This chapter discusses the definitions and scope of public administration. It defines public administration as a cooperative group effort carried out by government agencies to achieve public goals and deliver services. The chapter outlines differences between public and private administration, noting that public administration operates within a political system and aims to benefit communities rather than generate profit. It also discusses public administration as an academic discipline, profession, and art.

1. Chapter 1
Dr. Nawar Al-Saadi
Erbil
2017

2. WHAT IS
ADMINISTRATION?
• Administration is
a goal-oriented, a
purposive and
cooperative group
effort to
accomplish some
common goal or
goals.
• For instance, two
men cooperate to
roll a stone to
built a house.

3. WHAT IS ADMINISTRATION?
Administration excludes non-purposive and non-
cooperative group activities such as a man watching a
stone.
Administrative activity is as old as organized social
life. It is a universal process which is carried on in a
variety of public and private organizations

4. ELEMENTS OF ADMINISTRATION
A group activity
Influence and cooperation
Purpose(s)
Material and human sources (tools, people, money
etc.)

5. FEATURES OF
ADMINISTRATION
It is a process consists of planning,
organizing, budgeting, directing
(steering), coordinating and
controlling.
Administration is occurred in
formal organization in the form of
hierarchy (arrangement of items –
objects, names, values, positions etc.
in which the items are represented
as being above-below, superior-
subordinate)
Ordered and coherent activities.

6. SOME DEFINITIONS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Public administration is the study of the
management of the public agencies that carry out
public policies in order to fulfill the state
purposes in the public interest.
Public administration is the activities of the executive
branches of the national (central) and local
governments.
Public administration comprises the activities that
are involved in carrying out the policies and programs
of governments.

7. Public administration describes the structure and the
functions of the power of the public. It is a procedural
and operational instrument of the state. In this sense,
public administration encompasses every type of
public service and organization.
Public administration is an organizational execution
of administration, together with provision of public
services and activities. (Kapucu, Palabıyık: 105)
SOME DEFINITIONS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

8. WHAT IS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION?
FUNCTIONAL DEFINITION:
Production and delivery of goods and services to meet
fundemental neccessities of the people.
Activities that contain desinging and implementation
of public policies.
Processes and procedures related to the execution of laws
and administrative regulations including activities and
operations of public organizations.

9. WHAT IS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION?
STRUCTURAL DEFINITION:
Organizations and structures which are responsible to
deliver public goods and services.
Administrative organizations of government as
opposed to the legislative and judicial sides

10. BRANCHES OF THE STATE AND PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION

11. MODERN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
is co-operative group effort in a public setting,
focuses on the executive branch of the state, but not
excludes legislative and judicial branches,
has an important role in the formulation of public policy,
is different in significant ways from private administration
(or management),
is closely associated with the people in providing public
services
is interdisciplinary in nature as it draws upon other social
sciences like political science, economics and sociology.

12. THREE EXPLANATIONS OF PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
1. Public administration as an academic discipline, a
science
2. Public administration as a profession
3. Public administration as an art

13. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
THE EUROPEAN ROOTS OF THE SCIENCE:
CAMERALISM
In 1727, Friedrich Wilhelm I, decreed that a chair for
“Oeconomie, Policey und Kammer-Sachen” (Cameral
Sciences) be established at the University of Halle, in
Prusia.
This marked the beginning of the academic development
of cameralism as sciences to be taught to future state
officials.

14. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
THE AMERICAN ROOTS
OF THE SCIENCE:
WOODROW WILSON
Woodrow Wilson, “The Study
of Administration”, Political
Science Quarterly, 1887.
Public administration became
to be seen as an independent
academic discipline, apart from
political science after Wilson.

15. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
WHAT DID WILSON SAY?-SCIENCE OF
ADMINISTRATION
Enlargement of the roles and organization of government,
and complexity of administration and public services
engendered the need for a science of administration in
the U.S.A.
American writers had not taken an important part in the
advancement of this science. It was developed by French
and German professors. But it must be adapted to federal
government and other decentralized forms of government.

16. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
WHAT DID WILSON SAY?-POLITICS-
ADMINISTRATION DICHOTOMY
The field of administration is a field of business. It is
removed from the hurry and strife of politics; it at
most points stands apart even from the debatable
ground of constitutional study.
Administrative questions are not political questions.
Public administration is detailed and systematic
application of law. Every particular application of law
is an act of administration.

17. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS A PROFESSION
The word profession means an occupation that includes a
systematic knowledge or theory.
Main elements of a profession is knowledge and
competency.
Universities and professional schools have played a vital
role for public administration to become a profession.
People get the necessary knowledge in universities to
become a civil servant, socializing with professional norms
and in one sense improve a professional identity.
Specialists of public administration use these
professional information to serve citizens in an impartial
and competent manner.

18. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN ART
Public administration is an art of getting things done,
as well.
Administration as an art, consists of deeds and acts
with a practical end.
Like all arts, it must be based on science, that is a
knowledge of all that will make for good
administration.

19. PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN ART
For example, a painter, to be a
greater artist must know the
laws of composition, of the
harmony of colors and of
perspective.
So the successful administrator
must possess knowledge of
political economy, some
knowledge of psychology, of
general principles of
government.

20. SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS AN
ACTIVITY
Traditionally, the scope of public administration is
restricted only to the executive branch.
In this sense, public administration covers primarily
the organization, personnel, practices and procedures
essential to effective performance of the executive
branch of government.
Public administration is an instrument of government
for carrying on its activities. It includes all operations
of government ranging from the social care to
sweeping the streets.

21. SCOPE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AS A
DISCIPLINE
Administrative functions/Processes of administration
POSDCORB (Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Direction,
Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting
Substantive concerns (matters of administration) such as
defense, health care, education, social security and welfare,
police, fire protection, agriculture, industry and so on.
Public personnel administration
Public financial administration
Comparative public administration
Public policy (the process of policy-making, the contents of
policy, its implementation and the policy outputs.

22. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ADMINISTRATION
As a co-operative group activity, administration is truly
universal and operates in all types of public and private
organizations, and also non-governmental organizations.
But on the basis of the nature of institutional setting, public
administration can be roughly distinguished from private
administration.
Public administration is governmental administration
concerned with achieving state purposes.
Private administration relates to administration of
private/business organizations which are more concerned
with the achieving of its own purposes.

23. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION
Political direction
Public administration takes place in a political context,
work under political direction and scrutiny. It carries
out the policies made by the elected members of the
legislature and political executive (prime minister,
ministers).
Business administration, on the contrary, is not subject
to political direction, instead, it functions largely under
the influence of market economic conditions.

24. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION
Absence of profit motive
The primary purpose of governmental organizations is
to provide services to the people and promote social
good, not making profits for the government.
Government usually has to provide even unprofitable
and costly services. The major aim of private business
organizations is o make profits for their owners.
The main beneficiary of public administration activities
is the entire community (communal ends), whereas
that of the business is the owner of the business itself
(personnel ends).

25. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION
Legal framework
The activities of public administrators are fixed by a set
of constitutional practices, laws, rules and regulations.
Government officials must always act within their legal
powers.
By contrast, the behavior of business organizations and
the activities of business administrators are subject to
less legal constraints.

26. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION
Equity and justice
The government official is required by law to maintain
a high degree of consistency in his dealings with the
public. He has to observe the principles of equity and
fairness of treatment in serving the people.
On the other hand, the business administrator is not
legally obliged to treat the small and big customers
alike.

27. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION
General responsibility
In a democracy, public administration is held
accountable for its activities through legislative
oversight and judicial review. (and in modern approach
directly to the public)
But public accountability is not a value affecting
business administration. Business administrators are
only accountably for their shareholders.

28. SIMILIRATIES BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE
ADMINISTRATION
Both public and business administrators rely on common
techniques relating to planning, organizing, budgeting,
control, coordinating and like. Both make use of common
skills such as accounts-keeping and maintaining files.
On the one hand the business organizations developed a
sense of community service (social responsibility
approach), and on the other hand, public organizations try
to adapt business methods and practices such as
performance management, strategic planning and human
relations into public administration

29. PUBLIC-PRIVATE RELATIONSHIP
Public and private administration are becoming more
and more alike in many respects.

30. ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

31. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Raj Kumar Pruthi (2005), Theory Of Public
Administration, Discovery Publishing House.
S. P. Naidu (2005), Public Administration:
Concepts And Theories, New Age International
Publishers, New Delhi.
Haroon A. Khan (2008), Introduction to Public
Administration, University Press of America.

32. Questions
What is the definition of public administration?
What are the points of different between public and
private administration?
What are the points of similar between public and
private administration?
Draw a form shows the elements of public
administration?
What the meaning of Public administration is an art?