Unit 1

Brief History of Public Administration

1.1 The origins of Public Administration

HISTORICAL PERIODS
Egyptian and Greek
Roman Empire
Roman Catholic Church
Byzantine Empire
Medieval

1.2 The origins of modern ministerial structures

ROYAL COUNCILS

Division of Labour
Monarch
Secretaries permanent and worked closely with the monarch
first civil servants
Clerks who helped secretaries
Nobels non - permanent

Section II. The role of public administration today

1.3 The functions of public administration

Public administration : the implementation of government policies.

Planning, organising, coordinating, and controlling of government operations.
The body of public administrators is called the Civil Service.
Public administration is carried out at central local, intermediate levels.

1.4 The characteristics of the Civil Service

The military, the judiciary, and the police are public servants but not civil
servants.
Local government, public corporations like the National Coal Board, and
Trusts like the National Health Service, are not considered part of the Civil
Service.
Civil Servants permanent and neutral body of professionals directly
employed in the administration of the state. Their role is not in any way
political, ministerial or military.
Senior civil servants advise, warn, and assist the politicians who formulate the
state policy and deliver to public.
structure of the Civil Services is hierarchical with clearly-defined duties.

Section III.Government and public administration

in the UK
1.5.1 Central government and the Civil Service

Departments: Ministerial departments and Non-Ministerial

departments. Ministerial departments: headed by a Minister: political
head.
The administrative head of a Ministerial department is a senior civil
servant or Permanent Secretary: Non-political and permanent. Devise
implementation of policies.
Civil servants white-collar-workers: practical implementation of policy.
Non-ministerial departments are headed by a senior civil servant or
Permanent Secretary
Agencies: funded by the government, staffed by civil servants.
Subordinate and accountable to a department. Some degree of autonomy.
Head: Chief Executive.
Non-departmental public bodies (QUANGOs, quasi autonomous nongovernmental organisations): not part of government departments, not
staffed by civil servants but considered part of Civil Service. .Head:
Accounting Officer.

UNIT 2
SECTION II. A brief history of the Civil Service.
Early developments: 1800-1870
2.2. Before the Northcote-Trevelyan reform

Before 18th state offices were secretariats for the leaders

with positions in court.
18th century, in response to the growth of the British Empire
and economic changes Office of Works and the Navy Board
developed. Staff were appointed by purchase or patronage

19th century the East India Company College near London

created to train administrators. Not successful.
Before reform of 1870s selection by purchase and political
patronage.

UNIT 2
2.3 The origins of the modern Civil Service:
The Northcote-Trevelyan Report 1854

four recommendations made :

Recruitment should be entirely on the basis of merit by open,
competitive examinations.
Entrants should have a good generalist education and should be
recruited to a unified Civil Service and not a specific department, to
allow for inter-departmental transfers.
Recruits should be placed into a hierarchical structure of classes and
grades.
Promotion would be on the basis of merit not on the grounds of
preferment, patronage or purchase.
1855 independent Civil Service Commissioners appointed.
organised into different divisions and classes.
Northcote-Trevelyan report foundation of a permanent, neutral nonelected administrative body working for the elected government of the
day.

SECTION III. Further developments: 1900s-1930s

2.4 Reforms during Asquiths Liberal government:
1900-1920

Civil Service primarily advisory or regulatory and did not

deliver services to the public.
Asquiths Liberal Government of 1906 made Civil Service
more managerial than advisory.
increase of services provided to the citizen with the
introduction of Old Age Pensions, the National Insurance
system and the opening of the Labour Exchange network

2.5 The Role of Women: 1920s 1930s

Dame Evelyn Sharp first female executive head of a Civil

Service department or Permanent Secretary

an administrative trainee in a Fast Stream grade, a programme

consisting of intensive job training designed to prepare people
for managerial jobs

Women in the Civil Service did not receive equal pay to men
until the 1950s

SECTION V. Restructuring of the Civil Service:

1970s to modern day times.
2.8 Mrs.Thatchers cuts: late 1970s - 1990

came to office in 1979, reduced the size of the Civil Service,

cutting numbers from 732,000 to 594,000 during her first
seven years in office.
Wanted management more than policy advice.
1968 abolished Civil Service Department, created Cabinet
Office.
Emphasied importance of personal responsibility and
accountability.
Smaller agencies with more commercial approach created.
performance -related pay scheme introduced.

2.9 Mr. Major and the break-up of the unified Civil

Service: 1990s

Continued breaking up of Civil Service.

After 1994 devolvement from departments to smaller agencies:
more accountable and like the private sector .
Market testing of agencies to see if they were necessary.
Contracting out to private firms.
Citizen's Charter programme : to empower the service user,
by setting out standards to improve delivery of services
42 Charters by 1998.
Chartermark award given to local authotities that did a
good job.

2.10 Tony Blair and David Cameron: late 1990smodern day times

Tony Blair Prime Minister in 1997 wanted a Civil Service that

could adapt, deliver and innovate.
2004 urged for the modernisation of the Civil Service while
maintaining the same core values.
He appointed 20 special advisers. John Major just 8.
Large bonuses for Civil Servants to increase productivity.
2010 David Cameron cut large bonuses- and gave them only to
outstanding performers.
Coalition committed to transparency and accountability
Cuts in NDPBs (QUANGOs).
Details of employees earning more than 150,000 a year
published to obtain transparency.

UNIT 3
SECTION I. A BRIEF HISTORY
3.1 The Poor Laws

Before the twentieth century welfare the responsibility of the local

communities, care often very poor.
Poor Laws, first passed in 1598. Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601
provided for:
a compulsory poor rate;
the creation of 'overseers' of relief;
provision for 'setting the poor on work;
the poor rate: a tax on property taken from the parish (or village
centred a church) collected by local magistrate or Overseerers of the
Poor.
Indoor relief in almshouse (run by charities).
Outdoor relief in paupers home.
18th century indoor relief in form of workhouses, especially in big
cities.Terrible conditions in workhouses and thought to give incentives
to people to find work.
No standard form of assistance .

3.2 The 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act

industrial revolution :development of large towns, rapid population

growth, first experience of modern unemployment. Caused an increase
in claims to poor rates.
The Poor Law Commission of 1834 proposed reform to tried to
rectify this. Three main principles:
1. less eligibility: the position of the pauper must be 'less eligible'
making fewer people claim poor relief.
2. the workhouse test: no relief outside the workhouse would be
available.
3. Grouping of parishes to operate a workhouse
less eligibility principle main concept : workhouses a deterrent to stop
people claiming relief, especially the fit because conditions so bad.
Poor laws hated and caused development of social services in 20th
century and the means test
National Assistance Act 1948 abolished workhouses

3.2 The Welfare State in Britain: 1900s 1948

1906 Asquiths Liberal government created Old Age Pensions (1908)

National Insurance (1911) and the Labour Exchange.
1912 introduction of partial sickness and unemployment insurance. Welfare
rights started but not for everyone only deserving sick and unemployed.
real impetus for welfare state December 1st 1942 during the wartime
coalition with the Beveridge Report
The Beveridge Report aimed to provide a comprehensive system of social
insurance 'from cradle to grave'
people paid a weekly contribution to the state. In return for this, benefits
would be paid to the unemployed, the sick, the retired and the widowed.
Allowed for minimum standard of living in Britain below which nobody
fell.
a system of National Insurance, based on three 'assumptions':
family allowances,
a National Health Service, and
full employment.

3.4 The Labour government 1945-1951

introduced three key Acts which were the beginning of the

welfare state:
1946 National Insurance Act
1946 National Health Service Act
1948 National Assistance Act
Did not have unifying nature of the Poor Law and a distinct
division was made between income maintenance, health and
welfare services.

3.6 Recent developments in the welfare state

More delivery of services by private companies.

Remaining agencies deliver services to the public
2010 David Camerons Reform Bill:
large cuts in welfare budget;
crackdown on benefit fraud;
simplifying of the system by replacing means test with
universisal credit;
cap on maximum amount of benefits.

Recent Proposed Changes

Camerons Government proposes :
Under 25s: earn or learn: no jobseekers allowance if
they do not do an apprenticeship.
Big firms (eg.Microsoft, National Grid, Airbus, Barclays)
encouraged to offer apprenticeships to train young
people.
working for the dole:people unemployed for more than
a certain time and do not do an apprenticeship should
take part in community projects:
Pick up litter,
Clean graffiti,
Deliver meals to the elderly