Question

Which of the following statements are correct about the scope of public administration?
i. In its broader sense, public administration includes activities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
ii. The POSDCORB view encompasses all activities of government.

• A. i only
• B. ii only
• C. Both i and ii
• D. Neither i nor ii

Answer 1

Answer:

A. i only

Understanding the Scope of Public Administration

• The scope of Public Administration defines the range of activities and functions that fall under its domain. Primarily, there are two major perspectives on its scope: the Integral View (broader sense) and the Managerial View (narrower sense).

1. The Integral View (Broader Sense)

• This perspective posits that public administration encompasses all activities of the government, irrespective of the specific branch.
• It includes the functions performed by the legislative branch (e.g., law-making, policy formulation), the executive branch (e.g., implementation of laws, policy execution), and the judicial branch (e.g., adjudication, interpretation of laws).
• Proponents of this view argue that every action undertaken by the government, from creating a law to enforcing or interpreting it, constitutes an act of "administering" public affairs.
• This view essentially represents the sum total of all governmental operations and highlights the omnipresence of administration across all state organs.
• Scholars like Woodrow Wilson, considered the father of Public Administration, initially supported a broader view, though his later work focused on separating politics from administration.

2. The Managerial View (Narrower Sense)

• This perspective defines public administration more restrictively, focusing primarily on the activities of the executive branch.
• It emphasizes the managerial, organizational, and procedural aspects involved in implementing government policies and programs.
• Prominent figures associated with this view include Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick, known for their significant contributions to the "principles of administration."
• This view often attempts to separate "politics" from "administration," considering administration as a value-neutral, technical process concerned more with the how of administration rather than the what.

Critique of POSDCORB

• POSDCORB is an acronym introduced by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick in their influential 1937 paper "Notes on the Theory of Organization."
• It outlines seven core functions of a manager or administrator:
  • Planning
  • Organizing
  • Staffing
  • Directing
  • Coordinating
  • Reporting
  • Budgeting
• While POSDCORB effectively describes key management functions within an organization, it does not encompass all activities of government. Its criticisms include:
  • Being overly mechanistic and technique-oriented, thereby neglecting the crucial policy-making, political, and socio-economic dimensions inherent in public administration.
  • Failing to consider the substantive work or specific subject matter of an organization (e.g., health services, education policy), as it focuses only on generic management functions.
  • Overlooking the human element, informal organizational structures, and the external environment that profoundly influence public administration.
  • It aligns more with the managerial perspective and is not exhaustive enough to describe the broader governmental functions such as legislation or judicial review.
• Influential critics like Herbert A. Simon famously argued that these "principles" were merely "proverbs" lacking empirical validation and failing to account for the complexities and specific contexts of administrative situations.