Transcript Prof. I Ramabrahamam

Dr. I. Ramabrahmam
Professor
Department of Political Science
University of Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Email: [email protected]
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In the post-globalization era, no other academic discipline has
undergone as many changes as Public Administration did(Guy
Peters and Vincent Wright :1998).

The study of public administration in traditional manner laid
focus laid on:

Organisation Theory
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Weberian Theory of bureaucracy
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Structures rather than process
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Inputs rather than outcome
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Rules rather than outcome
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Hierarchy etc.( Bhattacharya, 2004)
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In addition to this, the managerial practices in private sector
have influenced the functioning of the public sector (Osborne
and Gaebler:1992).
 These changes have questioned the following fundamentals
of public administration, such as,
1. The assumption of self-sufficiency
2. The assumption of hierarchy
3. The assumption of uniformity
4. The assumption of Accountability upward
5.The assumption of standardized establishment
procedure
6. Apolitical nature/Neutrality of civil service
(Guy Peters and Vincent Wright :1998)
 Denhardt and Denhardt (2008) rightly took note of this
paradigm shift as shown in the following table:
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Old Public Administration
New Public
New Public Service
Administration
Concept of the Public Defined in politically and
It represents the
It is the result of a dialogue
Interest
aggregation of
about shared values
expressed in law
individual interests
To whom public
Clients and constituents
Customers
Citizens
Role of government
Rowing
Steering
Serving
Approach to
Hierarchical
Market-driven
Multi-faced
Limited
Wide
Discretion needed but
servants responsive
accountability
Administrative
discretion
Assumed
constrained and accountable
Bureaucratic
Decentralised
Collaborative structures with
Organisational
leadership shared internally
structure
and externally
Assumed motivational Pay and benefits, civil
Entrepreneurial spirit,
Public service, desire to
basis of public
ideological desire to
contribute to society
servants
service protections
reduce size of
governments
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In addition to these developments, governance has become
one of the prime areas of interest in contemporary
research. Civil society groups are now asking for a more
inclusive and participatory governance which has political
implications.
Given this background, it has become imperative to know:
What are governance reforms?
What are their implications to efficiency, delivery and
accountability in managing public affairs?
A paradigm shift in the study of public administration and
corresponding changes can be well understood through
revising the existing traditional curriculum.
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Accordingly, the new curriculum should encompass the
recent developments, such as, governance and related
concepts, public management techniques, leadership,
public finance, disaster management etc.
Such efforts enhances the validity and relevance of Public
Administration at local, national and global level.
This is reflected in the proposed course on Public
Administration designed for INFLIBNET purpose.
Keeping these developments in view, the following course
have been identified:
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1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
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Theories of Public Administration
Public Policy Formulation and Implementation
Public Management
Governance: Theories and Concepts
Human resources management
Organizational Behavior
Public Finance and Tax Administration
Administrative Law and Comparative Public Management
Public Sector Strategic Management
Public Sector Project Management
Governance and Leadership
Civil Service Ethics and Professionalism
Public Sector Reforms in India
Indian Administration
Administrative Reforms
Management Information Systems
Research Methodology in Public Administration
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The specific objectives of the Public Administration Curriculum are
to :
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familiarize the students with basic theories, concepts and
principles of public administration;

enable them to understand the evolution and growth of public
administration as a discipline;

become familiar on how governance as theory and practice
transforms the state and politics at different levels - global,
national and local; and

equip them with an understanding on various aspects pertaining
to management, good governance, public policy, civil service
reforms
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After completing the course, the following outcomes students
are expected to:
 have a thorough understanding of the evolution and phases
of public administration;
 establish the linkages between the public administration
and socio-economic development;
 think of devising strategies for better management of
human resource and capacity building; and
 conceptualize ‘good governance’ and examine its role in
development of the country.
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Bhattacharya, Mohit, 2004,
New Horizons of Public
Administration, Jawahar publishers, New Delhi.
Denhardt, J,V. and Denhardt, R, B.,2007,The New Public
Service: Serving, Not Steering. M. E. Sharpe. New York.
Osborn, David and Gabler, Ted, 1992, Reinventing the
Government: The Spirit of Entrepreneurial Government,
Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi.
Peters Guy and Vincent Wright, 1998, Public Policy and
Administration: Old and New in Robert Goodman (ed) A
Handbook of Political Science, Oxford University Press,
New York.
World Bank, 2003, World Development Report 2004,
Making Services Work for Poor People, World Bank,
Washington. D.C.
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