Public Administration is the specialized branch of administration that deals with the activities of the government. It is the instrument through which the will of the state, as expressed in laws and policies, is translated into action.

Key Definitions

• Woodrow Wilson: "Public Administration is detailed and systematic application of law. Every particular application of law is an act of administration."
• L.D. White: "Public Administration consists of all those operations having for their purpose the fulfillment or enforcement of public policy."
• Luther Gulick: "Public Administration is that part of the science of administration which has to do with government, and thus concerns itself primarily with the executive branch."

"If our civilization fails, it will be mainly because of a breakdown of administration." — W.B. Donham

There are two primary schools of thought regarding the nature of Public Administration:

A. The Integral View

According to this view, Public Administration encompasses all activities—manual, clerical, technical, and managerial—performed by everyone working in the organization.
Thinkers: L.D. White, Dimock.

B. The Managerial View

This view suggests that Public Administration only includes managerial activities (planning, organizing, and controlling). It focuses only on the people at the top who get things done.
Thinkers: Luther Gulick, Herbert Simon.

The scope of Public Administration is widely discussed through two major perspectives:

The POSDCORB View

Coined by Luther Gulick, this acronym summarizes the functional scope of administration:

• Planning: Outlining things to be done.
• Organizing: Establishing the formal structure of authority.
• Staffing: Recruiting and training personnel.
• Directing: Making decisions and issuing orders.
• COordinating: Interrelating various parts of the work.
• Reporting: Keeping superiors informed.
• Budgeting: Fiscal planning and accounting.

The Subject Matter View

Critics (like Lewis Meriam) argue that POSDCORB only covers "techniques" and ignores the substance. For example, the administration of Health, Education, or Defense requires specific technical knowledge of those fields, not just managerial techniques.

Public Administration as an academic field evolved through several distinct paradigms:

While both use similar managerial techniques, they differ in several key aspects:

• Motive: Public administration is driven by service; private is driven by profit.
• Accountability: Public is accountable to the public/parliament; private to owners/shareholders.
• Legal Framework: Public operates under strict laws and procedures; private has more flexibility.
• Uniformity: Public must treat all citizens equally; private can practice "price discrimination."