GOVT1006 - Public Administration Principles and Development

Flashcards based on lecture notes covering the core definitions, theoretical foundations, dimensions, functions, and legal aspects of Public Administration.

Public Administration (L.D. White, 1926)

Consists of "all operations with the purpose of fulfilling or enforcing the government's public policy".

Public Dimension

Explains why governments become involved in society & the economy.

Administrative Dimension

Concerns how public institutions organize resources & implement government policy.

Early Administrative Systems

Administrative systems that were mainly personal, where officials were loyal to a king or ruler, and authority was based on tradition & personal relationships.

Modern Administrative Systems

Administrative systems that became increasingly impersonal, where officials are expected to be loyal to the state & its laws, with authority based on legal rules.

Politics, Administration Dichotomy (Woodrow Wilson)

The concept that politicians should formulate public policy, professional administrators should implement policy, and administration should be separated from partisan political activity.

Theory of Bureaucracy (Max Weber)

The theory stating public organizations should operate through rational legal authority, emphasizing hierarchy, specialization, written rules & impersonality.

Scientific Management (Frederick Winslow Taylor)

Applies scientific methods to work so tasks are studied, standardized, and organized efficiently to identify the "one best way" to perform each task.

Market Failure

Occurs when private markets fail to produce socially desirable outcomes efficiently or adequately, providing a justification for government intervention.

Public Goods

Goods or services that everyone can benefit from, even if they do not pay for them.

Merit Goods

Goods or services that are socially beneficial & may be underprovided by the market.

Demerit Goods

Goods or services that may harm individuals or society & may need government regulations.

Externalities

Costs or benefits affecting third parties who are not directly involved in a transaction.

Natural Monopolies

Industries where one provider can supply a service more cheaply than several competing providers.

Provision

A response to market failure where government finances & supplies public goods or services through its budget when considered necessary.

Production

A response to market failure where government directly produces goods & services which may be sold rather than provided free.

Subsidies and Taxes

Instruments where subsidies encourage socially desirable activities, while taxes discourage harmful activities.

Regulation

Response where government uses legal authority to permit, prohibit, or limit activities such as enforcing laws.

Administration

The organization & direction of resources including human resources, financial resources, physical resources & information to implement public policy & achieve government objectives.

Traditional Authority

Weber's type of authority based on customs & inherited practices.

Charismatic Authority

Weber's type of authority based on a leader's personal appeal or exceptional qualities.

Rational-legal Authority

Weber's type of authority based on laws & formal rules, where officials exercise the authority of their office, not personal power.

Government Failure

Occurs when government intervention intended to solve a problem creates another problem or fails to achieve its intended objectives.

Instrument of Government

The method or mechanism government uses to intervene in society & the economy (provision, subsidy, production & regulation).

Mercantilism

A phase where government played a strong role in directing the economy, controlling trade & economic activity to strengthen the state.

Laissez-faire

A French expression meaning "let do" or "let it be," referring to an approach in which government has a limited role in economic and social affairs.

Welfare State

A phase (1880-1970) where government expanded its role to provide social services & protection for the social and economic welfare of citizens.

Neoclassicism

A phase (1970/present) marked by renewed emphasis on free-markets, competition, efficiency & reduced government intervention, pioneered by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

Public Choice Theory

Applies economics ideas about individual decision-making to politics and government, assuming politicians, bureaucrats, and voters are influenced by their own interests.

Size of Government

Refers to the extent of government involvement in the economy & society, often measured by government spending, taxation, public employment & the provision of public services.

Government Final Expenditure

Spending directly on goods & services.

Government Outlays

Total government spending.

Traditional Model of Public Administration

A model based on hierarchy, formal rules, clear authority & political control, where public servants neutrally implement government policies.

The Spoils System

A system where government jobs are given to political supporters, often after a party wins elections, based mainly on political loyalty rather than merit.

Time and Motion Studies

A scientific management technique used to analyze work tasks, measure the required time & find the most efficient way to perform them.

Human Relations Theory

Challenged administrative approaches that treated workers primarily as units of production.

POSDCORB

An acronym representing administrative functions: Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Co-ordinating, Reporting, Budgeting.

Merit Based Public Service

Appoints & promotes officials based on qualification, skills & performance rather than political connections or personal loyalty.

Political Neutrality

The principle whereby public servants are expected to remain neutral with respect to party policies.

Government

Refers to the political institutions and authorities that make decisions and establish public policy.

Adam Smith's Three Duties of Government

1. Defence (protecting society from external threats), 2. Justice (protecting individuals from injustice and oppression), and 3. Public works and institutions (providing beneficial things private individuals would not adequately provide).

Civil Service Act, Chapter 23:01

Provides the legal framework for the Civil Service of Trinidad and Tobago, establishing rules concerning its organization, administration, classification, and management.

Freedom of Information Act, 1999 (Act No. 26 of 1999)

Gives members of the public a general right, subject to specified exceptions, to access official documents held by public authorities in Trinidad and Tobago.