SUBJECT: Philosophy and Science of Public Administration

Topic: Philosophy of Public Administration

Public administration is vitally concerned with the efficiency and economy. By spending least resources, the administration becomes result-oriented and Productive. Alongside this efficiency approach, there has been growing Concern about what may broadly be Called ‘morality’ or ‘ethics in Public administration. Government has to serve the common good without making any distinction between Man and man. Efficiency in government thus has a moral tone. Against this background the broad theory of public interest has emerged to provide general framework for the functioning of public administration. There are several reasons for the Concern of for public interest. The members of the bureaucracy constitute Power elite. They are likely to take decision in self interest or under pressure from powerful interest groups. Further, the bureaucracy is a mindless machine that turns out decisions mechanically. The rule-bound administration may look very neat and tidy, but it may not be able serve the wide Cause of public interest and according to Herbert Simon administrative decisions are often based on the grounds other than those of efficiency and economy. Social and psychological factors greatly influence the way the decision see taken by the decision-makers. Thus the importance of a sense of public interest as a wider ethical Commitment in Public administration assumes significance in this context.

Intuitionism
The administrator Chooses on alternative by intuition- a Solution which seems to him the right course of action under the given circumstances.

Perfectionism
The view of the administrator here is that Public interest should be the Standpoint of promotion of excellence in all spheres of social activities. Public resources should be spent in such a way that the best members of the society benefit most from the expenditure. Thus perfectionism is an elitist Policy and is not compatible with democratic society.

Utilitarianism
A utilitarian-administrator is of the view that public interest is served when a Public policy makes as many as possible better-off even though it may render a few worse off. Public interest is judged by the argumentation of the net balance of the social satisfaction.

Theory of Justice
This theory has two principles. The first principle is that each Person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with similar liberty for others. The other principle postulates that public Policies public policies are reasonably expected to be everyone’s advantage and public positions and offices are open to all. In case of conflict between these principles, the second Principle is expected to Prevail and give way to the first. These Principles provide an operating logic for the determination of public interest by the decision makers.

These are the major ethical frameworks of the public administration. The intuitionist Philosophy Justifies status quo and is of very little help in an administrative situation .The perfectionist philosophy favours excellence at the expense of social equality. It is antidemocratic. Utilitarian calculus has the merit of emphasizing total Social good, but it also accepts the position that a few may be worse off. Compared to all these philosophical positions, the theory of justice seems much more balanced and represents a Workable way for determining the Public interest by the public administrators. | Human factor in public administration | The human factor is the central concern of public administration. Firstly it involves the relationship between the administration and its employers and secondly between administration and the administered, the public. A large organization functions through standardized systems and methods. In this process, the human aspect is likely to be ignored and thus the human factor is exposed to the risk of being forgotten or neglected. It is always essential to maintain effective communications and relationships with the employees within the general framework of organization, Command and discipline requirements. The second aspect relates to the relationships between the administration and the administered. It is imperative that the administrator should regard himself as the servant and not as the master. The People, not the administrators, are the centre of the things, and they should always be approached on terms of friendly equality. The real motto of the administration should be the welfare of human beings. | Public Administration a synoptic view | Public administration is primarily concerned with the implementation of the Public policy laid down by representative Political bodies. Its main task is essentially the implementation and enforcement of public policy and the law of the State. It is both a process and vocation. As a process it is concerned with the implementation of Policy and as a vocation, with the management of the activity of others in the Public agency. Public administration is a human activity. It is managed by the human beings and it serves human beings. It is the action Part of the government, the means by which the purposes and goals of the government are realized .The Scope of the public administration is to Study the problems of men, materials and the method of administration. Keeping in view the activities of the present day administration, the Study of public administration should include | | 1. Administration as a process Common to governments at all levels-central, State and local. | 2. The activities of the government and the methods used by the operating officers. | 3. Personal and financial management. | 4. Public relations and public accountability. | 5. Social and cultural environment. | 6. Human behavior of those in the heart of the administrative activities. | 7. Human beings who use the tools and techniques of administration. | Summary of various aspects of the definition and Scope of Public administration | | 1. It is a Cooperative group effort in the public Setting. | 2. Covers all three branches-executive, legislative and judiciary and their interrelationships. | 3. It has an important role in the formulation of Public Policy and is thus a Part of political process. | 4. It is more important than, and also different in significant ways from private administration. | 5. As a field of Study and practice, it has been much influenced in recent years by human-relation approach. | 6. It is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals in providing services to the Community. | | 2. The activities of the government and the methods used by the operating officers. | | 3. Personal and financial management. | | 4. Public relations and public accountability. | | 5. Social and cultural environment. | | 6. Human behavior of those in the heart of the administrative activities. | | 7. Human beings who use the tools and techniques of administration. | | Summary of various aspects of the definition and Scope of Public administration | | 1. It is a Cooperative group effort in the public Setting. | | 2. Covers all three branches-executive, legislative and judiciary and their interrelationships. | | 3. It has an important role in the formulation of Public Policy and is thus a Part of political process. | | 4. It is more important than, and also different in significant ways from private administration. | | 5. As a field of Study and practice, it has been much influenced in recent years by human-relation approach. | | 6. It is closely associated with numerous private groups and individuals in providing services to the Community. |