Book Review

Public Administration
Theories And Practices
By (James. W. Fesler)

Submitted to: Mam Ayesha Hanif

Submitted by:

Bilal Abdul Wahid

Hifazat Ullah
Amna Shahid
Tanzeela Sultana
Ghania Sultan
Fatima Akram Khan
Brief
Introduction
This book “public administration practices and
theories” is written by “James w. Fesler” it was published by
.
Prentice hall, inc. Englewood cliffs, N.J 07632 in 1980 Its production
supervision and interior design is made by Linda schuman cover
design by Philip Gibson and the manufacturing buyers of the book
is Harry p. baisley.
No part of this book can be reproduced because
the publisher of the book Reserve the copy rights to publish it.

As its name is suggested it is written on the

discipline of public administration. it is research book as well as
scholarly book because it includes no of statistical results and as a
scholarly book it describes different theories of public
administration. it targets the audience of researcher as well as
students and professionals. Students use it to understand theories
and lots of research work is done on the basis of this book.
INTRODUCTION
MEANING OF ADMINISTRATION:

A two step approach, defining first administration and second public seems
promising but fails. Both dictionary editors and scholars have stumbled over the first
step.

Some says administration is executing .Other writers say that administration

is co-operative human action ,that was high degree of rationality .According to one
administration is the determined action taken in pursuit of a conscious purposes.
Since, administration is so elusive term.
Public administration in all modern nations is identified with the executive branch.
DEFINITION:

The definition given by important thinkers reveal the emphasis they lay on
different aspects of public administration.
According to Woodrow Wilson,
Public administration is a detailed and systematic application of law. Implementation law
and public policies and management of public affairs in an affective way.

NATURE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Public administration is;

• Policy execution and policy formulation.

(But that term has both a scientific, neutral)
• Bureaucracy meaning and a derogatory meaning.
• Usually large scale (but it may be small-scale)
• Public administration contributes to both shaping and the execution .It find
partial analogies in private administration.(to put words into actions)
• A Government accomplishes for a society depend on what policies it formulate
and adopts and how effectively these are put into practice.(it is other thing as
well but these provide sufficient orientation).

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IS A BUREACRACY

Public administration is a large scale administration; its large scale can
be is one of the most remarkable, and least remarked on, of its attributes.
Public administration means it is for public, it is the administration of governmental
 Affairs.
Generally, there is no difference between public and private sectors.

THE STUDY OF PUBIC ADMINISTRATION:

The emergence of public administration as separate fields of study, writers
and scholars have developed several approaches to study it’s systematically.

TIME AND SPACE:

Public administration has a longer history and wider geographical range
than almost any other aspects of government. It has been the instruments of ancients’
empires of monarchies of both democracy and dictatorship of both developed and
developing countries.
ORGANIZATIONS

IN THEORY
 Organization is the work of connecting inter-dependents parts, so that each
has a specific function, action, office of relation to the whole organization has a
significance place in the modern complex public administration. Organizations is the
basic tool by mean of which the administrative process is kept operating.
Proper organization helps the smooth running administration, organ theory in the context
of public administration enable us to theories; to understand how public agencies
function and how people behave with them.

MODELS AND THEORIES

CLASSICAL MODEL:
The main exponents of the theory are L.D WHITE and HENRI FOYAL
According to this theory; organization is a formal design or plan, which can be drawn by
the organization engineers according to certain well understood principles. Efficiency is
the prime value, differentiation of function, and co-ordination of them are the twin
elements in efficiency, and objectives principles of organization provide guide s and how
to organize. This view is not tally with realities. It is impossible to get human material in
order.

THE BUREAUCRATIC MODEL:

Max Webber, a German sociologist is the intellectual father of the
bureaucratic model. Bureaucratic theory is remarkably similar to classical theory, though it
is reached by a different path of study
According to Webber every organization can be defined as a structure of activities
directed towards the achievements of certain objectives. He said, that it is superior to
every other form in stability discipline and reliability.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BUREAUCRACY
• Division of labors
• Hierarchy
• Written rules
• Rationality
• Impersonality
• Neutrality
• Selection on merit
Webber is criticized to be sure, but his concept is remarkable central to modern
sociological analysis of bureaucratic organization.
 SYSTEM THEORY:
System theory is most ambitious effort to generalize about all organizations,
public, private, large and small.
A system can be either closed or open. It is a collection of objectives unified some forms
of regular interaction and interdependent. The system include all type of system such as
mechanical, physical, biological and social

CHARACTERISTICS OF SYSTEM
• The system is made up of these several parts.
• The parts are interrelated.
• The parts are interdependent.
• The system has boundaries and purposes.

CATAGORIES
There are two categories of system.
• Closed system
• Open system

Closed system:
A closed system is not interacts with its environments. The operations of a closed
system remain unaffected by the environments.
Open system:
An open system does interact with its environments. Systems including formal
administrative organization are the open system; because they are continuously
interact with thire enviorment.

An organization is the system that receives inputs of resources that it through puts
And transform to yield output.

.
Such a system also operates a feedback loop, which provides negative feedback
that flags back to the input stage the system output mistakes the usual graphical
representation look like this

SYSTEM BOUNDRIES:
A system has boundaries so that one tells what is within the system and
what is outside it.

SYSTEM PURPOSES:
Its asserts that every original system has a purpose, goals, objectives.
Alcott Parsons wrote that, primacy of orientation to the attainment of the
Specific goal is used as the defining characteristics of an organization which
Disguises it from other type of social system.

RE- ORGANIZATION:
To creates abolishes and consolidates departments and independent regulatory
agencies.

THE PLURALIST CHALLENGES:

This model ignores the political system, is an unreal portrayal of the executive
branch, and conflict with democratic values.
.

THE HUMANISTIC CHALLENGES

According to this the essential nature of organization is humanistic and that the
Dominant factor in human relationship is the informal group functioning. It is
Necessary to understand the multi-dimensional nature of individual, in solving the
Organizational problems.

ORGANIZATION IN PRACTICE

Executive Branch Anatomy:

Bureaus;
The principles operating organization of the government are bureaus. This is
Terms generic term, for there is no standardized vocabulary. Bureaus are very
Dramatically.
Some have long historical roots longer, often than those of the departments in
Which they are currently.
 The need of
civil service
commissio
n
 No doubt in today’s era any state of the world is not in a position to manage its
employees in a desired manner. While doing so the government will have to apply some
definite standards and practicable procedure in most efficient way for executive level and
lower level employees
One methodology discovered to maintain merit and to achieve this crucial object is civil
service commission. And civil service commission act 1978 is the rout planner for this.
Basically the civil service commission comprises of two bodies which are
1) The office of personnel management

2) Merit system protection Board_

There detail is as under

The Office of personnel has to look after the administration and coordination
tasks and to implement the rules relative to merit system.
And merit system protection board act like appellate tribunal, resolve the disputes and
made regulation sure.
Who will be responsible to who could the next step? Their detail is as under
Staffing
Its main object is to recruit, transfer and dismissal of the employees.

Recruitment and promotion

Her employees are recruited in an efficient way. The process is
1) Firstly comprehensive test is conducted

2) And successful candidates are called for interview. Then on the

basis of test and interview selection is made.

Dilemmas in recruitment process

This system takes long time to recruit the employees and it is also very costly.
Ten to twenty times employees are assessed it may be ease while you are recruiting. And
because of long time process the efficient candidates accept other job opportune.
Promotion
The promotion on seniority basis seemed justified but sometimes young efficient
and hardworking workers are deprived, its solution could be performance based
promotion.
General pay system
The key points for effective pay system according to pay comparably act 1970 are as
under
1) Equal pay for equal work.

2) Pay distinction relative to work and performance.

Federal pay must be equal to private enterprise

Employee’s rights and obligation

Similar treatment of employees.
Right of legal strike.
Right to join federal employee unions.
 Higher
Public
Service
Commission
 High quality people in key administrative posts will deliver best in national
service. It includes executives and non executives both i.e. (scientist and engineers) and
short term political appointees, civil service employees and employees working in
different personnel systems.
In model elite service all the employees are recruited after twenties or after graduation
and they fill the high level posts after promotion.

Political officials and civil servants

Every govt. branch has a set of political office near to the top. A position could be
placed in high public service if its incumbent would be.
1) Be deeply involved in the advocacy of administration program
and support of their controversial aspects.

Participates significantly in the determination of major political policies of the

administration
2) Serve principally as personal assistant to or advisor of a
residential appointee or other key political figure.

Recruitment of political executive

The recruitment process of political executive is irritating like in
Amercia this is done after presidential election by the white and
cabinet with in two months.

Tenure and turnover

The turnover among political executives is high. They usually stay only two or
three years. Some go back to their business, some to their law practice and
universities. Some are frustrated by the experience of operating in the unaccustomed
governmental environment and escape to their familiar setting.

High civil service

Its came into existence in 1979 and it consists of political and civil executives
who closely together.

Career executive and political administration

In political parties it is considered that higher service commission is placed of
their opponents. When they out of game. And they take it as a first priority to pure
and transfer their close executives.

Tenure and mobility

Their two complications at international level as well
 1) How to keep best executives in govt.

2) And how to insure sufficient flexibility of appointment at top level

We can prove this by the example.

When in year 1979, 52 executive left the govt. and their reasons for left are known as 37
out of 52 joined their business again and some go back to universities while the others
leave the govt. by enjoying early retirement benefits, they are of their golden age having
rich experience and broad vision understanding of issues and could transfer to
somewhere else after promotion.

The Senior Executive Service

SES was considered to be the most dramatic development in the history of the public
service.
OPM allocates the total number of SES positions among the agencies.
Any individual can join the SES if he fulfills the requirement of qualification standards.
Implementation
Public and
private
Federalism
 The national government can not implement his all program by its own .That
is why national government farms out many of its program through state and local
government and of others to contractors. When government implement its program
through state or local government it is called public federalism and when national
government implement its programs through private contractors it is called private
federalism.

Public federalism:
State and local governments as national agents
In public federalism state local government act as the agents of national
government and work for the federal government for implementation of its program.
Federal government provides grant to them for implementation.
The aid provided by the national government to state government can be studied by three
angles.

Scope of program
Categorical grants:
The federal government some time provides grants to its agent for a particular
issue. We can say these are the grants which are narrowly defined purpose. For example
grant to state government to reduce the polio in the country.

Block grants:
Often the national government provides the grant to its state governments for a
particular sector it is called block grants. The grant provided by the government for the
development of health sectors a block grant. These grants are often broad in nature.
General revenue sharing grants:
Some times federal government gives full autonomy to its sub governments and
gives grant to them and the state and local governments has full autonomy to allocate
their funds according to their needs.

Funds distribution basis:

When government provides aid the state and local governments decides where
and how it should be distributed. According to this there are two ways of distribution of
funds.

Formula:
In a program with distribution by formula funds moves automatically from
federal government to eligible state and local governments in amount calculated on
statistical basis such as total population, per capita income, number of people being
served. A special criterion is set for distribution of funds.
Alternatively the grant may be open ended as under an entitlement program in which the
federal grant to a state is whatever is needed to provide the federal share to all persons
who qualify for benefit payment under eligibility.

Project:
Distributions of funds by project are strikingly different. Here each state
Or local government meeting candidacy qualification may apply for a grant under a
program the application describes in detail its proposed project its capabilities for
executing it and the anticipated benefit to the public.
 Recipient government
State government:
Federal government provides grant to its state governments and impose condition
on them to provide it to the local bodies for the implementation and some times give
autonomy to the state government to allocate it where they think better.

Local government:
Some times national government directly provides the grant to the local

governments for implementation of its programs.

Implementation problems:
Implementation of national programs through state and local governments has
many problems that persist despite the fact that we have known of them for decades and
despite major effort to solve them. Following are the some of the main reasons.

Inequity:
The problem of inequity prevails in the system rather then being peculiarly a
product of implementation. Where you live determine what you get as long as state and
local governments have the option to participate or not to participate in a grant supported
program.

Geographical fragmentation:
 Some problems prevails across the boundaries of one state for example polluted
water and polluted air flow across boundaries. That is very difficult to control due to
geographical fragmentation.

Program fragmentation:
Some times a program is financed by many aid programs which creates difficulties.
For example the Pakistan education is financed by many aid programs such as Asian
development bank, Friends of Pakistan.

Lax federal control:

When the national government implement its programs through national agents it
lax control over implementation. Because the national government gives autonomy to
state and local government for implementation due to which federal government lax
control.

Private federalism
The federal government obtains a substantial amount of goods and services
for its operations through contracts with private companies, research institutions, and
individual consultant’s. when government purchase products or hire services from private
sector for the implementation of its programs it is called private federalism.

Advantages
• It enables the government to obtain the services of experts in the field of
management, science, and engineering. An agency may not have the experts or they
fully busy in their duties.
• Contracting out tends to avoid bureaucratic syndrome that handicap research .The
contractors are independent of agency’s subunit biases so they are more objective in
research.
• By contracting out the growth of bureaucracy in the country can be minimized.
Because they are not the employees of the agency and therefore not regulated by
civil services.

Problems
Contracting out has some problems the basic problems are;
• How can contractors be so selected and their performance be so controlled
that the government’s objectives are achieved?
• How can contractors preserve their independence in the face of controls that
the government attempts to impose?
We can say that private federalism has the same problem “control verses

autonomy” as it was in the public federalism.

 Control of
Administration
By Courts
 The most remarkable recent development in control of
administration is the vast expansion of the role of the courts. Two needs for
control of administration by courts are: (1) The need for administrative
discretion along with political answerability for its use and (2) The need for
legal resource against agencies and officials that exceed the bounds set for
exercise of their discretionary powers or that abuse their power even when
acting within those bounds.

DEVELOPMENT OF JUDICAIL-CONTROL DOCTROINE

Historically the courts have formulated three doctrines to
define their role in review of administrative decisions. First, they have drawn
on the fact/law distinction that is observed in the judicial system itself. In jury
trials the jury decides questions of fact and the judge determines questions of
law. This analogy has special weight because statues often provide that
appeals from federal administrative agencies shall be taken to a federal court
of appeals. The distinction between questions of fact and questions of law is
carried over to judicial review of agency decisions: the court will respect the
agency findings of fact but can review for errors of law. This fact/law
distinction however is no magic formula.
A second doctrine shifts the courts concern from the
substance of an administrative decision to the procedure followed by the
agency in reaching its decisions. A third doctrine, operative until recently held
that courts are concerned with protection only of rights, not of privileges. The
courts were hospitable to persons and corporations claiming that an
administrative order deprived them of their constitutional right to life, liberty,
or property the last of these being the common claim of corporations
contesting licensing, rate. And route decisions of the independent regulatory
commissions.
These three lines of development of judicial thought do not
all move in the same direction between questions of law and questions of fact,
though on its face a restriction of the concern of courts, could lead either to
constriction or expansion of judicial review of administration, particularly
given the frequency with which the two kinds of questions are inextricably
entangled with each other.

THE EXPANDED ROLE OF COURTS

By the expansion of government programs and public concern.

Two additional elements were needed: the willingness of judges to be activist
interveners in program administration, and opportunity for advancing their
causes. For these last two elements to judicial doctrines governing the right to
sue, and financial resources to cover the costs of public-interest groups’ legal
representation.

THE RIGHT TO SUE

Doctrines governing the right to sue have wavered, so we must

take account of both their expansion and their contraction. Many statutes on
particular program areas specifically provide an opportunity for judicial review
of agency actions. In addition, the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 has a
blanket authorization: "A person suffering legal wring because of agency
action, or adversely affected or aggrieved by agency action within the meaning
of a relevant statute, is entitled to judicial review thereof."

CLASS-ACTION SUITS

Recourse to a class-action suit has proved important for a class

of citizens most of whom have suffered so small a monetary loss that it is not
worth while for each to hire a lawyer for representation in legal proceedings,
though the damage to the whole class of affected individuals may amount to
millions of dollars. This is a private lawsuit for money damages and is usually
brought against a private person or corporation. Class-action suits matter to us
because the plaintiffs often claim damages on the ground that the defendant
has violated statutes. A class-action suit, therefore, may complement
government agencies efforts to enforce the law or, indeed.

EXPENSES OF LITIGATION

The professional talent for pursuing cases in the public interest

has been provided by private attorneys acting alone or in groups, as well as by
attorneys on the staffs of major organizations. Social conscience and a
tradition of legal aid for the poor are incentives for lawyers of all ages, and in
the last few years young lawyers especially have joined one or another of the
ninety public law centers. But few lawyers can afford to be without
professional incomes. Therefore, a critical condition for maintenance of public-
interest law is money to cover plaintiff’s legal expenses.

COURTS Disabilities AS CONTROLLERS

Adjudication itself is a process with five attributes that inhibit

effective performance of the courts new and newly expanded tasks. These
attributes are the following,

• Adjudication is focused: That means they just focused on right and duty.
Whereas it should be contrasted by alternatives.
• Courts must act when litigants call: That means judges sit to hear
disputes brought to them by parties, they do not initiate action.
• Adjudication makes no provision for policy review: Courts are mainly
dependent for their impact information on a single feedback
mechanism: The Follow-up lawsuit this mechanism tends to be slow,
erratic, and unsystematic.
 C
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