Public Administration

1. Public Administration First session Prof. Denise Scheberle

2. Welcome • First card: write your name, what you hope to learn in this class, something interesting or fun about you, your learning style, and attach a picture • www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/ILSpage.html • Large card: Fold in half and write your first name; bring it to class next two weeks

3. Nature of the class • Interactive • Thoughtful • Challenging • Open • Six discussion teams for case studies • Summary, lessons, application

4. Teams • Say hello! Assign team leaders and decide how to take attendance. • Create a short list of guidelines or ground rules for team and class discussion • Turn in extra copy of assignments and list of guidelines to me.

5. Learning styles typology • Active and reflective learners • Sensing and intuitive learners • Visual and verbal learners • Sequential and global learners • Thoughts? Any surprises? Confirmations?

6. Critical thinking • Process of avoiding one’s preconceptions by gathering evidence, contemplating and evaluating alternatives, and coming to a conclusion • Thought that is disciplined, comprehensive, based on intellectual standards, and, as a result, is well-reasoned

7. What is public administration? • “PA may be defined as all processes, organizations and individuals associated with carrying out laws and other rules adopted or issued by legislatures, executives and courts.” • Inclusive definition: administrators are the foremost, but not the only individuals in PA • Gordon/Milakovich (authors)

8. Other definitions of PA • “Public administration is detailed and systematic execution of the law” • Woodrow Wilson • includes only the administrator • excludes policy formulation as well as elected officials

9. still other definitions • “Whatever governments do for good or ill. It is public administration’s political context that makes it public--that distinguishes it from private or business administration.” • Shafritz and Russell • both inclusive and confusing!

10. What can we conclude about PA? • it is conveys activity • concerned with public service (what government can give to people) • tends to be concentrated in the executive branch • usually connected with implementing the law

11. PA is also a field of study • People take undergraduate and graduate courses to learn how to manage public programs and respond to public needs • Also learn how to operate in a public rather than a private environment

12. How are public and private administration different? • goals • incentives • flexibility • performance measures • oversight • other ways?

13. Tensions faced by public administrators • Efficiency v. Effectiveness • reaching public goals or measuring activities? • Responsiveness v. Accountability • responding to public needs or filling out reports? • Difference between outputs and outcomes

14. For Thursday • what does Wilson mean by “science of administration”? • how does Wilson feel about the relationship between politics and administration? • what does Wilson mean by the “murderous fellow” sentence? • NEW: Are Wilson’s arguments still valid? Why or why not?

15. Public opinion of PA • Public support of PA has decreased since 1950s, even though professionalism and accountability have increased. • Why?

16. For Tuesday: Blast case • Who bears the blame for the disaster in Centralia? • What are the central causes of the tragedy? • What are the lessons we can take from this case? • What connections do you see to Wilson’s essay?

17. How to prepare a case write-up • Summary/Overview • Lessons • Connections

18. People don’t like government… • I’m from the government and I’m here to help you. • That’s good enough for government work.

19. Part III • how does Wilson justify looking to other countries for ideas for public administration? • what does Wilson mean by the “murderous fellow” sentence? • solving what problem will allow us to “pilot the world”?

20. Bureaucracy • What do you think of when you think of bureaucracy? • Bureaucracy is a way of organizing to achieve work • Class example • Bureaucracy is intended to maintain control and coordination of large groups

21. Max Weber (1864-1920) • German economist and social historian • wrote essay on bureaucracy in 1911 • remains the most influential statement of what bureaucracy is, and what problems are • three types of authority • traditional, charismatic, legal-rational

22. Major elements of a bureaucracy • Fixed authority and official jurisdiction • specialization • written, formal rules • impersonal administration • hierarchy of offices • chain of command • career service with employment based on qualifications

23. Negative consequences • monopolize information • hard to destroy • ambivalent about democracy • dehumanizing of the bureaucrat • ability of anyone to control • powerful

24. Thinking about bureaucracy • Do you agree with all, some or none of Weber’s negative consequences? • What examples do you have that support or refute his arguments? • Why have bureaucracies come to mean inefficient rather than efficient organizations?