Meaning of Public Administration

Introduction

• Administration as an activity is as old as society itself.

• The study of administration as a distinct field originated with the publication of Wilson’s essay on the study of administration in 1887.

• Administration occurs in both public and private organisations.

• It is seen in diverse institutions such as business firms, labour unions, religious or charitable organisations, and educational institutions.

• The nature of administration is influenced by the sphere with which it is concerned.

• Administration is commonly divided into two types: Public Administration and Private Administration.

• As an aspect of government activity, administration has existed since the emergence of political systems.

• Public Administration relates to the activities carried out by government.

• Private Administration refers to the management of private business enterprises.

• Understanding the functioning of administration is essential for comprehending the government itself.

What is Administration

• The word ‘administer’ is derived from the Latin word administrere, which means to care for, look after people, or manage affairs.

• Administration can be defined as a group activity involving cooperation and coordination to achieve desired goals or objectives.

• The term administration has at least four different meanings or senses, depending on the context in which it is used:

  • As a Discipline: Refers to a branch of learning or intellectual discipline taught and studied in colleges and universities.

  • As a Vocation: Refers to a type of work, trade, profession, or occupation, especially one involving knowledge and training in an advanced branch of learning.

  • As a Process: Represents the total sum of activities undertaken to implement public policy or policies to produce services or goods.

  • As a Synonym for Executive or Government: Refers to bodies of persons in supreme charge of affairs, such as the Manmohan Singh Administration or the Bush Administration.

• E.N. Gladden defines administration as a long word with a humble meaning, signifying to care for or look after people and manage affairs. It involves determined action taken in pursuit of a conscious purpose.

• Brooks Adams views administration as the capacity to coordinate many often conflicting social energies into a single organism, operating as a unity.

• Felix A. Nigro defines administration as the organisation and use of men and materials to accomplish a purpose.

• J.M. Pfiffner and R. Presthus describe administration as the organisation and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired ends.

• L.D. White states that the art of administration involves the direction, coordination, and control of many persons to achieve a purpose or objective.

• Luther Gullick emphasizes that administration is about getting things done, accomplishing defined objectives.

• F.M. Marx describes administration as determined action taken to pursue a conscious purpose, systematically ordering affairs and using resources to make things happen.

• Herbert Simon, D.W. Smithburg, and V.A. Thompson define administration broadly as the activities of a group cooperating to accomplish common goals.

• An analysis of these definitions reveals that administration involves two key essentials: cooperative effort and pursuit of common objectives.

• Administration does not exist if there is only a common purpose without collective effort or vice-versa.

• Administration is also referred to as a technology of social relationships and is a process common to all group efforts, whether public or private, civil or military, large or small scale.

• It is a process at work in various institutions like a department store, bank, university, high school, railroad, hospital, hotel, or local government.