Public administration
The implementation of public policies and government programs.
Last updated
Public administration involves the implementation of public policy, largely by the executive branch.[1] It has been described as the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens experience every day".[2] Effective management is essential for an organization or institution to function properly, according to the foundational principle of public administration study and application.[3]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Public administration
- public policy and administration
- public management
- Known for
- Implementation of public policies; study of government decision-making and bureaucratic structures
- Related disciplines
- Political science
- administrative science
- policy analysis
- Key figures
- Paul H. Appleby
- Gordon Clapp
- Woodrow Wilson
- Max Weber
- Donald F. Kettl
- Lalor
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
States have required officials like treasurers and tax collectors to administer government business since antiquity.[4] Wilson wrote that the object of administrative study is to discover what government can properly do and how to do it with maximum efficiency and minimum cost.[5] By the 1920s, scholars had responded to Wilson's call and textbooks in the field had been introduced.[6] In the late 1980s, New Public Management emerged, advocating private sector-style models to improve public sector efficiency and service-orientation.[7]
Nepotism, favoritism, and political patronage—often termed the "spoils system"—characterized the staffing of most public administrations prior to the 19th century.[4] Woodrow Wilson is recognized as the father of public administration in the US, having first formally acknowledged the field in his 1887 piece "The Study of Administration".[8] The concept of New Public Administration emerged from the 1968 Minnowbrook Conference, which was held at Syracuse University under Dwight Waldo's leadership.[9]
What the cited sources add
The Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines public administration as the implementation of public policy, largely by the executive branch.[1] A 2021 University of the People article states that public policy can be defined as deliberate decisions, actions, and laws formulated by government bodies to address public issues.[10] That same source notes that public policy reflects a society’s values, priorities, and ideologies and shapes its socio-economic landscape.[10] The University of the People article also explains that public policy supports democratic governance by ensuring decision-making processes are inclusive, transparent, and responsive to citizens’ needs.[10]
The Open Library record for ISBN 0817348298 lists "American public administration" as a 298-page book published by University of Alabama Press in 1975.[11]
References
- "Random House Unabridged Dictionary", Dictionary.infoplease.com. facts only, no text reused. dictionary.infoplease.com
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lassance, "What Is a Policy and What Is a Government Program? A Simple Question With No Clear Answer, Until Now", 2020-11-10; "Random House Unabridged Dictionary", Dictionary.infoplease.com; "What is Public Policy? Why It's Important? UoPeople", University of the People, 1 June 2021; Robert and Janet Denhardt, Public Administration: An Action Orientation. 6th Ed. 2009: Thomson Wadsworth, Belmont, CA.; Kettl, Donald, and James Fessler. 2009. The Politics of the Administrative Process. Washington D.C.: CQ Press (we also read that so en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Public Administration: Understanding Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector", Routledge, 27 January 2022 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Spoils system Definition, Examples, Significance, & Facts Britannica", www.britannica.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wilson, Woodrow. June 1887. "The Study of Administration", Political Science Quarterly 2. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jeong, "Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction", Karisma Publications, 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kamensky, "Role of the "Reinventing Government" movement in Federal management reform", Public Administration Review, May–June 1996, p. 247–55 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stivers, "Teaching Public Administration Historically", Journal of Public Affairs Education, 2023, p. 275–279 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Public administration" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: O'Leary, "Minnowbrook: Tradition, Idea, Spirit, Event, Challenge", Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 2011, p. i1–i6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "What is Public Policy? Why It's Important? UoPeople", University of the People, 1 June 2021. facts only, no text reused. uopeople.edu
- Open Library record, ISBN 0817348298 ("American public administration"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Public administration (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Public administration (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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