Public Administration Lecture Notes PDF

Public Administration Dr. Mai Ghaith Democracy - Democracy is defined by several important cultural values that are pursued in a democratic society: Individualism Equality Liberty  Individualism Suggests that achieving the fullest p...

Public Administration Dr. Mai Ghaith Democracy - Democracy is defined by several important cultural values that are pursued in a democratic society: Individualism Equality Liberty  Individualism Suggests that achieving the fullest potential of each individual is the best measure of the success of our political system. It is reflected in the familiar phrasing of Declaration of Independence that all persons are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights and that it is the purpose of government to secure these rights.  Equality - Which means that each person has an equal claim to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. - Person should be seen as an end, not as a mean; no one should be a mere tool of another. - In a democracy; each one has an equal claim to the attention of the system and should be able to expect just outcomes.  Liberty - That is the central value of democracy which means that individual citizen of democracy should have a high degree of self-determination. - You should have the maximum opportunity to select your own purposes in life and to choose the means to accomplish these. - Liberty is more than just the absence of constraints. Democracy and Public administration - According to American political tradition, there is a separation of legislative, executive, and judicial functions which has influence on the development of public administration. The primary task of legislative branch is the enactment of legislation, laws to make policy. The primary task of executive branch is the faithful execution or implementation of policy. And finally, the primary task of judicial branch is the interpretation of the law, especially as it relates to constitutional guarantees. The role of public administration David Rosenbloom (1993) has argued that these 3 functions of government are related to 3 views of the role of public administration in American society. Managerial approach Political approach Legal approach Managerial approach Which Rosenbloom connects to the executive function, emphasizes the management and organization of public organization. In other words, it is like private sector that concerned primarily with efficiency.  Political approach To public administration related to legislative function in the government, is concerned about ensuring constitutional safeguards. Efficiency becomes less a concern than effectiveness and responsiveness.  Legal approach To public administration is related to judicial function, emphasizes the administrator’s role in applying and enforcing the law in specific situations.