PP500: Public Administration
and Management
Unit 9
The Social Context of
Public Administration
Professor Jamie Scripps
[email protected]
Unit 9 Overview
In Unit 9, you explore the challenges and
opportunities faced by public
administration in the current environment
of social change, and the impact of these
forces on the study of administrative
theory and practice.
Housekeeping
Feedback
Questions?
This is our LAST Seminar.
Readings
Read chapter 12 in the text
Additional readings:
Berg & Chandler (2006). “Movement and
Change in the Public Sector.” Public
Management Review.
Sachs (2009). “The Crisis of Public
Management.” Scientific American.
Discussion Board Topics
Topic 1:
In the article “The Crisis of Public
Management,” do you agree with the
reasons Sachs claims the government
“dropped the ball?” Why or why not? What
alternatives should the U.S. have
implemented to avoid the challenges they
faced during those crises?
Discussion Board Topics
Topic 2:
Share a brief summary of your interview
with the class.
Whom did you interview? What does he or
she do, and where does he or she work?
What most surprised you? What interests
you about the person's work? What are
some important things you learned from
the interviewee?
Final Project
Introduce your Public Administrator.
Whom did you interview? Where does he
or she work, etc.?
This section of background information
should be no more than one or two
paragraphs in length.
Final Project
Reflect on the ways a current issue or
situation impacts the administrative and
managerial processes your Public
Administrator uses to accomplish his or
her job.
Final Project
1. Human Resource Management
2. Budgeting and Resource Allocation
3. Policy Creation (if applicable)
4. Policy Implementation (if applicable)
Final Project
5. Delivering Services to the public (if
applicable)
6. Performance Evaluation (of people or of
programs)
7. Legislative process
Final Project
8. Local Government Council meetings
9. Inter- and Intra- governmental
communication and negotiation (like the
relationship between Federal & Local or
State & Local)
10. Ethical decisionmaking
Final Project
Examine these processes by explaining
how the issue at hand impacts the other
goals and programs of your administrator
Finally, recommend the next steps that
you think your Public Administrator should
take toward accomplishing the goals
and/or resolving the issues you discussed.
Final Project
Make sure to include the research you
conducted on the role of your interviewee
for your proposal. Be sure to use at least
two or more resources beyond the class
text material to discuss the roles of your
chosen administrator.
Questions?
Social Context
The current state of public administration
is characterized by considerable unrest,
continuing fiscal stress, increased focus
on global issues, and change, in and out
of the field.
Social Context
These factors affect what it is, does, and
its likely characteristics in the future.
Social Context
Modern public administration is expected
to balance values such as accountability,
efficiency, and public participation against
contradictory values such as
representativeness, expansiveness, and
strong leadership.
Tensions
Tensions resulting from these conflicts are
compounded by rapid social change,
growth in economic and social diversity,
the knowledge explosion, technological
change, decline in the respect and
influence of authority and religious
fundamentalism.
Unrealistic Demands
Further, the demands placed on
bureaucracy to resolve global problems
may be unrealistic. Other problems facing
public administration include a need to
reassess economic growth as the
foundation for continued governmental
growth and chronic fiscal stress at all
levels of government.
Discussion Question
Why can it be said that the public manager
faces the problems of both pluralist
democracy and administrative efficiency?
Suggest ways that a public manager might
meet both types of challenges.
Paradoxical Developments
A series of paradoxical developments
within society and government have also
contributed to tensions within public
administration. They are as follows:
Paradoxical Developments
Blurring of the line between private and
public sectors;
A revolution of rising expectations
regarding both the quality of life and
individual standards of living;
Industrial society versus postindustrial
(information and service) society versus
reindustrialization;
Paradoxical Developments
Globalization and national patriotism
versus loyalty to some other group (ethnic,
province, tribe, etc.);
Rising violence versus a desire for the
non-violent means of settling disputes;
A desire for limited government versus a
desire for stronger government regulation;
Paradoxical Developments
Electoral politics and our antiquated
electoral system;
A selfish attitude toward government of “I
want mine,” versus hostility toward
government; and
Conflicts between the old “overhead
democracy” (rule by the majority) to the
newer concept of rule by consensus
among numerous minority groups and
special interests.
Discussion Question
To what extent can we depend on
nongovernment alternatives, such as faithbased and nonprofit organizations, to
perform the most challenging
governmental functions?
Is there a limit on the extent to which these
types of organization can cope with natural
and man-made disasters?
Issues and Changes
Some issues and changes affecting the
environment of public administration
are:
Issues and Changes
Internal and external participation in
government, which includes the devolution
of national government functions to state
and local governments and the emergence
of new more localized community
associations which encourage
participation;
Issues and Changes
The expansion of information technology
and management science techniques,
including e-government and the practices
of outsourcing and contracting out;
Issues and Changes
Attempts to eliminate public employee
unionization and collective bargaining;
A renewed emphasis on
budgets, performance management and
employee productivity;
Issues and Changes
Fiscal and budgetary constraints;
Executive dominance and the use of
reorganization as an instrument of policy;
and
Continuing efforts to de-bureaucratize.
Changes
Several changes have characterized
public administration as a field of
study, including its movement away from
political science:
Changes
The growing importance of education in
public sector-related fields for business
students.
The proliferation of academic institutes
and programs for public administration.
Changes
The influence of organizational humanism
and organizational development; and
The increasing study and application of
productivity improvement systems within
the field.
Ethics
In addition, ethics has assumed a
prominent place in public administration
education. The wide-ranging academic
field of public administration, which
includes management, politics, social
psychology, economics, and law, is
changing rapidly.
Discussion Question
Is the field of study known as “ public
administration” merely a restatement of
principles from the fields of management,
politics, social psychology, economics,
and law?
Or are there other principles, distinct to
public administration, that should be
taught to those who intend to work in
public service? If so, what are they?
Questions? Comments?