Public administration theory
The goal of public administrative theory is to accomplish politically approved objectives through methods shaped by the constituency.
Rooted in the early 20th century, scholars like Max Weber and Frederick Taylor emphasized hierarchical structures, division of labor, and bureaucratic principles to enhance efficiency in public organizations.
The Classical Public Administration Theory prioritizes efficiency in organizational work, professionalization, a pragmatic approach to bureaucracy, and merit-based promotions.
Advocates of NPM look to replace the disciplinary, academic, or moral emphasis of traditional public administration with a more “businesslike” perspective.
"[1] Miller proposes a network model based on economic utility which would explain events better than traditional approach to public administration.
An estimation of time could date back to Plato and his ideas of a public and communal government where there are policy making actions and steps through levels of democracy.
[3] The founding father of postmodern public administration is commonly referred to as Woodrow Wilson, while many can find his roots of inspiration from the works of Friedrich Nietzsche.
Using Woodrow Wilson as a reference point, it can be shown that in his essay The Study of Administration, is it “traditionally accepted that with his study, Wilson applied positivist principles to public administration…based on the belief that social reality would be objectively known with the separation of positivist traditional values from facts.” (Traces of Postmodernism in the New Public Management Paradigm, Kerim Ozcan-Veysel Agca).
When empirical evidence is the only aspect taken into account it leads to an ineffective policy because the theory will not reflect the values of the citizens, resulting in bad citizen- state relationships.
The three fields of the theory gap-practice that describe the relationship between scholars and practitioners are: Parallel, Transfer, and Collaboration strategy.
Thus advocates that champion parallel strategy argue that it is essential for management studies to maintain an autonomous communication system.
However, some argue this approach falls short of expectations because many practitioners of public administration have little influence on the content of knowledge offered by scholars.
"[6] Max Weber was a German political economist, social scientist, and renowned Philosopher is an important father to the theory of Public Administration and the bureaucratic side of it.
He did extensive research studying ancient and modern states to gather a better perspective of bureaucracies in multiple eras for his Magnum Opus Economy and Society published in 1922.
He thought the theory of public administration existed simply because of technicalities and was around for the behind the scenes business aspect of politics.
He was concerned with finding the best and most efficient way to complete a task for a particular job, reducing the overall labor a worker had to exert with the least amount of movements.
Examples include implementing performance measurement systems, adopting e-governance tools, and fostering partnerships with the community.
However, a significant challenge lies in balancing competing priorities and managing the inherent tensions between efficiency and equity, accountability and responsiveness.
