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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.
Term Paper ID:29840
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Functions of public administrators.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Functions of public administrators. Necessity of examining policies to determine if they address broad and comprehensive public interests. Need to ensure that interest of public is not overridden by self-interest and considerations of economic gains. Factors that determine the public interest including pluralism as a strategy for public policy decision-making.
Paper Introduction:
Management of Business and Public Organizations
Public administrators are often challenged to differentiate between the “public interest” and the “public’s best interest” as they participate in decision-making processes focused on resolving problems. Richard C. Leone (1975), in an early essay on public interest advocacy and public administration, commented that one of the most important tasks of public administration professionals, agencies, and regulatory bodies is to ensure that in vital areas of private activity, the interest of the public is not overridden by private considerations of economic gain. Similarly, according to Leone (1975), public administrators must also examine policies to determine if they fully and meaningfully address broad and comprehensive public interests that are not limited to a small segment of the population or a narrow ar
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In discussing the publicinterest in the context of antitrust, Levinson (1997) pointed out that thepublic interest always involves determining what is and is not within thepurview of law; in other words, for any action to be considered assupporting the interests of the public, it must conform to the tenets oflaw. Similarly,according to Leone (1975), public administrators must also examine policiesto determine if they fully and meaningfully address broad and comprehensivepublic interests that are not limited to a small segment of the populationor a narrow area of social concern. Today, the use of pluralism as a strategy for making the public policydecision-making progress more egalitarian and responsive to broad ratherthan narrow interests is a hallmark of the public administration system(Mitchell, 1997). New York: Alfred A. Publicadministrators in recent years have become more activist in defining andaffirming the public interest based on shared democratic and constitutionalvalues. This necessitates distinguishing between programs that may benefita small group of elites at the expense of the larger society and thoseprograms likely to have a broader impact. Uveges (Ed.), The Dimensions of Public Administration, Boston: Holbrook Press, 5 7-522.Levinson, R.J. Whatmay be in the interest of a particular group of the public may notnecessarily be in the best interest of the larger society. The difficulty of distinguishing between the "public interest" and thepublic's "best interest" was also discussed theoretically by Simon,Smithburg, and Thompson (1976) in an early overview of the functions ofpublic administration. At one time in the history of the United States, slavery waslegal; a substantial body of law supported the right of one individual to"own" and therefore control the life of another individual. Barth (1992) defines the "public interest" as a term encompassing anideal condition or state in which the nation as a whole benefits. Alternatively, public administrators can function as change agents orsocial engineers who broker the conflict between competing interests toproduce a peaceful outcome. Public administration, says Box (1992), can therefore be discretionistor idealist. The public interest and administrative discretion. The consistency of implementation with legislative intent . Public administrators may beindividuals who simply carry out the directives of political superiors;they may be relatively passive actors whose task is simply to ensure thatpolicy decisions taken elsewhere are carried out. The public's "best" interest, on the otherhand, may refer to an overarching set of values, norms or mores thatconsider the specific effects of a policy or program that may benefit onlya selected group of individuals within society. Questions of legitimacytend to involve constitutional issues. This trend represents the increased professionalization of publicadministration bureaucracies and a growing recognition that politicaldecision-makers are temporary at best. Programsand their normative policies consequently must be in adherence with law,the Constitution, and the basic precepts of moral behavior (e.g., honestyand integrity). These include: . Administration & Society, 24(3), 323-346.Edwards, R.L., Austin, D.M., & Altpeter, M.A. Such groups have the potential to interact with publicadministrators to create a social welfare agenda that is responsive to thediverse needs of the various groups that constitute the American polity. Yankey, & M.A. A new partnership has been createdbetween the courts and public administration in which public administratorsturn to the courts to reconcile the conflict between judicial values andtraditional organizational values. Continuity of government organization . (1999). Managing effectively in an environment of competing values. Administration & Society, 25(4), 443-467. Knopf.Vinzant, J.C., & Roback, T.H. Edwards, J.A. (1992). Vinzant and Roback (1994)contend that beyond management technology and organizational efficiency,public administration is also part of the governing process of decidingwhat is to be done and who shall carry the burden. Thus, grappling with conflicts between the public interest andwhat may be the public's "best" interest is needed. (1994). A discretionary approach to public administration rests onthe assumption that the policies developed by government are legitimatelyand competently reflective of the public's interest and the "best" interestof society as a whole. Part of the problem that public administrators must face and overcomeis the tension between majority interests and minority group interests(Salamon, 1999). Washington, D.C.: NASW Press, 5-21.Leone, R.C. Levinson (1997) suggested that the "public interest" is oftenassociated with social welfare as well as with the rights of citizens tofair, equal and non-discriminatory treatment under the law. American Review of Public Administration, 22(4), 289-3 1.Box, R.C. Break-even financial management or operation within the limits of available financial resources.At the same time, public administrators must also concern themselves withsuch issues as the extent to which implementation efforts are congruentwith policy, the ongoing health and efficacy of their organizations, andthe degree to which their organizations participate in delivering eithergoods or services that positively impact upon the social welfare of theentire community and its subgroups. Antitrust Bulletin, 42(1), 1-3.Mitchell, J. Edwards, Austin, and Altpeter (1998) noted that severalyardsticks are used to measure the effectiveness of public administrationsystems. However, as Levinson (1997) also noted, law itself is not a fixedentity. Salamon (1999) sees non-profit agencies and organizations ashaving the capacity to move a social welfare agenda forward by functioningnot only as providers of needed goods and services, but also as changeadvocates. In a somewhat simplistic manner, a public administrator may concludethat the public interest represents a broad if conflicting set of valuesand expectations regarding the structuring of society andgovernmental/legal policy. Altpeter (Eds.) Skills for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations. Service quality, according to Edwards,et al (1998) is important and many public administrators are legitimatelyconcerned with the ongoing evaluation of the programs they oversee. In J.A. It wastherefore within the "public interest" to ensure, for example, that arunaway slave was returned to his or her "master" and that the "rights" ofthe slave owner to control of his "property" were supported. (1975). Working to further the public's best interest also means that it isnecessary to find common ground among competing interests rather thanconcern with naked self-interest. In the latter instance, the public administratortakes a more assertive role in working to identify what social or otherprograms and policies are needed, how those policies will impact uponsociety as a whole and subgroups within society, and which policy optionsare likely to have the most beneficial long-term impact. New York: The Foundation Center.Simon, H.A., Smithburg, D.W., & Thompson, V.A. The goal of this effort was topromote inclusion and to eliminate control over social welfare and otherpolicies by small groups of elites with vested interests. This tension is endemic and inescapable in a pluralistsociety in which a large majority population is balanced by a number ofsmaller minority groups with a vested interest in public policy. (1997). (1997). Ideally, it wasassumed that citizen participation in the public policy processes wouldresult in a situation in which a more equitable set of policies andprograms would be created. Conformity to the overriding wishes of citizens orrelevant groups is needed to preserve majority rule and minority rights. Box (1992) sees public administrators as trustees of the publicinterest. Dilemmas or legitimacy: The Supreme Court, patronage, and the public interest. Public Administration Review, 57(2), 16 -168.Salamon, L.M. In R.L. Representation in government boards and commissions. Public interest advocacy and the regulatory process. These governmental agents are charged with ensuring thatprograms and policies implemented by government are in accordance not onlywith prevailing law and custom, but also with a vision of the democraticideal. Public administrators perceivethemselves as accountable not only to their political counterparts, butalso to the citizenry, the Constitution, and normative and ethical codes ofconduct. Introduction: Antitrust and the economics of the public interest. The feeling was that groups of citizens appointed for fixed terms ofoffice could represent the public interest better than either electedofficials or administrators who served at the pleasure of politicians.Along with civil service systems, boards and commissions, were and stillare viewed as an intelligent way to make the public sector more democraticand competent. Creatinggovernmental policies that are fair, just, equitable, and no-discriminatoryis a core function of all public administration agencies or managers. Barth (1992) stated that government policy can bedeemed as being in the public's interest if and when it can satisfy sixbasic constitutive values: legality, morality, logic, responsiveness tothe desires of constituents, encompassing of the concerns of variousinterest groups and addressing long-term effects rather than temporarysolutions. These theorists defined the "public interest" as avast body of concerns reflecting prevailing as well as idealized notions of"good" and of what must and should be done to resolve social problems thatimpact specifically on certain groups and generally on society as a whole.More recently, Thomas J. Management of Business and Public Organizations Public administrators are often challenged to differentiate betweenthe "public interest" and the "public's best interest" as they participatein decision-making processes focused on resolving problems. America's Nonprofit Sector. Mitchell (1997) commented that in the Progressive era of the early19 s, the idea of placing boards and commissions in charge of publicsector activities was conceived by reform-minded citizens as a way toimprove policy making and administration. Public Administration. Nevertheless,there are clearly times when the "best" interest of the entire polity mayrequire some form of indirect discrimination against some members. Richard C.Leone (1975), in an early essay on public interest advocacy and publicadministration, commented that one of the most important tasks of publicadministration professionals, agencies, and regulatory bodies is to ensurethat in vital areas of private activity, the interest of the public is notoverridden by private considerations of economic gain. The administrator as trustee of the public interest: Normative ideals and daily practice. ReferencesBarth, T J. An idealist approach, on the other hand, takes theposition that community change and good government may not be adequatelyaddressed by legislative processes and that a vision of community may bestbe served via advocacy. Implicit in the public administration model is therealization that the traditional role of such workers is the implementationrather than the formulation of policy (Edwards, Austin, & Altpeter, 1999).Elected legislative bodies make policy for public sector managers to carryout, while pluralist boards and commissions make recommendations that areextremely influential in determining what constitutes the public's "best"interests. (1998). (1976). Vinzant and Roback (1994) also assert that the public interest is adifficult concept to define in that there is no single "public" in ademocracy, which is characterized by the presence of a number ofpotentially antagonistic "publics" with disparate agendas. Symbolically, the public interestrepresents an attitude with which to look at public policies and programs.Barth (1992) described that as an attitude that claims public issues haveequally important means and ends. Publicadministrators also routinely interact with public interest groups,organizations, and coalitions that are active participants in the decision-making process (Edwards, et al, 1998). Through the evaluation process, public administrators can providesignificant input to policymakers and decision-makers. With theeradication of the legal basis of slavery, the public interest wasredefined to recognize the citizenship (and natural) rights of the formerslaves. Consequently, the very concept of what constitutes the "publicinterest" has changed over time. In the former instance, a public administratorsimply implements social welfare and other policies determined bylegislative bodies of all types (from Congress to State Legislatures, CityCouncils, and so forth) and does not attempt to shape the policiesunderpinning programs. Instrumentally, the public interestrepresents an ongoing concern with the effects of policies and programs onindividuals and groups, using the bets analysis tools and reasoningpossible to obtain unbiased information leading to proactive decisions. However, challenges to the legitimacy of public administration havebeen commonplace throughout America's history. (1992). Corresponding to this view was, in the opinion of Salamon (1999), theemergence of a non-profit sector which took over some of the roles onceassumed by government as part of the larger effort to ensure socialjustice.
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