The Discipline of Public Administration Today: New Perspectives
| Published date | 01 January 2016 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120160101 |
| Date | 01 January 2016 |
| Author | Rumki Basu |
| Subject Matter | Article |
THE
DISCIPLINE
OF
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
TODAY: NEW PERSPECTIVES
RUMKIBASU
This article looks
at
the state
of
the discipline
of
Public
Administration today, the challenges to the classical model,
the origins
of
New Public Management writings
in
the 1990s
and the new perspectives that have enriched the discipline
thereafter. It examines the significance
of
the Public
Value
and
the New Public Service concepts besides some
of
t~e
ongoing
concerns
of
the discipline in the globalising era which have
impacted on the core content and teaching
of
the subject today.
INTRODUCTION
AS A vocation or practical activity public administration has co-existed with
every political system as the action part
of
government for the fulfillment
of
the objectives set
by
the political decision-makers. The basic concerns
of
Public Administration, since its inception as an academic discipline in 1887
have centred around the study of: (a) structures
of
public organisations; (b)
administrative processes; (c) bureaucratic behaviour; and (d) organisation
-
environment
interactions. The prefix,
'public'
in
the
term
Public
Administration has formally come to refer to agencies publicly funded with
state and government affiliation. The role
of
the public is significant since
public policies are the articulation
of
priorities that emerge from consensual/
majoritarian social values and affirmations at least in democracies.
A recurring theme in the debates and writings
of
public administration
teachers and scholars centres around issues
of
identity and boundaries
of
the discipline. This is too large a theme to be taken up for examination here
but some new perspectives which throw fresh insights into these issues
and concerns in the post-globalised era will
be
discussed. What needs to
be understood is that governments everywhere are faced with complex
problems that demand rethinking and fresh perspectives for solution. Donald
Kettl, a renowned scholar
of
the discipline, while making valuable comments
on the present state
of
the discipline
of
public administration, selectively
identifies, three major areas for study for the future: (a) administrative
To continue reading
Request your trial