The Study of Administration

The Study of Administration and the Structure of American Public AdministrationIntroduction to Graduate Public Administration

IntroductionWhy do we study public administration?Touches the lives of every American.Todays citizens awake in the morning to breakfast of bacon and eggs, both certified as fit for consumption by the United States Department of Agriculture (although the Department of Health and Human Services would urge you to eat a breakfast lower in cholesterol). Breakfast is rudely interrupted by a phone call; the cost of phone service is determined by a state regulatory commission. When our citizens drive to work, their cars emissions are controlled by a catalytic converter mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The cars have seat belts, padded dashboards, collapsible steering columns and air bags required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. When our citizens stop for gasoline, they pay a price that is partly determined by the Department of Energy. To take their minds off the bureaucracies regulating their lives, citizens turn on their radios. Each radio station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission and all advertising is subject to the rules and regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.This is where citizens have the most face to face interaction with government.

IntroductionWhy do we study public administration?Public administrators makes up the bulk of government.1 President9 Supreme Court Justices535 members of Congress3,000,000 civil servantsDispel various myths surrounding the bureaucracy Other reasons?

Defining Public AdministrationDefining Public AdministrationMultiple definitionsPublic administration all processes, organizations, and individuals acting in official positions associated with carrying out laws and other rules adopted or issued by legislatures, executives, and courts.Public administration the means used to translate the will of the state into the actions of the state.Definition for classPublic administration the use of managerial, political, and legal theories and processes to fulfill legislative, executive, and judicial mandates for the provision of governmental regulatory and service function.Crosses multiple fieldsPolitical scienceSociology EconomicsPsychology Physics

Bureaucracy"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help. Ronald ReaganBureaucracy can be defined as 50,000 ants on a log floating down the Mississippi River and every one of them thinking that they are running it Mark Twain

Defining BureaucracyIs this term interchangeable with public administration?Negative connotation of the word bureaucracyWhy the negative view?High expectationsScapegoating

Three Approaches to Public AdministrationManagerial ApproachTraditional public managementNew public managementPolitical ApproachLegal Approach

The Traditional Managerial ApproachView of the administrator:Administrators have no political or policy making functions.The dichotomy between politics and administration Politics and administration should be separate.Woodrow Wilson, The Study of AdministrationValues:EffectivenessEfficiencyScientific management Frederick TaylorTime-motion studiesTreated workers as cogs in a machineEconomyScientific method for developing knowledge

Traditional ManagerialApproachOrganizational Structure:Bureaucracy system of organization based on principles of hierarchical authority, job specialization and formalized rules.Max Weber (the father of modern bureaucracy)Division of labor tasks are divided up amongst those who make up the organization.Job Specialization respect of each job position should be explicitly defined and division of labor maintained.Hierarchy chain of command within an organization where officials have control of those below them (precise division)Formalized rules standardized procedures whereby a bureaucracy conducts its operationsView of the individual:Impersonal People are cogs in a machine (processed):Agency clienteleWorkers

New Public ManagementValues:Concern with outcomes/outputs, not behaviorOutcomes success measured by policy analysisDecision Making: Very business likeResults oriented (GPRA)StakeholdersCustomer focusOutsourcing (non-profit)EfficiencyPurpose: Maximize the ability to act like firms.Serve customers.Borrows heavily from business practices.National Performance Review (Al Gore)Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming the Public Sector by David Osbourne and Ted Gaebler.

New Public ManagementOrganizational Structure: More flat, less hierarchicalFor example: Total Quality ManagementView of the Individual: Customer Served not processed

Political ApproachView of the administrator:Administrators are politically motivated.Administration is a political processDecision Making: Incremental, with a scientific basis (Lindblom)Values:Empirical observation.Politics and administration are not separate.Efficiency is not a goal of administrationFocus instead on:RepresentativenessResponsivenessAccountabilityWe see the foundations of pluralism in the political approach to public administration

Political ApproachOrganizational Structure: Dependent upon the political circumstances of the time.Divided governmentView of the individual: Aggregates the individual into social, economic, or political groups.The individuals interests are the same as the group in which they are aggregated into.

Legal ApproachView of the administrator:Actor applying and enforcing the law.Three sources of legal influence:Administrative law (Administrative Procedure Act)Judicialization of Public Administration (adjudication)Constitutional LawOrganizational Structure: Adversarial approach (courtroom structure)Two parties argue factsInvolves an impartial refereeValues:EfficiencyStabilityEqualityDue processAdjudication protects rightsReliabilityAdjudication develops knowledgeAgainst economy and managerial effectiveness

Legal ApproachView of the Individual: Viewed as a unique individual with a specific issueOpposite of the traditional managerial approachDecision making: IncrementalDerived from past decisions (stare decisis)Not scientific however

The Structure of the American Bureaucracy

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelCabinet Level DepartmentsDepartment of AgricultureDepartment of EducationDepartment of EnergyDepartment of TransportationDepartment of Veterans AffairsDepartment of CommerceDepartment of the InteriorDepartment of Homeland Security

Department of DefenseDepartment of LaborDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDepartment of JusticeDepartment of Housing and Urban DevelopmentDepartment of the TreasuryDepartment of the State

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelCharacteristics:Each department is headed by a SecretaryEach department is responsible for a policy area that is designated by Congress.Jurisdiction the area of programmatic responsibility assigned to an agency by the legislature or chief executive.Each department is made up of smaller units:Bureau, office, administration, and service.

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelIndependent AgenciesIndependent of any cabinet level agencyReport directly to the president or Congress.Types:Independent AgenciesIndependent Regulatory Agencies

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelIndependent AgenciesExamples:EPA, NASA, CIA, MSPB, OPMLeadership:SingularAppointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.The heads are not members of the cabinet.Characteristics:Cover a narrower policy area than departments.They are independent because they do not fit neatly into the policy focus of a departmentExample: NASAIndependent of clientele pressureAgencies vary in size

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelIndependent Regulatory Boards and CommissionsExamples: FCC, NLRB, SEC, FTC, ICC, CABCharacteristics:Administrative unit with the responsibility for monitoring and regulating a specific type of economic activity.Created in order to avoid presidential control. Leadership:Plural5 9 member commissions/boards (party split)Bare majority ruleAll appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.Leaders cannot be removed by the president.Serve fixed terms that are longer than that of the president.

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelGovernment CorporationsExamples:United States Postal ServiceAmtrakFederal Deposit Insurance CorporationCorporation for Public BroadcastingFederal Reserve SystemCharacteristics:Headed by boards or commissions (board of directors).Bipartisan membership Long terms of officeFederal Reserve = 14 years (seven member board)Some intended to make a profit while some do not have this intention.

Types of Bureaucratic Organizations at the Federal LevelThe Presidential Bureaucracy:Largely organized around the Executive Office of the President (EOP)Headed by the White House Chief of StaffContains:White House OfficeOffice of the Vice PresidentOffice of Management and BudgetCouncil of Economic AdvisorsNational Security CouncilOther small bodies that advise the president on specific policy areas:Office of National Drug Control PolicyCouncil on Environmental QualityOffice of the United States Trade RepresentativeClose the information gapDetailing

Public and Private AdministrationSimilarities and Differences

SimilaritiesEfficiency, effectiveness, and economyStaffing, motivating, financingPolitics

DifferencesDiffering Motivations and ValuesProfit vs. Public Services and Collective GoodsDemocracy and Constitutional ValuesMeasures of Organizational SuccessPrivatePublic CompetitionCentralizationPublic Scrutiny

SummaryTopics covered:What is public administration?Academic field and professional practiceThe structures of the federal governmentThe differences between public and private (business) administration

Topics Not CoveredPolitics of organizational structureThe growth of bureaucracySocial change and public administration