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals in providing services to the community.