matthew r. fairholm, ph.d. pols 721 introductionand getting a handel on public administration

Matthew R. Fairholm, Ph.D.

POLS 721Introductionand Getting a

Handel on Public Administration


A Question (okay two)

What is public administration? Why?

What is Public Administration? Why?


PA Themes - Bureaucracy (Goodsell)

A position to be debated…

“The quality of public service in the United States is vastly underrated. Our

government’s administrative agencies and those who work in them are commonly

portrayed as inefficient, incompetent, and wasteful - and often uncivil and devious as

well. This is simply not true.” (Goodsell, p.xi)


Trends in Public Service:

Spoils and Patronage Woodrow Wilson The difference between honest and dishonest graft

Scientific Management and the Progressives Bureaucracy and the New Deal

Politics/Administration Dichotomy Waldo - an inherently political activity Simon - neutral, professional Implementers

Changing Shape of Federalism Marble-cake federalism and unfunded mandates

Government and Business Privatization and competitive government Public Administration or Public Management

Governance Third party service delivery boundarylessness


Some Definitions


Some Definitions:The Etymology of Public Administration

Main Entry: et·y·mol·o·gy Pronunciation: -jEFunction: nounInflected Form(s): plural -giesEtymology: Middle English ethimologie, from Anglo-French, from Latin etymologia, from Greek, from etymon + -logia -logy

1 : the history of a linguistic form (as a word) shown by tracing its development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common ancestral form in an ancestral language


Some Definitions…

Profession Main Entry: pro·fes·sion (http://www.m-w.com) Pronunciation: pr&-'fe-sh&n; Function: noun; Etymology: Middle English

professioun, from Old French profession, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin profession-, professio, from Latin, public declaration, from profitEri1 : the act of taking the vows of a religious community2 : an act of openly declaring or publicly claiming a belief, faith, or opinion : PROTESTATION3 : an avowed religious faith4 a : a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b : a principal calling, vocation, or employment c : the whole body of persons engaged in a calling

An occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, usually has a professional association, ethical code and process of certification or licensing. Examples law, medicine, finance, military, nursing, clergy & engineering. Classically, only four professions: the church, the military, medicine, and

law. held a specific code of ethics, members were almost universally required to swear some form of oath to uphold

those ethics Each profession also provided and required extensive training in the meaning,

value and importance of that oath in the practice of the profession. George Bernard Shaw characterised all professions as "conspiracies against

the laity“ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession)


Some Definitions…

Discipline Branches of knowledge or of teaching c.1225, from O.Fr. descepline, from L. disciplina "instruction given

to a disciple," from discipulus (see disciple). Sense is from "order necessary for instruction." disciple: O.E. discipul (fem. discipula), Biblical borrowing from L.

discipulus "pupil," from *discipere "to grasp intellectually, analyze thoroughly," from dis- "apart" + capere "take" (see capable).

Academic Discipline Disciplines = Academic = liberal or classical rather than technical

or vocational. Meaning "branch of instruction or education" is c.1386. Meaning of

"orderly conduct as a result of training" is from 1509. Branch of knowledge which is formally taught

disciplines are usually defined and recognized by the academic journals in which research is published, by the learned societies to which their practitioners belong

Each discipline usually has several sub-disciplines Branches and lines are often arbitrary and ambiguous.


Some Definitions…

Public Main Entry: 1pub·lic Pronunciation: 'p&-blik; Function: adjective; Etymology: Middle English publique, from

Middle French, from Latin publicus; akin to Latin populus the people1 a : exposed to general view : OPEN b : WELL-KNOWN, PROMINENT c : PERCEPTIBLE, MATERIAL2 a : of, relating to, or affecting all the people or the whole area of a nation or state <public law> b : of or relating to a government c : of, relating to, or being in the service of the community or nation3 a : of or relating to people in general : UNIVERSAL b : GENERAL, POPULAR4 : of or relating to business or community interests as opposed to private affairs: SOCIAL5 : devoted to the general or national welfare : HUMANITARIAN6 a : accessible to or shared by all members of the community b : capitalized in shares that can be freely traded on the open market -- often used with go

Of or pertaining to the people; belonging to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; opposed to private; as, the public treasury, a road or lake. also defined as the people of a nation not affiliated with the government of that nation. also refers to the general body of mankind, or of a nation, state, or community; also, a particular body or aggregation of people; as, an author's public. Aggens (1983) "The is no single public, but different levels of public based on differing

levels of interest and ability". (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)


Some Definitions…

Administration Main Entry: ad·min·is·tra·tion

Pronunciation: &d-"mi-n&-'strA-sh&n, (")ad-Function: noun1 : performance of executive duties : MANAGEMENT2 : the act or process of administering3 : the execution of public affairs as distinguished from policy-making4 a : a body of persons who administer b often capitalized : a group constituting the political executive in a presidential government c : a governmental agency or board5 : the term of office of an administrative officer or body

From the Middle English administracioun, deriving from the French administration, which is itself derived from the Latin administratio: a compounding of ad ("to") and ministratio ("to give service").

In modern usage, the word has particular meanings in particular contexts, but all retain this sense of service provision. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.)


Public Administration Field of Study???

Theory 1592, "conception, mental scheme," from L.L.

theoria (Jerome), from Gk. theoria "contemplation, speculation, a looking at, things looked at," from theorein "to consider, speculate, look at," from theoros "spectator," from thea "a view" + horan "to see." Sense of "principles or methods of a science or art (rather than its practice)" is first recorded 1613. That of "an explanation based on observation and reasoning" is from 1638. The verb theorize is recorded from 1638.



Public Administration Field of Study???

Practice 1392, "to do, act, or perform habitually," from

O.Fr. practiser "to practice," from M.L. practicare "to do, perform, practice," from L.L. practicus "practical," from Gk. praktikos "practical." The noun is from 1421, originally as practise, from O.Fr. pratiser, from M.L. practicare. Also as practik, which survived in parallel into 19c. Practiced "expert" is from 1568; practicing (adj.) is recorded from 1625 in ref. to professions, from 1906 in ref. to religions.

Praxis 1581, from M.L. praxis "practice, action" (c.1255,

opposite of theory), from Gk. praxis "practice, action, doing," from stem of prassein "to do, to act."



DOCUMENTING THE FIELD

Back to the Beginning


Constitutional / Legal Foundations

The Declaration of Independence: The Principles Espoused Political thinking of the day Political thinking for our day

Constitution: Key Values Operationalized Popular Sovereignty Rule of Law Separation of Powers Federalism Others…


Constitutional / Legal Foundations

The Federalist Papers 51 – Interests 72 – First Paragraph 77 – links between sound government and high-ranking

administrative personnel

What does the Constitution say about administration? Explicit Implied Inherent


What is Public?


Public vs Private

No Distinction Mixed, Intermediate and

Hybrid Forms Things just look alike

Doing the Same Things General managers, secretaries,

IT, auditors, personnel, maintenance…

Blurred Interrelations Government contractors,

Defense industry, privatization Business serve their

communities too And public policy is made and

implemented throughout society

Clear Distinction Politics

Accessibility

Groups inject themselves readily into the inner workings of the org.

Resource Allocation Decisions

Public Scrutiny

More ???



Public Administration ThemesPublic vs Private

Ownership Funding Mode of Social Control

Example

Bureau Public Public Polyarchy -political hierarchy

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Gov’t Corp Public Private Polyarchy Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

Gov’t Sponsored Enterprise

Private Public Polyarchy Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Regulated Enterprise

Private Private Polyarchy Private Electric Utilities

Government Enterprise

Public Public Market Government Printing Office that must sell services to Gov’t agencies

State-owned Enterprise

Public Private Market Airbus

Government Contractor

Private Public Market Grumann; Lockheed Martin

Private Enterprise Private Private Market IBM; Gateway



Public Administration Themes-

Meaning of Public

From the Greek Public

Pubes: Maturity – physical and emotional; Moving to an adult state and understanding relationships of others and oneself

Koinon: Common (like the common weal, commonwealth, held in common)

Kom-ois = to care with Importance of relationships and commonly caring with others public was a polis where all citizens participated in a political

community Private

Not engaged with others, only able to see their own world, and “idiot” Etymology: Middle English, from Latin idiota ignorant person, from Greek idiOtEs one in

a private station, layman, ignorant person, from idios one's own, private; akin to Latin suus one's own -- more at SUICIDE

OR Oikos, meaning family and household (root of economy)



Public Administration Themes

English Private = to be deprived of public life; Very

disagreeable state Public = all people in society

Modern usage Public has come to = politics or government

Is this too vague and useless Utilitarians: replaced Greek thinking – turned public to

mean an aggregation of private interests Has this contributed to a loss of an ennobling concept of

public



Public Administration Themes –

Five “Publics” that have the Public Interest in Mind

1. Public as interests groups – the pluralist perspective Net result of group interaction constitutes a definition of the public interest

2. Public as rational chooser – public choice perspective Community interest is sum of the individual interests of those who compose it

3. Public as “the represented” – the legislative perspective Public’s elected representatives are the clearest single manifestation of the

public perspective

4. Public as customer – service providing perspective Those the bureaucrats serve; Bureaucrats become advocates of their customers

5. Public as citizen Informed citizenry; Not only self interest but the pursuit of the public interest PA moved from citizenship emphasis to a purely administrative one in 1930s

Who are (should be) Public Administrators responsive to?


Administration and Reformers



Main Entry: ad·min·is·ter Pronunciation: &d-'mi-n&-st&rFunction: verb; Inflected Form(s): -is·tered; ad·min·is·ter·ing /-st(&-)ri[ng]/Etymology: Middle English administren, from Middle French administrer, from Latin administrare, from ad- + ministrare to serve, from minister servant -- more at MINISTER; date: 14th centurytransitive senses

1 : to manage or supervise the execution, use, or conduct of <administer a trust fund>2 a : to mete out : DISPENSE <administer punishment> b : to give ritually <administer the last rites> c : to give remedially <administer a dose of medicine>intransitive senses1 : to perform the office of administrator2 : to furnish a benefit : MINISTER <administer to an ailing friend>3 : to manage affairs



Typical PA Administration Themes

In the Beginning… Government Reform

Movement Efficiency

Scientific precision Effectiveness

Objectivity Political separation

Data-driven decision-making

Provision of Services Limited According to the

above

From the 60-70’s on… Efficiency

Operational Efficiency Social Efficiency

Competence Technical Expertise Effectiveness

Responsiveness Open and accessible Social Equity

More active Bureaucrat Equity added as a key

value



Is Public Administration part of the problem Reduced itself to equal decision-making Comparing itself to Business administration Efficiency, economy and order as fundamental values Seek to do good by not doing evil See quote page 28

Is there an obligation to carry out laws, but also a responsibility to constantly exercise an ethic of concern for our neighbors and fellow citizens?



Potential General Theory of “the Public” for PA Constitution

Principles and values form the foundation Virtuous Citizen

Enhanced notion of citizenship Understands founding documents Belief in American regime values Taking individual moral responsibility Civility: Forbearance, Tolerance

Responsiveness to Collective and non-collective publics Systems and procedures for hearing and responding to

interests of the collective and non-collective public Benevolence and love

Purpose of government is to extend the protection of regime values to all citizens



Some Authors and Readings…to help


Classic Beginnings: Wilson 1887

The Study of Administration (Woodrow Willson, 1887)

There is a political aspect to Government

There is an administrative aspect to Government

Studying each separately would help you understand government better How to write and how to run a Constitution

How do you see the Politics/Administration Dichotomy?


Henry’s Five Paradigms of Public Administration

Ebb and Flow of the PA Stream

The Politics/Administration Dichotomy, 1900-1926

The Principles of Administration, 1927-1950

Public Administration as Political Science, 1950-1970

Public Administration as Management, 1956-1970

Public Administration as Public Administration, 1970 - ???

Locus and focus: the where …hence the whatand what …hence the how

of the profession



The Politics/Administration Dichotomy, 1900-1926 Woodrow Wilson, Frank Goodnow, Leonard White

Politics has to do with policies or expressions of the state will

Administration Has to do with the execution of these policies

Where should PA be? Executing policy “There is no Republican or Democrat way to build a

road…” Neutral and professional

Universities began to teach PA Values/Facts




The Principles of Administration, 1927-1950 W.F. Willoughby

PA had high reputation during this period POSDCORB, Gulick and Urwick “Scientization of the Democracy”

Relying on science, Isolating from Politics Focusing on administrative principles (Org ideas that worked in all

settings), Two Main Challenges

Waldo’s Challenge of the Dichotomy - 1938-1947 The dichotomy is fiction; does not play out in the practice Facts AND values needed to be understood

Herbert Simon’s (and others) Challenge of Principles - 1947-1950 No such thing as a principle of administration (like of span of control and

chain of command)• For every principle there is a counter-principle, therefore no such

thing as a principle. Purer science is needed: focus on decision making; analysis; facts




Public Administration as Political Science, 1950-1970 Reestablishing the links to Political Science

PA referred to again as an emphasis, not a field Where is PA…

Budgets and personnel policies? Involved in the grand work of government? Explore sociology, business, social psychology…?

Focus on Bureaucracy and Policy Implementation Lots of Case Studies

Democratic Theory and Administration Beginning to see grander societal impact of PA practice,

but not endorsing it yetMatthew R. Fairholm, Ph.D.



Public Administration as Management, 1956-1970 A Part of a more general trend in studying management

Fundamentally Alike in all Unimportant Respects Government and Business

Where did the “Public” go? Institutional Definition – management of tax-supported agencies Normative Definition – phenomena that affect the public interests Organizational Definition – public/non-profit sector vs business

sector

The Separatists movements Public Policy – esp. science and technology New Public Administration – normative social equity Practitioners – intellectuals don’t help and usually don’t know




Public Administration as Public Administration, 1970 - ???

No longer Political Science

No longer Management

A Separate field of study and practice taking into account all the complexities of “Public” “Administration”



Nigro and Richardson: Unsentimentality

The Old Rural and the New Urban Progressivism (1880s-1930s) Public administration studies (mostly as local government

studies) arose for Industrialization Population growth Urbanization Reform of public health Strive for efficiency Weeding out corruption

History of the polity Focus on political, constitutional, and institutional history

Comparisons European experience – centuries of work with local governments Federalist and Anti-Federalists – look to past to flesh out future

Wilson Politics and administration – two sides of the same coin



Two strands of progressivism General: progressivism was to create a less corrupt and more responsive

government Old progressivism

Grounded in communal action Mary Parker Follett

• Machine versus man-made• Democracy the goal to be achieved through steps and science• Rather, democracy is a continuous process of interaction between individuals in

an organic society• Each individual is a complete expression of the whole• Impossible for a machine metaphor• Growth of democracy – growth of individualism in association with one another

Association and interaction Anti-federalist

New Progressivism Reform through enhancing efficiency of government and strengthening the

executive at the federal level to establish a positive administrative state• Study of administrative history in terms of organization, policies, civil service

reform and high office at the federal level was paramount Federalist perspective

New progressivism won the day and still has dominated much of our training and thought

Gulick, Wilson, White, Mosher



Rationalism (1930s-1970s) From early 1900s on, business administration wielded more

influence over PA Fear of private power more than public power Rise of regulations and business interventions, protection of labor…

Business-like administration Managerial principles

Substantial counterweight to purely managerial approach to administrative history

Usable knowledge was the key and managerialism seemed to win out. Case study approach emerged

Middle-range theories rather than grand theories Use history to help eek out usable lessons

Important themes Budget Public finance State and local government reform Civil service reform Policy areas Nation building

Scientific approach and behavioralist in nature



The Unlimited State (1980s) Focus on the growth of American administrative state

along three lines Role and position of the state in society

• Intergovernmental relations• Sub-national governments

Growth and development of American Welfare state Origins and development of administrative thought

Approaches Past had been on description and theories to compare This period marks the use of a neo-institutional approach

• Rational approach tha emphasizes transaction costs• Historical-interpretive approach that analyzes social

evolution as a path-dependent phenomenon• This approach caught hold in PA



Demise of the Old and/or the Advent of the New (1990s) More interest in administrative history More need to re-interpret the past to understand the

present Routes of interpretation

Reinterpretation of modernity• Science has blinded us to understanding current challenges

Reinterpretation of out time as epochal change• Entering the global age

Reinterpretation of the discourse in public administration• No more dichotomous thinking• More communal thinking

A setting the record straight• Bureau men versus settlement women• Feminist critique


Kass and CatronFor Practical Fun: 7 Public Administration

Images

Images: conceptually distinct, not mutually exclusive; developmental frame not a typology1. Functionary: PAer is entirely subordinate and instrumental to politically defined

ends; cogs in a machine

2. Opportunist/Pragmatist: PAer is seen as self-interested, goal seeking, and utility-maximizing - not elevated to any concern with the public interest

3. Interest Broker/Market Manager: PAers correct market deficiencies where necessary and design programs consistent with consumer preferences; public choice theory

4. Professional/Expert Technician: PAers defined by functional specialization and expertise; competent analyst

5. Agent/Trustee: PAers bear the responsibility to protect the public interest – guardians; steward

6. Communitarian Facilitator: PAers must “reinvent” themselves and shift attention from the distal environment of the clientele to the proximate environment of the face-to-face work group; community building through discourse

7. Transformational Social Critic: PAers serves as the monitor of social and political process on behalf of the citizens because of strategic location in society and the public nature of the work; PAer serves as critical thinker


So What…


So What

Key Ideas What is “Public”…How do you define

“Administration”…Why is this work a Profession…

Your answers determine much of your practice…

matthew r. fairholm, ph.d. pols 721 introductionand getting a handel on public administration

Documents

public administration

public declaration

definitions slide

quality of public service

public management governance

ancestral language slide

etymology pronunciation

latin etymologia