Module 4 Lecture
Introduction to Public Administration (PA) and Public Values
This session explores concepts of Public Administration and the values associated with it.
Structure of the discussion includes historical politics and its relationship with PA, roles of bureaucrats, public interests, and economic theories relating to self-interest.
Overview of Government Structure
Three branches of government:
Legislative Branch:
Comprising Congress and the Senate.
Executive Branch:
Comprising the President and Vice President.
Includes numerous departments and agencies, the Executive Office of the President, and cabinet-level departments.
Judicial Branch:
Comprising the Supreme Court of the United States.
Each branch has distinct roles but works closely to ensure checks and balances:
Checks and Balances:
Each branch can impeach, nominate heads of branches, or oppose other branches based on the Constitution.
Interaction between Legislative and Executive Branches
The legislative branch significantly influences the executive branch's budgeting process.
Importance of support:
Public administrators need backing from legislators, particularly regarding funding for policy programs.
Strategies for Gaining Legislative Support
Prompt Responses:
Address legislative requests for executive information regarding policy performance, budgeting, and public demands.
Policy Management:
Promote and manage programs reflecting legislative preferences.
Election Support:
Public administrators can aid legislators in meeting electoral needs.
Iron Triangle Concept
Definition:
An iron triangle refers to mutual relationships among Congress, bureaucrats, and interest groups, characterized by reciprocal influence.
Example of Highway Construction:
Interest Group:
Road contractors advocating for highway development.
Congress:
In response to lobbying, Congress may pass favorable legislation for road construction in specific areas.
Bureaucracy:
With support from Congress, bureaucrats may expedite projects and manage funding effectively.
Politics-Administration Dichotomy
Historical Context
Discusses a shift during Andrew Jackson's election from valuing competence to loyalty in public administration.
Problems of the Spoil System
Formation of inefficiencies leading to corrupt practices and service inconsistencies.
Resulted in the call for a distinct separation of politics from administration to enhance efficiency.
Reformation Ideas and Merritocratic System
Pendleton Civil Service Act:
A significant reform aimed at establishing egalitarian principles in public service.
Critique of the Dichotomy:
Critics argue bureaucrats also participate in policy-making, which challenges the notion of separating politics from administration.
Evolution of Policy Making
Transition from distributive to redistributive policies emphasizing social welfare and public interest.
Bureaucratic Involvement in Policy Making Process:
Behavioral roles include assistance in setting agendas, formulating policies, and evaluating implemented policies.
Bureaucratic Discretion
Definition:
The ability of public administrators to make rapid decisions based on experience and knowledge when facing unpredictable situations.
Importance:
Especially pivotal in street-level bureaucracies for effective public service delivery, as represented in examples from policing contexts.
Public Interests and Public Values
Barry Bozeman's Theories
Philosophers, including Aristotle and Locke, emphasized the importance of public interests historically.
Bozeman suggests that contemporary cynicism has diminished interest in public interest theories due to:
Complex social problems with conflicting values and multiple stakeholders.
Focus on quantitative approaches that regard public interest as ambiguous and impractical.
Key Components of Economic Individualism
Economic individualism sees people as central to markets, focusing on liberty, individual needs, and equality.
Asserts that minimal government intervention is ideal, only stepping in during market failures, thus emphasizing market-based governance.
Understanding Publicess and Privateless
Publicess:
The extent to which political authority impacts organizations.
Privateless:
How organizations adapt to influences from the private market.
Publicness is viewed as a continuum rather than a binary state.
Public Values
Differentiating Public Interest from Public Values
Public Interest:
Broad and idealistic notion aimed at optimizing well-being and outcomes for the public.
Public Values:
More specific, measurable concepts reflecting normative consensus on rights, obligation, and governance principles.
Sources of Public Values
Public documents: constitutions, court decisions, public speeches.
Inauguration speeches often contain key phrases representing the public values intended to be upheld.
Public values may not be universally accepted or agreed upon but are crucial for governance.
Public Value Failures
Public values can't necessarily 'fail' but may transform over time.
Public Value Failure:
Occurs when neither government nor market suffices in delivering goods or services aligning with agreed public values.
Conclusion
Upcoming Quiz:
Covers materials including Public Administration, intellectual history, public ethics, politics, and public values.
15 questions, multiple-choice, and true/false format. Due by September 22, 11:59 PM.
Next Topic:
Organizational theories and ethical issues in workplaces will be discussed in the following session.