Definition of Public Administration

Public Administration is the actionable part of the government, by which the purposes and goals of government are realized. Administration can be defined as a cooperative human effort towards achieving some common goals. Nigro and Nigro in 1980 have pointed following five characteristics of Public Administration as follows-
1. It is a cooperative group effort in a public setting.
2. It covers entire legislative. executive and judicial- and their interrelationships.
3. It has an important role in public policy formulation and political process.
4. It is different from private administration.
5. It is closely associated with private pressure groups and individuals in providing services to the community.

Some well-known definitions of Public Administration by Administrative and Political Thinkers are:

• L. D. White – “Public Administration is detailed and systematic execution of public law. Every particular application of the law is an act of administration”.
• D. Waldo- “Public Administration is “the art and science of management applied to the affairs of the State”.
• Herbert Simon- “By Public Administration is meant in common usage the activities of the executive branches of the National, State and Local Governments”.

Scope and Domain of Public Administration

The Domain of Public Administration is spread across length and breadth of governmental activities that are undertaken in the public interest at different levels such as, the central, state, provincial and local levels like PRI and ULB. With the emergence of the concept of a welfare state, the governmental activities have increased by leaps and bounds increasing the domain of Public Administration. Broadly the domain of Public Administration is spread across Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of a government.

The scope of Public Administration as a discipline is wide enough to respond to the complex social realities of modern post-colonial societies. Promoting publicness in a democracy, Policy Sensitivity on the affected people, understanding of social reality, implementation Capability, and Administration as a learning experience etc. are the major scope of the Public Administration.

Characteristics of Public Administration as a Discipline

Public Administration as a discipline similar to a “management science” and its parent discipline is Political Science, crafted to improve Governmental performance. Public Administration has to be functioned under the public law and under the glare of open public and legislative criticism, unlike private management, that can be inward-looking and secretive.

Thinker Golembiewski has characterized Public Administration as a discipline ‘in terms of
choice of ‘locus’ and ‘focus’. ‘Locus’ stands for the institutions ‘where’ of the field like Political Science, economic development, etc. ; and ‘focus’ is the specialized ‘what’ in the field like administrative techniques. Since the ‘New Public Administration’ movement of late sixties the discipline has expanded leaps and bounds.

Difference between Public and Business Administration

The difference between the public and the private sector is greatly influenced by the. political philosophy of each country. In the USA, the private sector plays a .very important role in the American economy and society. On the other hand in socialist countries like China and Russia, the state controls the major economic activists directly or in directly.

• The major purpose of Public Administration is welfare of public while , business administration is mostly oriented toward earning and maximizing profit for the business proprietors.
• Public Administration has to operated strictly according to the law of the land while Business Administration has to operated as per the owners methods within the laws defined by the governments.
• Public Administration as organization is much more complex and multi layered as compared to business organization.
• The actions of Public Administration are more exposed to the public criticism and scrutiny as compared to business administration.
• Public Administration can not be discriminating in nature, it has to be consistent and impartial and treat all citizens equally following rule of law, while business administration overtly practices discrimination due to competitive demands.
• Public Administration has direct role in nation-building, and shaping the future of the society. Thus it is more value oriented, while Business organizations are mostly profit oriented, which is necessary for their survival.