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1.0 PREAMBLE

The question of assignment is “Why to study Public Administration?”. Therefore, the

assignment would introduce the basic of public administration and relate the link between public
administration and planning and its correlation towards quality of planning.

2.0 WHAT IS PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public administration is difficult to define, as it covers a vast amount of activity but what makes
public administration close to planning is the objective of both is for public benefit. It is concerned
on how methods were selected, how the task divided, and how the job coordinates rather than the
specific technological methods used to reach these goals. One sees public administration as
essentially management; another emphasizes its political nature; and the third its legalistic concerns
and processes. According to Dwight Waldo in Nor Fadzlina Nawi, & Hai, J.C. (2007), some definition
of public administration as following:

1. The science of management on how a country is ruled

2. It is government’s central instrument for dealing with general social problems
3. It is the management of resources to achieve government’s goals and objectives
4. An attempt to make government work under new and more demanding conditions, by
increasing the amount of systematic study of the problems of government, and the
competence and training of those entering government service.

From the definition, the following model may be built:

Good Problems Goals and objectives

management solved achieved

The diagram shows the relationship between those steps and the achievement of goals and
objectives is eventually referring back to the good management; that means good administration.
Each step inevitably will involve the planning aspect. Starting by having good management on how
the country is ruled may direct planning vision of a country in a proper way to fit with the local
culture and resources. Then, planning will take place to execute policies or solve some problems
which are not necessary social problems. Later, if management of resources in terms of human
resources, natural resources cooperates closely with planning, the government’s goals and
objectives may be achieved.

3.0 CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

The following are the characteristics that uphold public administration which are:

1. Cooperative group efforts (of government servants) in a public setting

2. Covers all the three branches (Executive, Judiciary, Legislative) of the government
3. Formulation of public policies
4. Different structurally from private administration, but closely associated with the numerous
private groups in providing services to the community.

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These characteristics show the importance of public administration in every aspect of life either
in micro or macro perspective. In the planning aspect, cooperation in group is crucial, formulation of
policies is vital, associate to private groups and individuals is essential, and not to forget, planning is
the field of execution and legislation. Therefore, public administration seems to be very significant
onto planning profession, in a way to prepare the betterment for tomorrow.

4.0 PRINCIPLES OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public administration is 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
functions.

1. Managerial Approach
Traditional – Public administration to be geared toward maximizing effectiveness,
efficiency and economy
New Public Management (NPM) – Public administrative culture should change to be
flexible, innovative, problem solving, entrepreneurial and enterprising as opposed to
rule-bound, process oriented and focused on inputs rather than results.

2. Political Approach
Stresses the values of representativeness, political responsiveness and
accountability through elected officials to the citizenry
They promote measures for transparency and participation in administrative
decision making.

3. Legal Approach
It views Public administration as applying and enforcing the law in concrete circumstances.
As such, it is infused with legal and adjudicatory concerns and should be subordinate to the
rule of law. This approach is derived primarily from three interrelated sources;
Administrative law, Judicialization, Constitutional law.

Planning would actually really affected by each approach in the principles. The level of
quality from each approach would derive certain level of planning quality. The result of spatial
planning initiated from these principles of public administration. It should incorporate managerial
aspect, political factor and legal. Those are interrelated in order to produce better planning in one
area as the strategic management should take place in the first step followed by political approach
where planning would likely to reveal its idea for public’s interest, in which this is the level where
planning exposed to public and require public participation.

5.0 CORE FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

1. Organization: Structure and Process

Public administration concerns organized activity aimed at the provision of services and the
application of constraints to individuals and groups. By designing organizational structures
and processes of one kind or another, different values can be maximized, different needs
can be served and different purposes can be achieved.

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2. Public Personnel Administration and Collective Bargaining

It concerns on human resource management where by each person should be placed in the
correct position based on his or her capability and criteria in a way to provide highest level
of performance. It also outlined the proper way to engage collective bargain with them. To a
large extent, the nation’s ability to achieve its goals through public administrative action
depends upon the performance.

3. Budgeting and Finance

Budgeting is a public administrative activity of preeminent importance because money is
crucial to public administration.

4. Decision Making
Public administration involves the formulation and implementation of public policies
intended to provide services or impose regulations upon individuals, groups, and
organizations in the political community.

5. Policy Analysis and Implementation Evaluation

Policy analysis can be prospective or retrospective. It seeks to determine how social,
economic and other problems will be affected by different governmental policy choices.
Implementation evaluation focuses on whether implementation maximizes appropriate
values.

Those core functions of public administration vividly show the basic ethics in planning realm.
The structure and process organization must be in the first place in planning management as this will
mould the pattern of planning organization in the very basic place. In the aspect of public personnel
administration, planning must apply this to ensure that each personnel been given appropriate task
according to their capability for not wasting time in the preparation of plan and optimize the skill of
particular personnel. For budgeting and finance, since this is crucial matter not only in public
administration, planning must adhere to exact budget without commit any wastage. The function of
decision making in public administration also would rather assist in decision making in planning
aspect as this will involve public policies and services to the public. Decision making is really crucial
part in planning as it will determine the satisfaction level of planning. Likewise, policy analysis and
implementation evaluation also helps planning field to analyze the practicality of certain kind of
policies and if it is need to be reviewed, it has to be reviewed.

6.0 CONCLUSION

From the explanation and discussion above, it is asserted that public administration is
significant in a way to produce a good planning. As in the simple model or hypothesis, it can clearly
be seen that quality level of public administration would affect the quality level of planning. By
studying public administration also would help planners to understand the process in administration
especially all that involve with planning, and to be specific in the process of planning application and
project approval. Thus, a comprehension of the gist of public administration will assure an effective
administrative system, proper management of government, fair distribution of development
programs or projects to the people and also good leadership.

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7.0 REFERENCES

Nor Fadzlina Nawi, & Hai, J.C. (Eds). (2007). Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction.
Shah Alam: Karisma Publications Sdn. Bhd.

Rosenbloom, D.H., & Kravchuk, R.S. (Eds). (2002). Public Administration: Understanding
Management, Politics, and Law in the Public Sector. (5th ed.). New York: Mc Graw-Hill Higher
Education.

Simon, H.A., Thompson, V.A., & Smithburg, D.W. (Eds). (2005). Public Administration. (3rd ed.).
New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.

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